About Syngnathus scovelli (Evermann & Kendall, 1896)
Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli) is an elongated fish whose body is encased in distinct body rings. Individuals are uniformly brown or dark olive green, with silvery white vertical bars along their sides that sometimes take on a Y shape. The maximum recorded standard length (SL) of this species is 183 mm, though most gulf pipefish rarely exceed 100 mm SL. It has a short snout, with a snout length that is 1.9 to 2.3 times shorter than its head length (HL). This species has 18 to 19 trunk rings and 30 to 34 tail rings. Its moderate-length dorsal fin spans 2 to 4 trunk rings and 3 to 5 tail rings; the dorsal fin of females is usually banded. The caudal fin is present and rounded, while the anal fin is greatly reduced, and pelvic fins are completely absent. Females have a well-developed keel on their abdomen, which is reduced in both juveniles and males. Mature males have a brood pouch on their underside that spans 10 to 13 tail rings. Gulf pipefish is a marine-estuarine species. It commonly lives in shallow, heavily vegetated shoreline areas, as well as clear, tannin-stained streams and rivers, and also frequently occupies estuarine seagrass meadows. The population of this species has declined due to impacts from growing human populations, which cause negative changes including nutrient loading, pollution, harmful algal blooms, and habitat degradation. Large declines have been recorded along the Atlantic Ocean coast and the coast of Florida, United States. The loss of much of the seagrass meadows in the Indian River Lagoon, paired with ongoing harmful algal blooms, is driving the decline of gulf pipefish there. This species ranges from the Atlantic coastal regions of northern Georgia, a U.S. state, southward along the Florida coast into the Gulf of Mexico, and continues south to São Paulo, Brazil. Populations of gulf pipefish have also been reported in inland freshwaters: 150 miles inland at Lake St. John, Louisiana, and 50 miles inland at Lake Texana, Texas. Little is known about the age and growth of this species. It may reach maturity within six months and typically lives less than one year, and there is also limited knowledge of its larval development. Gulf pipefish can breed in fresh, brackish, or highly saline water. Spawning can occur throughout the year, except on the northern Gulf Coast where reproductive activity declines in winter. Males develop a brood pouch when they reach maturity, and retain the pouch for life. This species has an elaborate courtship ritual that is initiated by the female. The ritual involves the pair swimming together and bobbing up to the water surface, before they intertwine their bodies. After mating, the male rubs his brood pouch along the substrate; this behavior is thought to help move eggs from the front of the pouch to the rear. Mature eggs are bright orange, oval to pear-shaped, and average 1.3 mm in diameter. Eggs remain in the ovarian lumen until they are transported to the brood chamber for fertilization. At a temperature of 24.5 degrees Celsius, eggs hatch after 14 to 15 days. Males collect eggs from multiple different females.
