New pipefish discovered in
Seadragon Foundation,
The surprising discovery of two new types of pipefish on the
metropolitan beaches of Adelaide, South Australia, have shown that the southern
Australian coast holds a Seadragon’s treasure trove of unknown inshore fish biodiversity.
The recently described southern gulf pipefish (Stigmatopora narinosa) appears to be highly
vulnerable to inshore developments due to its limited distribution.
The
southern gulf pipefish was described in December 2007 in the Memoirs of Museum
Dr Browne who described the species with Kevin Smith said “The
southern gulf pipefish is only found in a narrow zone of sheltered inshore
habitat on moderate energy coast in the two South Australian Gulfs. This very
small distribution and its preferred habitat being premium for residential and
industrial coastal development makes the species one of the most restricted and
threatened marine fish in the world.”
Dr Browne, founder of the Seadragon Foundation, said “In
2003 we were snorkeling just south of
Left: Southern gulf pipefish (Stigmatopora narinosa) showing the distinctive saddle shaped
markings and broads and deep snout. Like all Stigmatopora species the southern gulf pipefish has a long thin
prehensile tail. Image Kevin Smith.
Since 2003 the Seadragon Foundation group has initiated a
renaissance of inshore fish discovery, driven by the growing need for the
conservation of inshore marine species, supported by biodiversity assessment
and exploration. Their success is partly
due to their embracing new technologies like digital imaging and the www.
“We decided to focus on the syngnathids - the seadragons,
seahorses and pipefish – because so little was known about them and they are so
fascinating. Investigation of old jars
in the
A southern gulf pipefish with its red prehensile tail Image
Graham Short.
Surprisingly, the second new type of pipefish discovered is
in the same genera, Stigmatopora, as
the southern gulf pipefish. The Stigmatopora, or monkeytail pipefish with
their thin prehensile tails are highly significant to biodiversity as they are
in evolutionary terms an ancient lineage equal to seahorses. The monkeytail pipefish are only found in
southern
The new
undescribed species of Stigmatopora with
its red snout with a blue tip. Image
David Muirhead.
Pipefish
brood their eggs like seahorses, and the undescribed species has 64 eggs in
contrast to 20 eggs for the similar sized southern Australian, widebody
pipefish (Stigmatopora nigra) and about 40 for the much larger
spotted pipefish (Stigmatopora argus).
According to our explorer divers Kevin Smith and David
Muirhead, unlike the southern gulf pipefish this newer species is very rare and
even in its known habitat of inshore dispersed seagrass and macroalgae only one
or two may be seen a dive. However, it
may be much more widely distributed than the southern gulf pipefish.
The
potential for inshore fish discoveries, and the lack of knowledge of inshore
marine biodiversity in South Australia, was further shown when Michael Hammer, University
an expert in gobies published in 2006 a
biodiversity survey of the Port River, the port of Adelaide, and found four
unrecorded species, three of which were new to South Australia.
One of the
most disturbing aspects of these discoveries is that both of the new pipefish
have only been found in a very limited type of habitat. This habitat is the narrow transition between
low energy silt and mangrove coastlines and medium energy exposed
coastlines. This habitat mainly occurs
in the sheltered corners of bays. This
is exactly the area most affected by coastal urban development, particularly by
marinas. Another clear threat to both
new pipefish species is the proposed construction of a desalination plant
within a few kilometers of the main site of the southern gulf pipefish at
metropolitan
Browne, R.K., Smith, K. (2007) A new pipefish, Stigmatopora narinosa (Syngnathidae) from
Hammer, P.M. (2006) Range extensions for four estuarine gobies (Pisces: Gobiidae) in
southern
Press
release files
Southern gulf pipefish
Graham Short – image – jpg
Southern gulf pipefish
Kevin Smith – image – jpg
undescribed species David
Muirhead – image -jpg
New pipefish
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New pipefish
discovered in South Australia – web - doc
New pipefish discovered
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