The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™
ISSN 2307-8235 (online)
IUCN 2008: T65367453A67624788
Filicampus tigris, Tiger pipefish
Assessment by: Pollom, R.
View on www.iucnredlist.org
Citation: Pollom, R. 2016. Filicampus tigris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016:
e.T65367453A67624788. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.20161.RLTS.T65367453A67624788.en
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THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Animalia
Chordata
Actinopterygii
Syngnathiformes
Syngnathidae
Taxon Name: Filicampus tigris (Castelnau, 1879)
Synonym(s):
• Syngnathus supercilliaris Gunther, 1880
• Syngnathus tigris Castelnau, 1879
• Yozia tigris (Castelnau 1879)
Common Name(s):
• English:
Tiger pipefish, Tentacled pipefish
Taxonomic Source(s):
Eschmeyer, W.N. (ed.). 2014. Catalog of Fishes. Updated 23 July 2014. Available at:
http://research.calacademy.org/redirect?url=http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/Ichthyol
ogy/catalog/fishcatmain.asp.
Assessment Information
Red List Category & Criteria:
Least Concern ver 3.1
Year Published:
2016
Date Assessed:
September 2, 2015
Justification:
Although little is known about the population size of Filicampus tigris, the species is a habitat generalist
and faces minimal threats. It is also protected across its range, and occurs in multiple protected areas.
Therefore it is assessed as Least Concern.
Geographic Range
Range Description:
Filicampus tigris inhabits the coasts of Australia in Western Australia, South Australia, Queensland and
New South Wales (Dawson 1985). Further research is needed in order to determine whether this
species is extant in western South Australia and eastern Western Australia.
Country Occurrence:
Native: Australia (Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western
Australia)
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:
Native: Indian Ocean - eastern, Pacific - western central, Pacific - southwest
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Filicampus tigris – published in 2016.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T65367453A67624788.en
1
Distribution Map
Filicampus tigris
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Filicampus tigris – published in 2016.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T65367453A67624788.en
2
Population
Filicampus tigris has been observed at densities of 8.3-78.3 individuals per hectare in Port Stephens and
Ettalong, a number that is comparably low for syngnthids (Jones 2013).
Current Population Trend: Unknown
Habitat and Ecology (see Appendix for additional information)
Filicampus tigris occurs in shallow coastal seagrass habitats (Gray et al. 1996, 1998) and areas with
sponges, mud, sand, rock, and rubble, from 2-27 m depth (Dawson 1985, Jones 2013).
These pipefish grow to 33 cm and males mature around 17.5 cm. Males brood the young in a pouch
beneath the tail (Dawson 1985).
Like other syngnathid species, it is suspected that Filicampus tigris feeds on small planktonic and/or
benthic crustaceans. The species has a mean gape size of 1.5 mm (Kendrick and Hyndes 2005).
Systems: Marine
Use and Trade
Filicampus tigris has not been recorded in trade in Australia (Martin-Smith and Vincent 2006).
Threats (see Appendix for additional information)
Filicampus tigris is threatened by the loss of seagrass habitat (Orth et al. 2006), however it is able to
utilize other habitat types. The species has been encountered as bycatch, but at very low levels
(Connolly et al. 2001).
Conservation Actions (see Appendix for additional information)
Filicampus tigris is protected by Australia's Environmental Protections and Biodiversity Conservation Act
(EPBC Act 1999). Measures under the act include determining the threats faced by marine species,
preventing, mitigating and/or managing those threats, and supporting the recovery of the species until
they can be removed from the EPBC Act list of threatened species. It is not known how or if the act is
being implemented for Filicampus tigris. The species occurs in many protected areas across its range.
Credits
Assessor(s):
Pollom, R.
Reviewer(s):
Monteiro, N & Ralph, G.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Filicampus tigris – published in 2016.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T65367453A67624788.en
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Bibliography
Connolly, R.M., Cronin, E.R. and Thomas, B.E. 2001. Trawl bycatch of syngnathids in Queensland: catch
rates, distribution and population biology of Solegnathus pipehorses (seadragons). School of
Environmental and Applied Sciences, Griffith University, Gold Coast.
