Common pipefish or pipefish (lat. Syngnathus). Sea needle fish Needle fish in the river

Both have a shell of bony plates around their bodies and belong to the same order of sticklebacks, in which there are two different groups(stickleback and needle-shaped).

Some scientists even distinguish the spiny fish into an independent order: the fish of this group are so unique in appearance, structural features and their biology (in particular, reproduction strategy). A photo of a needle fish shows a snake-like creature with an elongated tube-shaped snout.

You can recall several species of fish that resemble a snake - eels, moray eels and pipefish. The latter are completely unique living creatures, which are very close relatives, since they belong to the same family of Needles (Syngnathidae).

This article is dedicated specifically to needles. All representatives of needlefish have an elongated body with a long tail and a small (or absent) caudal fin. The snout, at the end of which there is a buzz-toothed mouth, is elongated into a tube and serves to suck in food objects along with water. An enlarged photo of a needle fish makes it possible to examine the details of the structure of its head and snout.

The color of these fish is very diverse and can vary depending on the surrounding background of their habitat. There are red and purple needles, brown and bright green, gray with various spots and even almost white (coral inhabitants): scientists have described more than one hundred and fifty species of these unusual fish. The body length of adult individuals is different types from 25 millimeters to 60 centimeters.

Habitat and biological features

Most needlefish live in warm waters, and very few inhabitants of temperate seas. The habitat is always a coastal zone with sandy soil and thickets of sea grass (zoster) or algae, and corals. Rare exceptions are a few pelagic species that are not associated with the coast. They even inhabit the open part Atlantic Ocean, for example, the Sargasso Sea.

Feature appearance needle fish is that the needle fish has practically no well-developed and noticeable fins, with the exception of pectoral fins, which are the main motor organ of these original fish:

• The dorsal fin is small and strongly shifted towards the rear of the body. It consists entirely of soft rays that oscillate in waves as the fish swims.
• The caudal fin is also small and usually laterally compressed.
• The size of the anal fin is so “microscopic” that it is practically invisible.
• There are no pelvic fins at all.

Nutrition and reproduction

The tube-shaped snout of the needle operates on the principle of a pipette: prey is drawn into the mouth with a stream of water even from a distance of 40 millimeters. This happens at the moment when the fish inflates its “cheeks”. The food is a variety of small planktonic crustaceans. The length of the snout varies among different species, which is clearly visible in the photo.

Caring for offspring

Like all representatives of the Stickleback order, the needlefish takes care of its offspring, and nature has assigned this “honorable duty” to the male.

In most species of pipefish, male individuals on the ventral part of the body (sometimes under the caudal peduncle) have special folds of skin that extend from the sides. When their edges meet, they form a kind of brood pouch, the length of which is approximately one third of the length of the fish’s body.

The laying of eggs is preceded by a very interesting and majestic courtship dance, which ends with the female entwining herself around the male. It is in this position that the eggs are laid by the female in a leathery pouch on the male’s abdomen or (in the absence of a pouch) in a special groove. The eggs are deposited in batches. The male fertilizes each portion. The serpentine needlefish does not have a pouch, and in this species the eggs attached to the abdomen are open and not protected by anything.

The eggs are kept in the father's pouch until the fry hatch. And even for some time after their birth, they live in this peculiar house. To release his cubs for a “walk,” the male bends his body upward in the form of an arc, while the pouch opens. When danger appears, the kids rush back into the bag to hide.

Variety of pipefish

The most numerous genus of these unique snake-like fish is the common pipefish ( scientific name– Syngnathus). It unites approximately 50 species. In the waters of the Russian seas, representatives of this genus are found in the Black and Japanese seas. Some of them are often kept in aquariums: marine and freshwater. Most interesting view Aquarists consider the plump-cheeked Black Sea pipefish to be a species that can live not only in the salt water of the Black Sea, but also enters rivers and lakes, where it has perfectly adapted to life in fresh water.

Plump-cheeked Black Sea pipefish

Black Sea needle fish caught in lakes or reservoirs can be successfully kept in domestic freshwater aquariums. This is a small fish with a maximum length of up to 21 centimeters (usually up to 15), brown or greenish in color with light stripes across the body.

They reach sexual maturity at a length of about 10 centimeters. Males are larger compared to females. Their caudal peduncle is slightly flattened below. In this place there is a whitish brood chamber, where the female spawns eggs.

Particular attention should be paid to the eyes of pipefish: they are convex, quite large and extremely mobile. Each eye is capable of moving completely independently of the other. It is this feature that allows fish to successfully find their small food in the surrounding space.

How they move and catch food

The fish needle moves smoothly. When stopping, it relies on its tail, which is a support, so it always touches either the ground or underwater plants. During a hunt, the body of the fish can bend in different directions so that the needle takes on very unusual and interesting poses.

