182 
BULLETIN OF THE BUREAU OF FISHERIES 
KEY TO THE GENERA 
a. Tail not prehensile; head not shaped like that of a horse, usually in line with the axis of the body; 
egg pouch under the tail Syngnathus, p. 182 
aa. Tail prehensile; head shaped like that of a horse, placed nearly at a right angle to the axis of 
the body Hippocampus, p. 185 
68. Genus SYNGNATHUS Linnaeus. Pipefishes 
Body very elongate, 6 or 7 angled, not compressed, tapering into a long straight tail; snout 
long, tubelike, with a small toothless mouth at its tip; humeral bones firmly united to the “breast 
ring’’; dorsal fin distinct; anal fin, if present, minute, placed close behind vent; pectorals present, 
short and rather broad. Male fishes with the egg pouch along the under side of tail. 
KEY TO THE SPECIES 
a. Snout rather short, 2 to 2.5 in head; dorsal fin with 35 to 41 rays, placed over 4 or 5 (rarely 3) 
body and 4 or 5 caudal rings; abdomen convex fuscus, p. 182 
aa. Snout much longer, 1.6 to 1.85 in head. 
b. Dorsal fin short, with 28 to 30 rays, placed over 1 to 1.5 body and 5.5 to 6 caudal rings; body 
rings 16 to 18; abdomen more or less convex floridx, p. 183 
bb. Dorsal fin rather long, with 32 to 37 rays, placed over 3 body and 5 caudal rings; body rings 
20 or 21; abdomen flat louisianx, p. 184 
88. Syngnathus fuscus Storer. Common pipefish; “ Banded pipefish.” 
Syngnathus fuscus Storer, Report, Fish., Mass., 1839, p. 162; Nahant, Mass. 
Syngnathus psckianus Uhler and Lugger, 1876, ed. I, p. 91; ed. II, p. 76. 
Siphostoma fuscum Bean, 1891, p. 84; Jordan and Evermann, 1896-1900, p. 770; Smith and Bean, 1899, p. 185; Evermann and 
Hildebrand, 1910, p. 160. 
Head 6.5 to 8.1; D. 35 to 41; body rings 17 to 19; caudal rings 35 to 40. Body somewhat 
broader below than above; caudal portion quadrangular, longer than rest of body, 1.6 to 1.7 in 
length; abdomen convex; snout rather short, 2 to 2.5 in head; eye 5.4 to 7.6; egg pouch on 13 to 16 
rings; dorsal fin long, the end of its base equidistant from tip of snout and base of caudal or more 
usually somewhat nearer the former, normally occupying 4 or 5 body rings and 4 or 5 caudal rings 
(several specimens occur in the collection in which the dorsal occupies 3 + 5 rings); caudal fin rather 
long, rounded; pectoral fins short, broad, 4 to 6.4 in head. 
Color in spirits brownish above, somewhat paler below; sides more or less mottled, variable; 
snout usually with a dark bar on sides, passing through eye; dorsal fin sometimes more or less 
blotched with black; caudal fin usually dark, with a pale margin. 
Numerous specimens ranging from 15 to 205 millimeters in length were preserved. The 
species differs notably from S. floridx (the only other common species in Chesapeake Bay) in the 
shorter snout, the much longer dorsal fin, and in its position with respect to the number of body 
and caudal rings which it occupies. It apparently is distinguished from S. louisianx with some 
difficulty. 
