Viewing: Syngnathids
May 10, 2017
Normanville Jetty and Hotspot
David Muirhead says that the Normanville jetty is “a pretty poor excuse for a jetty”. “I have, however, found some surprisingly good photographic subjects on the piles at high tide, which is all the more titillating given the entire jetty can be above the water mark,” he says. (The present jetty is the second Normanville jetty. The first one was a short distance to the south of the current one but, after severe storm damage, it was decided that repairing…
Posted in Bony fishes, Dive Reports, Jetties, Maritime History, Syngnathids | By Steve Reynolds
April 27, 2017
Shrimps, Seadragons and Siphonognathus argyrophanes
Shrimps, Seadragons and Siphonognathus argyrophanes (As told to Steve by David Muirhead) The fish Tubemouth, Siphonognathus argyrophanes, looks very pipefish-like, and many veteran divers incorrectly think that they are true pipefish. They are, however, in the same family as wrasses (Labridae), which includes the ‘rock cod’ or ‘parrotfish’, plus weed whiting and western blue groper (which strictly should be called a western blue groper wrasse because it’s completely unrelated to tropical groupers like the giant Queensland Grouper). Tubemouth, Siphonognathus argyrophanes…
Posted in Bony fishes, Citizen Science, Crustaceans, Syngnathids | By Steve Reynolds
April 10, 2017
Spotting Pipefish
David Muirhead and I had Facebook conversation about finding pipefish with one-time Society member Ron Bellchambers recently, after David had posted this photo of a Crested pipefish on his Facebook page: – Crested pipefish (a.k.a Briggs Crested pipefish) (Taken by David Muirhead) (This Crested pipefish is typically cryptic below detrital seagrass leaf on silty sand @ 4 m depth Second Valley 5-4-17. The crest of its dorsal fin is just visible where its trunk meets the seagrass blade) I subsequently…
Posted in Bony fishes, Syngnathids | By Steve Reynolds
February 23, 2017
ID of pipefish found at Sellicks Beach
We recently received a request via Facebook from Robbert Alexander to identify a pipefish species that he found on Sellicks Beach. Robbert sent us a photo of the pipefish and we told him that it was “Most likely Stigmatopora argus, the spotted pipefish”. We also gave him a link to the relevant web page for the Australian Museum ( https://australianmuseum.net.au/spotted-pipefish-stigmatopora-argus ). Robbert agreed with our ID of the pipefish and then sent us several more photos of it. He…
Posted in Bony fishes, Coastal species, Syngnathids | By Steve Reynolds
February 3, 2016
Pipefish Photos from our Port Hughes Dive
As reported in the article titled “Our ‘Pipefish’ Dive at Port Hughes”, we held a dive at the Port Hughes jetty on 2nd January 2016. The divers on the day consisted of Peter Gower, Chris Hall, Kevin Smith & I. A friend of Chris, and Kevin’s mother, were also there with us. Kevin Smith reported seeing hundreds of juvenile Southern Gulf Pipefish, Stigmatopora narinosa, much less of Spotted pipefish, Stigmatopora argus, three small schools of Brushtail pipefish, Leptoichthys fistularis and a…
Posted in Bony fishes, Syngnathids | By Steve Reynolds
August 23, 2015
The wonderful and diverse syngnathids of Normanville, South Australia
I am a research associate at the California Academy of Sciences where I study the evolutionary relationships among seahorse, seadragons, and pipefish in the family Syngnathidae. I employ DNA sequencing, morphological characters, and underwater photography to gain a better understanding of these relationships which are largely unresolved in this family, and therefore is in need of a major revision which will help in the management and conservation of these fishes. Australia, and in particular Southern Australia, is a major hotspot…
Posted in Bony fishes, Coastal species, Dive Reports, Jetties, Species lists, Syngnathids | By Graham Short
April 7, 2006
The Weedy seadragon and its protection
For several years we have had the following message on our website in the “Issues” section. Now that the focus of our previous issue has reached a successful conclusion, it is time to move on to the next issue. Previously we wanted to have the Leafy Seadragon adopted as the South Australian fish logo. The former State Government adopted the Leafy Seadragon to represent SA. Our new focus concerns the protection of Weedy Seadragons in SA waters. The Weedy has…
Posted in Syngnathids | By Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc.
February 16, 2006
State Government to protect seadragons & sea horses
The Rann Government has moved to deliver greater protection for sea horses, pipefish and weedy seadragons in South Australian waters by declaring them protected species, like the leafy seadragon. Agriculture, Food and Fisheries Minister, Rory McEwen said today the decision reflected a commitment by the Premier at a Community Cabinet meeting last year to protect the weedy seadragon. “It also follows a report by the Australian Institute of Criminology that concluded seahorses are vulnerable to organised criminal exploitation and without…
Posted in Fisheries, Syngnathids | By Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc.
October 7, 2005
Weedy Seadragon protection interests SA Premier Mike Rann
On Tuesday 6th of September, Margaret and I attended an afternoon tea at the Walkerville Bowls Club to meet the Premier and some of his Ministers for an informal community discussion. I went with two items for discussion, the Rapid Bay jetty situation and the lack of protection for the Weedy Seadragon. I was told that the Jetty had been raised at a community meeting the previous evening and they would not discuss it any further. However, we were able to…
Posted in Syngnathids | By Marine Life Society of South Australia Inc.
August 30, 2002
Tumby Bay Jetty Dive
Jenni and I had a few days R and R at Port Lincoln this week so I took my gear, hoping to get a few dives. The shore/jetty dive prospects and viz at Whyalla, Cowell, Port Neill and Arno Bay varied from poor to “possibly just o.k. but let’s try the next town.” Finally at Tumby Bay, the last town before Port Lincoln, both the viz and the jetty access looked adequate so in I went, complete with a ‘Seachange’…
Posted in Dive Reports, Jetties, Syngnathids | By David Muirhead