Grass needle
| Grass needle | ||||||||||||
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Grass needle ( Syngnathus typhle ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Syngnathus typhle | ||||||||||||
| Linnaeus , 1758 |
The grass needle ( Syngnathus typhle ) is a common type of pipefish (Syngnathidae) in the north-east Atlantic and its tributaries.
features
The grass needle has a very elongated, thin body and is up to 30 centimeters long. The snout with the upper mouth is elongated like a pipette and laterally flattened. The back and the flanks are colored green to gray. The dorsal fin, which attaches far back to the body, has 28 to 42 fin rays, the very short anal fin 2 to 4 and the pectoral fins 13 to 17 rays each.
distribution
The needle of grass lives on the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean from northern Scandinavia to Morocco as well as in the Mediterranean and Black Sea , the North and the western Baltic Sea .
Way of life
The fish live mainly on shallow coasts in seagrass and seaweed meadows at depths of 4 to 20 meters, whereby they usually stand vertically between the seaweed and are thus well camouflaged. They feed on small invertebrates, fish spawn and fry, which they suck up with their pipette-like mouth.
As with all pipefish, the gender role of the grass needles is reversed. The males hatch the eggs they receive from the females. From March to October up to 250 eggs are laid in the brood pouch on the underside of the tail of the male with the help of the elongated genital papilla of the female. The males fertilize the eggs. In the brood ash, the eggs are supplied with oxygen and nutrients. After about four weeks, the young fish, which are now around 25 millimeters long, leave the brood ash.
Systematics
The grass needle is one of 35 recognized species of the genus Syngnathus within the pipefish (Syngnathidae).
supporting documents
Individual evidence
literature
- Andreas Vilcinskas : Fish - Central European freshwater species and marine fish of the North and Baltic Seas. BLV Verlagsgesellschaft München 2000; Page 212. ISBN 3-405-15848-6
Web links
- Graspadel on Fishbase.org (English)