Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Variations in the dietary compositions of morphologically diverse syngnathid fishes

  • Published:
Environmental Biology of Fishes Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Synopsis

We examined the diets of 12 morphologically diverse syngnathid species in shallow seagrass-dominated marine waters of south-western Australia to determine whether they differed among species that varied in body form, size and snout morphology, and in particular whether species with long snouts ingested more mobile prey. Although all species consume mainly small crustaceans, the dietary compositions of these species often vary markedly. We suggest that these differences are related to factors that influence both their foraging capabilities and/or locations. Those species with long snouts (e.g. the common seadragon Phyllopteryx taeniolatus and long-snouted pipefish Vanacampus poecilolaemus) consume far more relatively mobile prey than species with short snouts. Species with short snouts (e.g. the pug-nosed pipefish Pugnaso curtirostris and Macleay’s crested pipefish Histiogamphelus cristatus) mainly consume slow moving prey. Spotted pipefish, Stigmatopora argus, and wide-bodied pipefish, Stigmatopora nigra, restrict their diets to planktonic copepods, probably because their small gape size limits their ability to feed on alternative larger prey. Both the short-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus breviceps, and West Australian seahorse, Hippocampus subelongatus, ingest mainly slow-moving prey, even though the latter species possesses a moderately long snout. This may reflect the fact that seahorses are weak swimmers that anchor themselves to vegetation or the substrate with a strongly prehensile tail and rarely venture into open water to pursue mobile prey. In contrast, the relatively large P. taeniolatus, which resides above, rather than within, the macrophyte canopy, consumes mysids, which aggregate in open water above the seabed. Those pipefishes with characters that imply relatively enhanced mobility, such as well developed caudal fins and non-prehensile tails, are trophically diverse, suggesting that they are able to feed either on the sediment or phytal surfaces or in the water column.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • R.D. Barnes (1974) Invertebrate Zoology W.B. Saunders Philadelphia 870

    Google Scholar 

  • J.D. Bell M. Harmelin-Vivien (1983) ArticleTitleFish fauna of French Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows 2 Feeding habits. Tethys 11 1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • B.A. Bennet G.M. Branch (1990) ArticleTitleRelationships between production and consumption of prey species by resident fish in the Bot, a cool temperate South African estuary Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 31 139–155 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0272-7714(90)90043-Q

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • B.A. Bergert P.C. Wainwright (1997) ArticleTitleMorphology and kinematics of prey capture in the syngnathid fishes Hippocampus erectus and Syngnathus floridae Mar. Biol. 127 563–570 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s002270050046

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G.M. Branch (1966) ArticleTitleContributions to the functional morphology of fishes Part III The feeding mechanism of Syngnathus acus Linnaeus Zoologia Africanensis 2 69–89

    Google Scholar 

  • I.M. Brook (1977) ArticleTitleTrophic relationships in a seagrass community (Thalassia testudinum), in Card Sound, Florida Fish diets in relation to macrobenthic and cryptic Faunal abundance Trans. Am. Fish. Soc. 106 219–229 Occurrence Handle10.1577/1548-8659(1977)106<219:TRIASC>2.0.CO;2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J.J. Burchmore D.A. Pollard J.D. Bell (1984) ArticleTitleCommunity structure and trophic relationships of the fish fauna of an estuarine Posidonia australis seagrass habitat in Port Hacking, New South Wales Aquat. Bot. 18 71–87 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0304-3770(84)90081-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M. Campolmi P. Franzoi A. Mazzola (1996) ArticleTitleObservations on pipefish (Syngnathidae) biology in the Stagnone lagoon (west Sicily) Publications Especial de l’ Institut Espana de Oceanografie 21 205–209

    Google Scholar 

  • K.R. Clarke (1993) ArticleTitleNon-parametric multivariate analyses of changes in community structure Aust. J. Ecol. 18 117–143 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.1442-9993.1993.tb00438.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • K.R. Clarke R.M. Warwick (1994) Change in Marine Communities: An Approach to Statistical Analysis and Interpretation Plymouth Marine Laboratory Plymouth 144

