pipefish

American  

[pahyp-fish] / ˈpaɪpˌfɪʃ /

noun

plural

pipefish,

plural

pipefishes

1. any elongated, marine and sometimes freshwater fish species of the family Syngnathidae, having a tubular snout and covered with bony plates.

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pipefish British  

/ ˈpaɪpˌfɪʃ /

noun

1. Also called: needlefish.  any of various teleost fishes of the genera Nerophis, Syngnathus, etc, having a long tubelike snout and an elongated body covered with bony plates: family Syngnathidae

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Etymology

Origin of pipefish

First recorded in 1760–70; pipe ¹ + fish

Example Sentences

Relatives of sea horses and pipefish, sea dragons have long narrow snouts that they use like a straw to suck up meals of microscopic crustaceans.

From New York Times

The pipefish looks like a seagrass leaf - and for this reason, some prawns merge with its body, thinking they are leaves that move.

From BBC

And it’s not just mothers — in syngnathid fishes, such as pipefish and seahorses, the males that incubate the eggs can also pass on immune components.

From Nature

My back garden is gin-clear water – pipefish and turtles my nosy neighbours.

From The Guardian

The reported effect is an interesting instance of sexual conflict, which is ubiquitous among animals, said Sarah Flanagan, a pipefish expert at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand.

From New York Times