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Australia and particularly southern Australia are the centres for diversity of the Syngnathids (pipefish seahorses, seadragons). The genera and species of the teleost (fish) family the Syngnathids are not distributed evenly across the world. The Pacific and Indian Ocean have a greater proportion of genera, more endemic genera, more mono-typic and endemic genera, and more species of the Syngnathids than the North and South Atlantic Ocean. The result of this is that Australia has more species than any other continent. The southern coast of Australia is particularly rich in these species. However, recent studies have show that there is a paucity of proper surveys to show the diversity of Syngnathids and other inshore demersal fish in this region.

Between the great oceans:

• the Indo-Pacific has 92% (47) of genera and the Atlantic 29%.
• the Indo-Pacific has 70% (36) of genera as endemics and the Atlantic 10%.

• of monotypic and endemic genera the Indo-Pacific has 65% (14) and the Atlantic 7%.

• of species the Indo-Pacific has 80% (182) and the Atlantic 20%.

Between Australia and the Indo-Pacific:

• Australia has 79% of the genera.
• Australia has 38% of the endemic genera.
• Australia has 65% of the monotypic and endemic genera.
• Australia has 45% of the endemic species.

In respect to Australian pipefish:

• southern Australia (south of 30 degrees Lat.) has 76% of the endemic species.
• southern Australia (south of 30 degrees Lat.) has 100% of the monotypic genera.