Cozumel photo theme...seahorses and pipefish

[robint]

yes... pipehorse - seahorse - pipefish... all in the same family Syngnathiadae.
See Paul Humann's book "Reef Fish Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas", pages 316-319.
and yes, they are considered rare, but we see them all the time in Cozumel. If you go back through this thread from the first post, mine, you can see that we have posted numerous photos of them.

robin

 

[mstevens]

Argh. I can't edit my original post with the miniature version of this, so please forgive the repost.

 

[ColoDale]

That's not a pipefish you found there, that there is a pygmy pipehorse! I believe you are looking at Acentronura dendritica. Thought to be somewhat common but rarely noticed because of their camouflage and because of the frequent mis-identification of syngnathids. This is the first time I've seen a picture anywhere but books. Here is some additional info: First record of the pipefish Acentronura (Amphelikturus) dendritica (Syngnathidae) from the Caribbean | Mendeley

(If you're wondering who I am and where I dropped in from - I'm a seahorse and pipefish enthusiast and have a google alert set up to notify me when there are new posts and pages containing those words. I'm not a diver (yet) though I did do a discover dive last August.)

Anyway great job of capturing such an infrequently seen critter.

Thanks for the ID. I may have not been able to get an exact name at the time so I put it in the shortfin pipefish bucket.

 

[ColoDale]

My 3rd Enlarged edition of Paul Humann/Ned Deloach book "Reef Fish Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas" has the pipehorse on page 373. However my photo does not seem to have or I cannot see the fleshy tabs (papillae) on it. Maybe that is why I went to pipefish. Can't tell but it doesn't quite match what I see as a pipefish. It doesn't mention pygmy but the one I posted is smaller than the pipefish I see in my references.
I checked out the link from twice2011 but can't get the full paper.

In any case, pipehorse is a better description of what I had.

 

[twice2011]

yes... pipehorse - seahorse - pipefish... all in the same family Syngnathiadae.
See Paul Humann's book "Reef Fish Identification - Florida Caribbean Bahamas", pages 316-319.
and yes, they are considered rare, but we see them all the time in Cozumel. If you go back through this thread from the first post, mine, you can see that we have posted numerous photos of them.

robin

Wow, robin, I was so excited to see them here, I completely missed the first page of photos which is full of them. You seem to know a bit about them, mind answering a couple questions about them?

1) Is there a time of year that's better to spot them?
2) Is there a time of year you're more likely to see pregnant ones?
3) What depths are they usually found at?
4) Are there any locations better for finding them?
5) Is there a type of habitat they're more likely to be found in?

I haven't gotten certified yet, but I am hoping to in the next year. I guess I know where I'm going to have to try to dive now that I know they can be found in Cozumel.

ColoDale: I'm guessing that like most syngnathids, the fleshy tabs are optional. To me the distinguishing features are the head shape, the bent body and the hitching tail.

 

[robint]

twice2011 - Seahorses-pipehorses-pipefish are all seen in water under 50' deep, from my experience. They are usually found in grassy areas, not necessarily on a reef structure. I have found seahorses on reefs, but they are usually hidden under a ledge or sheltered by the reef, always clinging to a small grass, teacup, or tunicate cluster trying to blend in with it.

In fact, I found a seahorse once on a shark dive in Bahamas... everyone else was watching sharks, I saw a field of teacups and tunicates and was sure there would be a seahorse there. Sure enough, I found one. We got photos and I got video.. back on the boat we showed it to the DM and he thought we were nuts. He kept saying NO seahorses here, just sharks. LOL
Here is on of the photos:
It's not from Cozumel, but you can easily see what I mean about how they hide.


And the pipehorse I have always seen in seagrass, teacups in particular seem to be their favorite hideout.
I posted this one on the first page, but here it is again...


and here is a wide shot so you can see ME shooting video of the pipehorse while the DM points him out.

you can see the reef is closeby, but we are out over the sandy-grassy area.

As far as times of year to find them.... anytime. They are so small it is hard to tell if one is pregnant until you blow it up on the computer at home, though. From what I know, they mate and give birth then repeat cycle their whole lives.

robin

 

[Pelagicsal]

White-nosed pipefish portrait



Pipehorse pair



You can't see me. I'm just another shaving brush algae. Nothing to see here. Move along...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

 

[Rescue Diver68]

I'll play!

!

 

[Oldbear]

When I took my PADI Rescue Diver course at the Atlantis Resort in Dubai, I saw my first seahorse. The water was so mirky (the vis was about 3 ft - they dump copious amounts of sand and gravel in the water around Dubai to make cool shaped islands but you cannot see much while in the water) that we had to follow pre-strung guide lines and follow the leader's fins. We were moving so slow that on one of the lines I saw my first seahorse, a Thorny Seahorse, Hippocampus histrix. I know the only reason I saw him was in the fact that we were going so slow. When I reflex back to the times I have dove in Coz with the "race track" mentality, it is no wander I never saw one there.

Live & learn...now I know what to look for, where to look for it and at what pace helps facilitates finding them. I also love Nudis.

Great pics guys...I am so impressed. :yelclap:

~ME~

 

[caseybird]

Awesome photos.