Vision plays a very important role in searching for food. important role: The needlefish constantly moves its large, expressive eyes and finds small crustaceans, even if they hide somewhere.

Having noticed the prey, the fish freezes in such a position that its proboscis is at a short distance from the victim. Then the needle quickly spreads its gill covers and makes a sharp movement of its head, sucking in water along with its prey. The needle fish can devote all its time to such a hunt and extract cyclops crustaceans even from under snags and stones.

How and what to feed in an aquarium

Due to the peculiarities of nutrition, properly selected food is the main condition for the safe maintenance of needles in aquariums. The optimal food is cyclops, which should always be present in the aquarium, because the fish spend almost the entire day hunting. You can cut the tubifex, but the fish will be reluctant to take it, perhaps because it is not suitable for them.

Aquarists have noticed that in the absence of cyclops or small daphnia in the aquarium, needle fish quickly lose weight and then often die.

Primorsky pipefish

In the Yellow Sea and the Sea of ​​Japan (including in the Russian waters of the Primorsky Territory), the coastal pipefish (Syngnathus acusimilis) lives near the continental coasts. It lives in shallow water in thickets of coastal vegetation, and is sometimes seen in desalinated areas of river mouths.

Maximum length – 30 centimeters. The breeding season is very extended: from the beginning of June, when the water warms up to 12 degrees, until September. But most often spawning individuals can be found at coastal water temperatures of about 20 degrees. Like all needlefishes, the offspring are cared for by the father, who carries the developing eggs in his brood chamber. This chamber is located on the abdomen closer to the tail part of the male’s body and can accommodate up to one and a half thousand eggs, each of which has a diameter of slightly more than 1 millimeter.

The fertility of one female is about 500 eggs, so the male often accepts eggs from 2-3 females, which they lay in turn.

The development of embryos continues for a month, by the end of which the length of the larvae reaches 1 centimeter or more. At this time, the juveniles leave the brood chamber of their parent and begin independent life. The seaside needle fish feeds on various small crustaceans.

There are already a lot of different inhabitants in your aquarium, but you want some of them to appear. needlefish. True, you have many questions and doubts: what kind of fish is this, how to properly care for it, whether it is susceptible to disease and whether it can get along with other brothers. In this article we will talk about the proper maintenance and breeding of needlefish.

In general, needle fish are marine and brackish water. Although some of its representatives live in fresh water. They live, as a rule, in the coastal zone of tropical and temperate waters. They are most comfortable near sandy shores, in thickets of algae and corals.

By the way, individual species are always in the thickness (for example, the inhabitant of the Black Sea - pelagic needle fish).

The needle fish is very elongated, at the end of its head there is a tube-shaped snout. She has no fins on her abdomen, and on her tail it is either very small or absent. The fish has a long, flexible tail; it can “grab” algae with it. These fish cannot be called good swimmers; they swim rather clumsily and at low speed.
Their color is extremely changeable, it can be red, yellow, green, gray with spots, white, etc. Some representatives are able to change color according to the conditions around them.

Its dimensions vary depending on the type - from 2.5 to 50 cm.

Common species of needlefish

Sea fish-the needle has several genera. The most common is Syngnathus, in other words, the common needlefish (there are more than 50 species). It has caudal and pectoral fins, the front part of the body has a hexagonal shape, and the back part has a four-sided shape.

Did you know? African Lake Malawi is home to cichlid fish. Their females carry the fry in... their mouth. During pregnancy, mothers refuse to eat.

There are also Neropsis, or serpentine needles, there are much fewer of them. The fish have a very thin body and no caudal or pectoral fins. They really look like a needle or an awl.

Another genus is Penetopteryx, that is, featherless pipefish. These representatives also do not have fins. They settle in the debris of coral reefs, diving into the sand when in danger.

The needlefish eats mainly small planktonic crustaceans, drawing them into itself with its snout when they swim closer than 4 cm.
Pinefish also love other small fish, frogs, shrimp, tadpoles and nauplii.

Spinefish like to jump out of the water, and quite high, so the tank should be covered from above.

Line the bottom with fine sand, suitable plant there will be Java moss. Remember that needles love shelters made of pebbles, snags, crevices, and caves.

Water aeration and biological filtration are absolutely necessary! Renew the water once a week (one-third of the volume).
Some people add salt to the water. But, as practice has shown, the fish do well in fresh water.

Important! When cleaning the fish house, be aware of the sharp teeth of the needle fish, otherwise you will be bitten.

As you already understand, the needle is a predatory fish. But, in principle, not aggressive. It is recommended to keep it with other large and calm fish, which it cannot eat.

Avoid its proximity to overly active, restless fish, for example.

In general, she has no intraspecific conflicts. Prefers to stay in a small flock of three or four brothers.

