Opossum Pipefish

Opossum pipefish
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gasterosteiformes
Family:	Syngnathidae
Genus:	Microphis
Species:	M. brachyurus lineatus
Binomial name
Microphis brachyurus lineatus Bleeker, 1853

The opossum pipefish is a U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Species of Concern. Species of Concern are those species about which the U.S. Government’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, has some concerns regarding status and threats, but for which insufficient information is available to indicate a need to list the species under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Species Description

Opossum pipefish are a widespread species that spawn in low salinity areas of estuaries. The color of the opossum pipefish is distinctive, especially in breeding adults: the upper snout and back half of the head and body is sienna brown with a series of dark red blotches on each lateral trunk ring forming a red stripe between the lateral and superior trunk ridges; there is a silver stripe on the mid-side between the lateral and inferior trunk ridges, a silver edge on the inferior trunk ridge; the lower half of the snout is bright red with a variable number of black vertical bars, and the caudal fin is also red with a central dark stripe.

Ecology

Nothing is known about annual variation in population size, but the decline in habitat quality (described below) has likely led to a drastic decrease in population size.

Conservation

The major threats to the opossum pipefish are habitat destruction, water control structures, declining water quality, and an increase in disease. These factors have been documented within the primary ecosystems occupied by opossum pipefish.

Conservation Designations

IUCN[1]: Not Evaluated

American Fisheries Society: Threatened

Species of Greatest Conservation Need:FL, LA, and TX.

Status Reviews

None

References

NMFS. Species of Concern Fact Sheet[2]. 2008