Worm pipefish explained

The worm pipefish (Nerophis lumbriciformis) is a species of pipefish (of the family Syngnathidae), found in the North-eastern Atlantic along the coasts of Europe from the southern Norway, Kattegat and British Islands to Río de Oro in Western Sahara. The fish has a length of up to 15 cm. It inhabits rocky coastal areas with macrophytes at depths to 30 m.

The worm pipefish feeds primarily on Harpacticoid and cyclopoid copepods^[1]

Like other pipefish, this species is sex role-reversed, with females courting males whom subsequently brood the young.^[2]

External links

• Nerophis lumbriciformis at FishBase

Notes and References

1. Lyons, D. O. and Dunne, J. J. 2004. Inter- and intra-gender analyses of feeding ecology of the worm pipefish (Nerophis lumbriciformis). Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the UK 84(2).
2. Monteiro, N, Vieira, M. N. and Almada, V. C. 2002. The courtship behaviour of the pipefish Nerophis lumbriciformis: reflections of an adaptation to intertidal life. Acta Ethologica 4(2): 109-111.