Stigmatopora nigra, also known as the wide-bodied pipefish is a species of marine fish belonging to the family Syngnathidae.[1] This species can be found in the shallow waters, bays, and estuaries of southern Australia from Shark Bay to Brisbane, Tasmania, and New Zealand.[2][3] They often inhabit seagrass or algae beds in addition to bare sand.[4] Their diet consists of small crustaceans such as copepods and amphipods.[5] Adult brooding males have been measured at 6.5-7 centimeters.[2] Reproduction occurs through ovoviviparity.[6] in which the males brood up to 25 eggs in a pouch below the tail before giving live birth.[2][7]Stigmatopora nigra can live to 150 days old and are able to reproduce throughout the year.[8]
^Dawson, C.E. (1985). Indo-Pacific Pipefishes (Red Sea to the Americas). Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA: The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.
^McClatchie, S.; Middleton, J.; Pattiaratchi, C.; Currie, D.; Kendrick, G. (2006). The South-west Marine Region: Ecosystems and Key Species Groups. Department of the Environment and Water Resources.
^Kendrick, A.J.; Hyndes, G.A. (2005). "Variations in the dietary compositions of morphologically diverse syngnathid fishes". Environmental Biology of Fishes. 72 (4): 415–427. doi:10.1007/s10641-004-2597-y. S2CID23797922.
^Breder, C.M.; Rosen, D.E. (1966). Modes of reproduction in fishes. Neptune City, New Jersey: T.F.H. Publications.
^Parkinson, K.L.; Booth, D.J. (2016). "Rapid growth and short life spans characterize pipefish populations in vulnerable seagrass beds". Journal of Fish Biology. 88 (5): 1847–1855. doi:10.1111/jfb.12950. hdl:10453/43983. PMID27005315.