    Google Scholar 

  • T.R. Consi P.A. Seifert M.S. Triantafyyllou E.R. Edelman (2001) ArticleTitleThe dorsal fin engine of the seahorse (Hippocampus sp.) J. Morphol. 248 80–97 Occurrence Handle10.1002/jmor.1022 Occurrence Handle1:STN:280:DC%2BD3M7ntVShug%3D%3D Occurrence Handle11268060

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • C.E. Dawson (1985) Indo-Pacific Pipefishes Gulf Coast Research Laboratory Ocean Springs, Mississipi 230

    Google Scholar 

  • G.J. Edgar (2000) Australian marine life: The plants and animals of temperate waters, Revised edition Reed New Holland Sydney 544

    Google Scholar 

  • G.J. Edgar C. Shaw (1995) ArticleTitleThe production and trophic ecology of shallow-water fish assemblages in southern Australia II Diets of fishes and trophic relationships between fishes and benthos at Western Port, Victoria J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 194 83–106 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(95)00084-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • L.A. Ferry-Graham P.C. Wainwright D.R. Bellwood (2001) ArticleTitlePrey capture in long-jawed butterflyfishes (Chaetodontidae): The functional basis of novel feeding habits J Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 256 167–184 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0022-0981(00)00312-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J.G. Field K.R. Clarke R.M. Warwick (1982) ArticleTitleA practical strategy for analysing multispecies distributional patterns Mar. Ecol.-Prog. Ser. 8 37–52 Occurrence Handle10.3354/meps008037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • A.J. Flynn D.A. Ritz (1999) ArticleTitleEffect of habitat complexity and predatory style on the capture success of fish feeding on aggregated prey J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K. 79 487–494 Occurrence Handle10.1017/S0025315498000617

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Franzoi R. Maccagnani R. Rossi V.U. Ceccherelli (1993) ArticleTitleLife cycles and feeding habits of Syngnathus taenionotus and S abaster (Pisces, Syngnathidae) in a brackish bay of the Po River delta (Adriatic Sea) Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 97 71–81 Occurrence Handle10.3354/meps097071

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C.J. Fulton D.R. Bellwood P.C. Wainwright (2001) ArticleTitleThe relationship between swimming ability and habitat use in wrasses (Labridae) Mar. Biol. 139 25–33 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s002270100565

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S.D. Gerking (1994) Feeding Ecology of Fish Academic Press Sydney. 416 pp

    Google Scholar 

  • Gomon, M.F., J.C.M. Glover, & R.H. Kuiter. 1994. The Fishes of Australia’s South Coast State Print, Adelaide. 992 pp.

  • P. Groves (1998) ArticleTitleLeafy sea dragons Scientific American 279 54–59 Occurrence Handle10.1038/scientificamerican1298-84

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.E. Hale (1996) ArticleTitleFunctional morphology of ventral tail bending and prehensile abilities of the seahorse, Hippocampus kuda J. Morphol. 227 51–65 Occurrence Handle10.1002/(SICI)1097-4687(199601)227:1<51::AID-JMOR4>3.0.CO;2-S

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • L. Hayek M.A. Buzas (1997) Surveying Natural Populations Columbia University Press New York 563

    Google Scholar 

  • G.R.F. Hicks B.C. Coull (1983) ArticleTitleThe ecology of marine meiobenthic harpacticoid copepods Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Annu. Rev. 21 67–175

    Google Scholar 

  • R.K. Howard J.D. Koehn (1985) ArticleTitlePopulation dynamics and feeding ecology of pipefish (Syngnathidae) associated with eelgrass beds of Western Port, Victoria Aust. J. Mar. Freshwater Res. 36 361–370 Occurrence Handle10.1071/MF9850361