Spawning begins in mid-spring and ends at the end of July. To “provoke” this process, feed your pets small live fish for two weeks, and also change their water every day.

In these fish, the offspring are cared for by... the male. It has a special chamber for eggs, consisting of two folds of skin on the sides of the body; the folds bend over the abdomen, thereby covering the future children.

Before this, the female wraps herself around the male, laying eggs in this so-called “bag”, which holds about 100 eggs. The father fertilizes them and bears them. After about 10 days, the fry appear, but they are still a little in the folds.
Even after getting out, the kids rush to their father’s “bag” when danger arises, as well as when it gets dark. In general, it is advised to provide the male with a separate tank, where he can calmly and safely raise his offspring.

Important! With insufficient nutrition, the male often begins to eat his future children. Therefore, during this period, take care of a nutritious diet for him.

Fish diseases

Needlefish are quite interesting fish. But, as you can see, they are not so easy to care for. When placing them in an aquarium, you need to think through everything down to the smallest detail, because this fish will only get along with equal or larger brothers.

If you decide to keep this species exclusively, then don’t worry. Follow the breeding rules and you will definitely succeed!

Pipefish or garfish is a type of marine fish. It has a peculiar body shape, it is flattened and elongated. The fishery is concentrated in Pacific Ocean, in the coastal regions of South and Central America. In our country, garfish are known for their delicious beer snack, sold under the name Shanghai needle fish.

The beneficial properties of needle fish have been proven by numerous studies and lie in the unique composition of its meat. Its taste is somewhat reminiscent of pike perch. There are practically no bones in the carcass, so needle fish is easy to clean.

Needle fish meat contains vitamins: A, E, B1, B2, B6, B12. Minerals are represented by bromine, iodine, selenium, fluorine, iron, zinc, magnesium, sodium. The calorie content of needle fish is 95 kcal per 100 g of product. The meat of this fish is a valuable source of easily digestible protein, its content is about 17%. Fat accounts for 5.5%. Thus, igloo fish can be consumed without restrictions, even by people who are prone to excess weight.

By the way, don't be scared or surprised characteristic feature characteristic of this fish - it has greenish bones. And the broth from it has a pistachio hue. All this is due to the pigment biliverdin.

What is the best way to eat igloo fish?

There are many recipes for preparing fish: it is fried, baked, made into soups, salted, dried. The most useful from the point of view of maximum preservation of nutritional compounds is dried needle fish. Also very popular in our country delicious snack Shanghai-style needle fish for beer. You most likely won’t be able to make it at home, but you can buy it inexpensively from a trusted Chinese manufacturer without even leaving your home, using the services of an online store.

The benefits of needle fish can be significantly higher, for example, if you prepare “Igloo fish on a bed of vegetables.” To prepare this wonderful dish you will need 2-3 carrots, 70 grams of sunflower oil, 5 medium-sized onions, 7-10 tomatoes, red pepper and paprika.

The fish is cleaned and gutted, then thoroughly washed and cut into pieces. Sunflower oil is poured into a preheated frying pan and the fish is placed. The frying process continues until golden crust. The vegetable pillow is prepared as follows. The carrots are chopped on a fine grater and spread on a plate. Tomatoes and onions cut into rings, previously fried in a frying pan with the addition of a small amount of water, are also placed on the plate. Add pepper and salt to taste. Place the fried fish on the prepared vegetable bed. If desired, you can lightly sprinkle it with fresh lemon juice.

Fish dishes today are very popular in all cuisines of the world. This is not surprising, because such a product contains many useful substances, which are so necessary for the human body. There are as many recipes for their preparation as there are types of fish. For example, needle fish, beneficial features which are undeniable, today it is very often used in cooking, because taste qualities it is perfectly complemented by a mullet, rock perch, sardines or lionfish.

Description and distribution of pipefish

This fish, being a representative of the needle family, lives in open seas India, Thailand, Burma, and is also very often found in river mouths and lakes, Black and Seas of Azov. Some representatives have a length of more than thirty-eight centimeters; they are endowed with a cylindrical body of a silvery hue, a narrow jaw with sharp teeth. There are several types of this fish: serpentine and ordinary. It is best to hunt such fish in winter. Its meat is white and juicy, the taste resembles pike or pike perch, therefore it is often used in cooking for preparing various dishes. Knowing what needle fish is, we will consider recipes for preparing it further.

Needle fish on a bed of vegetables

Ingredients: two fish, three carrots, seventy grams of vegetable oil, six onions, eight tomatoes, salt, red hot pepper and paprika to taste.

Preparation

First you need to cut the fish. To do this, cut off the head and tail, remove the fins, clean the entrails, wash and cut into portions. This should result in a total of eight pieces. Then vegetable oil is poured into the frying pan, where the needle fish will be fried. We will now look at how to cook further. So, the fish is fried on all sides until golden brown. Then they start preparing the vegetable pillow. To do this, grate the carrots; it will serve as a substrate. Next, the onions and tomatoes are cut into rings. Carrots and onions are placed in a frying pan and simmered for several minutes. Fry the tomatoes separately, adding a little water.

