Syngnathus (pipefish)

Object/Artifact

-

Crater Rock Museum

Name/Title

Syngnathus (pipefish)

Entry/Object ID

2011.57.10

Description

Description: Family: Syngnathidae Class: Actinopterygii Genus: Syngnathus Species: watermeyeri Common Name: Pipe Fish Age: Mocene Location: Monterey Formation, Buelton, CA Description: Large thick slab with irregular shape. Three distinct fossilized pipe fish, each approx. 6 to 9 inches long. Beige matrix with reddish-brown fossils. Physical Characteristics: Pipefish look like straight-bodied seahorses with tiny mouths. The name is derived from the peculiar form of their snout, which is like a long tube, ending in a narrow and small mouth which opens upwards and is toothless. The body and tail are long, thin, and snake-like. They have a highly modified skeleton formed into armored plating. This dermal skeleton has several longitudinal ridges, so that a vertical section through the body looks angular, not round or oval as in the majority of other fishes.A dorsal fin is always present, and is the principal (in some species, the only) organ of locomotion. The ventral fins are constantly absent, and the other fins may or may not be developed. The gill openings are extremely small and placed near the upper posterior angle of the gill cover.Many are very weak swimmers in open water, moving slowly by means of rapid movements of the dorsal fin. Some species of pipefish have tails that are prehensile, as in seahorses. The majority of pipefishes have some form of a caudal fin (unlike seahorses), which can be used for locomotion. See fish anatomy for fin descriptions. There are species of pipefish with more developed caudal fins, such as the group collectively known as flagtail pipefish, which are quite strong swimmers. Family: Syngnathidae Genus: Syngnathus Kingdom: Animalia (Animals) Class: Actinopterygii Order: Syngnathiformes Phylum: Chordata

Collection

Museum Collection of Fossils

Acquisition

Accession

2011.57

Source or Donor

Museum Collection of Fossils

Acquisition Method

Long-term Loan

Dimensions

Width

7 in

Depth

1/2 in

Length

17-3/8 in

Location

Location

Room

Fossil Room

Building

Crater Rock Museum

Category

Exhibit