Syngnathidae

insular pipefish

Anarchopterus tectus

A tail brood pouch hides among turtle grass

• Tropical
• Regional distribution
• Marine fish
• Atlantic Ocean
• Central America and the Caribbean
• North America
• South America
• Anguilliform
• Small
• Tropical fish

Anarchopterus tectus, also known as the insular pipefish, is a marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean, from Florida to the Bahamas and Argentina, and off the coast of South America to Bahia, Brazil. It inhabits turtle grass beds and rocky algae reefs, at depths of 10-25m, where it can grow to lengths of 12.5 cm.