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Species: Anarchopterus criniger, Fringed Pipefish

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2-3 white streaks behind eye
upper body - 3 blue spots, each before a white bar
rings: trunk 14-16, tail 35-39
pectoral 6-9
head & body: few small, scattered simple skin flaps

Anarchopterus criniger (Bean & Dresel, 1884)

Fringed Pipefish

Snout short; ridge all along center of snout; ridge along operculum angles up and back; dorsal fin moderate length, 15-21 rays; no anal fin; no pelvic fins; pectoral fin rays 6-9; tail fin 10; trunk rings 14-16; tail rings 35-39; body ridges poorly developed; upper body and tail ridges interrupted near rear of dorsal fin; lower trunk ridge ends near anus; side trunk ridge joins lower tail ridge under dorsal fin; body without spines, with scattered simple skin flaps; brood pouch under tail rings 13-20, pouch plates not very enlarged, pouch semi-open.

Three pale streaks radiating back and down from lower half of eye; each body ring usually with 3 short whitish bars or oval dots; upper trunk before dorsal fin with 3 prominent, regularly spaced black spots.

Reaches 10 cm.

Vegetated bottoms (seagrass and macroalgae); also with floating Sargassum.

Depth: 1-11 m.

N Carolina the northwest Caribbean, also in Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Marine
  • Marine Only
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Submerged vegetation
  • Water column
  • Flotsam
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
  • Planktivore
Diet
  • Data
  • Zooplankton
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Data
  • Live birth
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Continental primarily
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 10
Depth Range Min
  • 1
Depth Range Max
  • 11