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. Huh C.L. Kitting (1985) ArticleTitleTrophic relationships among concentrated populations of small fishes in seagrass meadows J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 92 29–43 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(85)90020-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G.A. Hyndes M.E. Platell I.C. Potter (1997) ArticleTitleRelationships between diet and body size, mouth morphology, habitat and movements of six sillaginid species in coastal waters: implications for resource partitioning Mar. Biol. 128 585–598 Occurrence Handle10.1007/s002270050125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G.A. Hyndes A.J. Kendrick L.D. MacArthur E. Stewart (2003) ArticleTitleDifferences in species- and size-composition of fish assemblages in three distinct seagrass habitats with differing structural complexity Mar. Biol. 142 1195–1206

    Google Scholar 

  • E.J. Hyslop (1980) ArticleTitleStomach contents analysis–a review of methods and their application J. Fish Biol. 17 411–429 Occurrence Handle10.1111/j.1095-8649.1980.tb02775.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P.L. James K.L. Heck (1994) ArticleTitleThe effects of habitat complexity and light intensity on ambush predation within a simulated seagrass habitat J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 176 187–200 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(94)90184-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • G.P. Jenkins C.R. Sutherland (1997) ArticleTitleThe influence of habitat structure on nearshore fish assemblages in a southern Australian embayment: Colonisation and turnover rate of fishes associated with artificial macrophyte beds of varying physical structure J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 218 103–125 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0022-0981(97)00071-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P. Jernakoff A. Brearley J. Nielsen (1996) ArticleTitleFactors affecting grazer–epiphyte interactions in temperate seagrass meadows Oceanogr. Mar. Biol. Annu. Rev. 34 109–162

    Google Scholar 

  • A. Keast D. Webb (1966) ArticleTitleMouth and body form relative to feeding ecology in the fish fauna of a small lake, Lake Opinicon, Ontario J. Fish. Res. Board Canada 23 1845–1874

    Google Scholar 

  • A.J. Kendrick G.A. Hyndes (2003) ArticleTitlePatterns in the abundance and size-distribution of syngnathid fishes among habitats in a seagrass-dominated marine environment Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 57 631–640 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0272-7714(02)00402-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D.W. Klumpp R.K. Howard D.A. Pollard (1989) Trophodynamics and nutritional ecology of seagrass communities A.W.D. Larkum A.J. McComb S.A. Shepherd (Eds) Biology of Seagrasses, Aquatic Plant Studies 2 Elsevier Amsterdam 394–457

    Google Scholar 

  • R. Kuiter (2000) Seahorses, Pipefish and Their Relatives TMC Publishing Chorleywood 240

    Google Scholar 

  • R.J. Livingston (1982) ArticleTitleTrophic organisation of fishes in a coastal seagrass system Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 7 1–12 Occurrence Handle10.3354/meps007001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • S. Lourie A.C.J. Vincent H. Hall (1999) Seahorses An Identification Guide to the World’s Species and Their Conservation Project Seahorse London 214

    Google Scholar 

  • K.L. Main (1987) ArticleTitlePredator avoidance in seagrass meadows: prey behaviour, microhabitat selection, and cryptic colouration Ecology 68 170–180 Occurrence Handle10.2307/1938817

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Mauchline (1980) ArticleTitleThe biology of mysids and euphausiids Adv Mar Biol 18 1–677

    Google Scholar 

  • J. Mauchline (1998) ArticleTitleThe biology of calanoid copepods Adv Mar Biol 33 1–707 Occurrence Handle10.1016/S0065-2881(08)60234-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P.J. Motta K.B. Clifton P. Hernandez B.T. Eggold S.D. Giordano R. Wilcox (1995) ArticleTitleFeeding relationships among nine species of seagrass fishes of Tampa Bay, Florida Bull. Mar. Sci. 56 185–200

    Google Scholar 

  • M. Muller J.W.M. Osse (1984) ArticleTitleHydrodynamics of suction feeding in fish Trans. Zool. Soc. Lond. 37 51–135

    Google Scholar 

  • M.E. Platell I.C. Potter (1999) ArticleTitlePartitioning of habitat and prey by abundant and similar sized species of the Triglidae and Pempherididae (Teleostei) in coastal waters Estuar. Coast. Shelf Sci. 48 235–252 Occurrence Handle10.1006/ecss.1998.0419

