greater pipefish
syngnathus acus latin

They have a light to dark green-brown colour with bar-like markings on the sides (compare the greater pipefish).

The lesser and greater pipefish species differ because one has a crest on the head while one doesn't .

The Greater pipefish has distinctive body rings which are a sandy brown with darker bars covering his body in between.

The Greater pipefish has a long segmented armoured body, angular in cross section and stretching up 45 cm long with its stiff appearance.

Syngnathus acus (Greater pipefish)

The Greater pipefish, Syngnathus acus, is a pipefish of the family Syngnathidae.

The Greater Pipefish is found all around the British Isles and is regularly found in the Mediterranean Sea.

Syngnathus temminckii was until recently synonymised with the European species S. acus Linnaeus, 1758 (greater pipefish), but morphological data show that it is distinct.

The Lesser pipefish or Nilsson's pipefish, Syngnathus rostellatus, is a pipefish similar to the greater pipefish, but with no crest above the head.

However, they are still quite similar: a fully grown lesser pipefish and a young greater pipefish share similar coloration and markings and they both have a caudal fin and swim in a similar style.