74 



Catalogue of the Fishes of Connecticut 



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Order V. Lophobranchii. 

 Family Syngnathidce. 

 138. Syngnathus fuscus, Storer, Brown Pipefish. 



S trat 



ford. 



*139. Syngnathus Peckianus, Storer, Peck's Pipefish. 

 *140. Hippocampus brevirostris, Cuv., Short-nosed Sea-Horse, 

 Long Island Sound ? 



- 



specimen of the A. lancea, from the Great Banks, that corresponds in many respects 

 with this species. Mine, however, is 10 inches in length, seven tenths of an inch 

 deep and the rays are Dorsal 60, P. 10, V. 32, C. 12. Dr. Dekay's specimen, D. 54, P. 

 15, V. 28, C. 10. The under jaw of mine extends three twentieths of an inch be- 

 yond the upper. If his was the species, it must have been quite young, being but 

 half the length of an adult. Mr. Ayres, however, took the lancea in L. I. Sound. 

 Vide page 58, B. S. N. H. proceedings. 



*138, 130. Both these species of pipe-fish are often found here in oyster beds 

 and are taken by oyster tongs. I have several specimens thus obtained. By 

 placing them in alcohol a short time, they are easily dried by a coat of varnish 

 easily preserved. I have a fine specimen of this genus from Madeira, by the kind- 

 ness of Mr. Trumbull, that is much thicker and stouter than ours, and is probably 

 a different species. ' 



One of the greatest curiosities in this class of animals, is believed to be, (the 

 well known fact,) that the males receive the ova of the females into pouches, or 

 false bellies, and hatch them after they are excluded by the females; and indeed 

 the males (it is said) often carry the young after they are hatched. (Vide Dr. 

 Storer's valuable Report on the Fishes and Reptiles of Massachusetts, page 166.) 



*140. I have a beautiful male specimen of this wonderful fish, 6 inches long, 

 and 1 and one-tenth inches wide, caught alive at Sandy Hook, and presented to 

 me by Mr. Sandy Layfield, of Bridgeport. It differs in several respects both from 

 Dr. Storer's and Dr. Dekay's. But on comparing it attentively with both descrip- 

 tions, I am fully satisfied that Dr. Storer's brevirostris, and Dr. Dekay's Hudsonius, 

 and my own fish, are all the true brevirostris of Cuvier and Yarrell. Mine differs 

 by being a male, and having a splendid horn 2 tenths of an inch in length, in the 

 centre of the forehead, and 3 tenths of an inch back of the eyes. The body of 

 mine is divided into 16 segments; Dr. Storer's 11, and Dr. Dekay's 12, both of 

 which were females. Rays of mine-D. 18, P. 14, A. 0. Dr. Storer's-D. 20, P- 

 14, A. 3 or 4. Dr. Dekay 's_D. 18, P. 15, A. 3. 



Dr. Dekay supposes his fish to have a shorter tubular jaw than that of Dr. Stor- 

 er s, and assigns this as a reason for making it a new species. I imagine this was 

 an oversight of Dr. Dekay's, because in all our three animals, the jaws are about 

 «3 tenths of an inch in length. 



Dr. Dekay, however, notices one fact not mentioned by Dr. S., " on the summit 

 of the head is a large bony protuberance terminating in five distinct points." This 

 is aiso a very prominent feature in my fish, and from the correspondence about the 

 head in other respects with Dr. Storer's, it is believed this feature was merely 

 omitted or not regarded by Dr.S., and therefore, the H. Hudsonius, in my humble 

 opinion, is not a new or distinct species. 