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • M.E. Platell I.C. Potter K.R. Clarke (1998) ArticleTitleDo the habitats, mouth morphology and diets of the mullids Upenichthys stotti and U lineatus in coastal waters of south-western Australia differ? J. Fish Biol. 52 398–418

    Google Scholar 

  • G.P. Quinn M.J. Keough (2002) Experimental design and data analysis for biologists Cambridge University Press Cambridge 556

    Google Scholar 

  • D.A. Ritz (2000) ArticleTitleIs social aggregation in aquatic crustaceans a strategy to conserve energy Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 57 (Suppl. 3) 59–67 Occurrence Handle10.1139/cjfas-57-S3-59

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • D.A. Ritz J.E. Osborn A.E.J. Ocken (1997) ArticleTitleInfluence of food and predatory attack on mysid swarm dynamics J. Mar. Biol. Assoc. U.K. 7 31–42

    Google Scholar 

  • C.H. Ryer (1988) ArticleTitlePipefish foraging: Effects of fish size, prey size and altered habitat complexity Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 48 37–45 Occurrence Handle10.3354/meps048037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C.H. Ryer R.J. Orth (1987) ArticleTitleFeeding ecology of the northern pipefish, Syngnathus fuscus, in a seagrass community of the lower Chesapeake Bay Estuaries 10 330–336 Occurrence Handle10.2307/1351891

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • K.V. Singarajah (1969) ArticleTitleEscape reactions of zooplankton: The avoidance of a pursuing siphon tube J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 3 171–178 Occurrence Handle10.1016/0022-0981(69)90015-X

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • A.S. Steffe M. Westoby J.D. Bell (1989) ArticleTitleHabitat selection and diet in two species of pipefish from seagrass: Sex differences Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 55 23–30 Occurrence Handle10.3354/meps055023

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • R.L. Teixeira J.A. Musick (1995) ArticleTitleTrophic ecology of two congeneric pipefishes (Syngnathidae) of the lower York River, Virginia Environ. Biol. Fish. 43 295–309 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00005862

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • K. Tipton S.S. Bell (1988) ArticleTitleForaging patterns of two syngnathid fishes: Importance of harpacticoid copepods Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 47 31–43 Occurrence Handle10.3354/meps047031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • J. Titelman (2001) ArticleTitleSwimming and escape behaviour of copepod nauplii: Implications for predator-prey interactions among copepods Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 203 203–213 Occurrence Handle10.3354/meps213203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P.C. Wainwright (1988) ArticleTitleMorphology and ecology: Functional basis of feeding constraints in Caribbean labrid fishes Ecology 69 635–645 Occurrence Handle10.2307/1941012

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • P.C. Wainwright B.A. Richard (1995) ArticleTitlePredicting patterns of prey use from morphology of fishes Environ. Biol. Fish. 44 97–113 Occurrence Handle10.1007/BF00005909

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • E.E. Werner D.J. Hall (1974) ArticleTitleOptimal foraging and the size selection of prey by the bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) Ecology 55 1042–1052 Occurrence Handle10.2307/1940354

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • C.M. Woods (2002) ArticleTitleNatural diet of the seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis New Zealand J. Mar. Freshwater Res. 36 655–660 Occurrence Handle10.1080/00288330.2002.9517121

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. Alan J. Kendrick

    Present address: Department of Conservation and Land Management, Marine Conservation Branch, 47 Henry St, Fremantle, Western Australia, 6150, Australia

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Fish and Fisheries Research, School of Biological Sciences and Biotechnology, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia

    Alan J. Kendrick

  2. Centre for Ecosystem Management, School of Natural Sciences, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, 6027, Australia

    Glenn A. Hyndes

Authors
  1. Alan J. Kendrick
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Glenn A. Hyndes
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan J. Kendrick.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Kendrick, A.J., Hyndes, G.A. Variations in the dietary compositions of morphologically diverse syngnathid fishes. Environ Biol Fish 72, 415–427 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-004-2597-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-004-2597-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation