Fish of the Nerophis genus of the Syngnathinae (pipefishes) subfamily of the Syngnathidae family of the Syngnathiformes order of the Acanthopterygii superorder.
(Straightnose pipefish. Photo by © Lauri Urho. luontoportti.com)
Straightnose pipefish (Nerophis ophidion) was first described in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus (1707-1778).
It inhabits kelp forests at the depths of 2-15 meters. The maximum recorded length is 30 cm. It feeds on small crustaceans and fish fry.
(Straightnose pipefish. Photo by © Mårten Hansson. flickr.com/photos/78747215@N08)
It is a permanent rare inhabitant of the Adriatic Sea.
Names of straightnose pipefish (Nerophis ophidion) in other languages as follows:
Alfiler (Spanish), Pesce ago sottile (Italian), Kleine Schlangennadel (German), Wężynka (Polish), Змеевидная морская игла (Zmejevidnaja morskaja igla) (Russian), Grebenokljuno šilce, Grebenokljuno šilo (Serbian, Croatian), Kačje šilo (Slovenian), Nérophis ophidion (French).