Place a layer of onions and carrots in a large frying pan, then tomatoes, and needle fish is placed on top, the recipes for which we will consider. At the same time, each piece is sprinkled with hot pepper. Next, the fish is covered with vegetables in the opposite order. Cover the frying pan with a lid and put on the fire, simmer for twenty minutes, sprinkling with more salt and paprika to taste. The finished dish is laid out on portioned plates and served to the table. The taste of the product is very interesting.

French soup "Bouillabaisse"

This dish is the most popular among Marseille sailors. It includes needle fish, the recipes for which are very diverse, as well as lobsters and other seafood.

Ingredients: one kilogram of needle fish, half a kilogram of salmon fillet, stingray or lapu-lapu, two hundred grams of squid, two hundred grams of shrimp, one hundred grams of mussels, one hundred grams of scallops, two onions, six cloves of garlic, one can of tomatoes own juice or three fresh tomatoes, as well as two hundred grams of dry white wine, two stalks of celery, two leeks, six bay leaves, the zest of one orange, half a bunch of herbs, black pepper and spices to taste.

Preparation

First, needle fish, the recipes for which are very simple, salmon or other fish is washed and poured cold water, set to cook over low heat. Meanwhile, chopped onions, crushed garlic, crushed tomatoes are fried in a cauldron in vegetable oil, adding white wine. Then add the strained broth.

Making a fragrant bouquet

Wrap the orange peel in gauze, cut it into large pieces, Bay leaf, seasonings for fish, peas Prepared in this way, the gauze bag is tied and placed in the vegetable mixture, which is in the cauldron. This makes it possible not to catch spices from the soup later, so it will turn out transparent and beautiful.

The fish is cut into pieces and transferred to a cauldron, boiled for twenty minutes. As time passes, the bag of spices is pulled out. The seafood is cleaned, washed and added to the soup, boiled for five minutes. Greens are added to the finished dish. The soup is traditionally served with croutons (crouts made from white bread) and "Rui" sauce.

Making Rui sauce

Garlic cloves, pod hot pepper, a pinch of sea salt, ground cayenne pepper are passed through a press, four eggs, a small amount of olive oil, a pinch of saffron are added and everything is mixed.

Finally...

We already know it) is very often used in world cooking. It is fried, stewed, boiled, dried, and so on. It tastes like pike meat or it turns out to be satisfying, appetizing and healthy.

This relationship has introduced one peculiarity into the process of reproduction of these fish - the male is “pregnant”. In addition, he can choose whose eggs he will carry and whose eggs he will not.

Pipefish live in tropical and temperate seas, including the Black Sea.

This small fish somewhat resembles a snake or a stick. She has a long and thin body, which is covered with a shell with bony trunk rings.

Their body length can vary - from 2.5 to 30 centimeters. It all depends on the type of fish.

They don't swim very well. Like seahorses, some species have a prehensile tail, with which they grab onto plants to prevent them from being carried away by the current.

The face of the pipefish is very elongated and occupies more than half the length of the head. At its end there is a small toothless mouth. Therefore, they suck in their food along with water.

Needles feed on small fish and plankton, for which they sometimes have to dive to a depth of 90 meters. But most often the fish stay at a depth of no more than 10 meters, among the vegetation of coral reefs and rocks.

Their almost vertical swimming provides good camouflage as algae. In addition, the color easily changes depending on environment: brown, bright green, red, purple, speckled gray, etc. This allows the fish to remain unnoticed by enemies.

Their reproduction process is very unusual. Like the closest relatives - seahorses– the offspring of the pipefish is carried by the male. It has a special brood pouch, which is a pouch between two folds on the abdomen.

Spawning of the pipefish begins in the spring and continues throughout the summer. Over the entire period, the male accepts eggs from several females. Although some species of pipefish are monogamous and “remain faithful” to only one female. Though it pleases. But most often, females lay eggs in several partners, because this increases the chances of survival of the young.

A male's pouch can hold up to 1,500 eggs. The gestation period lasts about a month. After which miniature copies of the parents come out of the bag into the light, and the independent life. But fatherly care also manifests itself after the fry hatch. The male continues to carry them in his bag for some time. When he bends his belly up, the bag opens and the kids go out for a walk. In case of danger, the fry climb back with lightning speed.

But that is not all. Earlier this year, biologists at the University of Texas found that males can get rid of unwanted “pregnancies.” He can regulate the survival of embryos by selecting the eggs of the most promising and attractive females. Then the possibility of fry hatching from the strongest and healthiest female increases. A process of survival, nothing more.