Dawson, C.E. 1985. Indo-Pacific Pipefishes (Red Sea to the Americas). The Gulf Coast Research
Laboratory Ocean Springs, Mississippi, USA.
Gray, C.A., Chick, R.C. and McElligot, D.J. 1998. Diel changes in assemblages of fishes associated with
shallow seagrass and bare sand. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 46(6): 849-859.
Gray, C.A., McElligot, D.J. and Chick, R.C. 1996. Intra- and inter-estuary differences in assemblages of
fishes associated with shallow seagrass and bare sand. Marine and Freshwater Research 47(5): 723-735.
IUCN. 2016. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016-1. Available at: www.iucnredlist.org.
(Accessed: 30 June 2016).
Jones, D. 2013. Population parameters of the Tiger Pipefish Filicampus tigris (Castelnau, 1879) in New
South Wales. Department of Environmental Science and Management, University of Newcastle.
Kendrick, A.J. and Hyndes, G.A. 2005. Variations in the dietary compositions of morphologically diverse
syngnathid fishes. Environmental Biology of Fishes 72: 415-427.
Martin-Smith, K.M. and Vincent, A.C.J. 2006. Exploitation and trade of Australian seahorses and their
relatives (syngnathids). Oryx 40(2): 141-151.
Orth, R.J., Carruthers, T.J.B., Dennison, W.C., Duarte, C.M., Fourqurean, J.W., Heck, Jr., K.L, Hughes, A.R.,
Kendrick, G.A., Kenworthy, W.J., Olyarnik, S., Short, F.T., Waycott, M. and Williams, S.L. 2006. A global
crisis for seagrass ecosystems. BioScience 56(12): 987-996.
Citation
Pollom, R. 2016. Filicampus tigris. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016:
e.T65367453A67624788. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T65367453A67624788.en
Disclaimer
To make use of this information, please check the Terms of Use.
External Resources
For Images and External Links to Additional Information, please see the Red List website.
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Filicampus tigris – published in 2016.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T65367453A67624788.en
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Appendix
Habitats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Habitat
Season
Suitability
Major
Importance?
9. Marine Neritic -> 9.2. Marine Neritic - Subtidal Rock and Rocky Reefs
Resident
Suitable
-
9. Marine Neritic -> 9.4. Marine Neritic - Subtidal Sandy
Resident
Suitable
-
9. Marine Neritic -> 9.5. Marine Neritic - Subtidal Sandy-Mud
Resident
Suitable
-
9. Marine Neritic -> 9.6. Marine Neritic - Subtidal Muddy
Resident
Suitable
-
9. Marine Neritic -> 9.8. Marine Neritic - Coral Reef -> 9.8.6. Inter-Reef
Rubble Substrate
Resident
Suitable
-
9. Marine Neritic -> 9.9. Marine Neritic - Seagrass (Submerged)
Resident
Suitable
-
Threats
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Threat
Timing
Scope
Severity
Impact Score
1. Residential & commercial development -> 1.1.
Housing & urban areas
Ongoing
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Stresses:
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation
Ongoing
Unknown
Stresses:
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation
Ongoing
Unknown
Stresses:
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation
Ongoing
Unknown
Stresses:
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation
Ongoing
Unknown
Stresses:
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.1. Ecosystem conversion
1. Ecosystem stresses -> 1.2. Ecosystem degradation
1. Residential & commercial development -> 1.2.
Commercial & industrial areas
1. Residential & commercial development -> 1.3.
Tourism & recreation areas
9. Pollution -> 9.3. Agricultural & forestry effluents ->
9.3.1. Nutrient loads
9. Pollution -> 9.3. Agricultural & forestry effluents ->
9.3.2. Soil erosion, sedimentation
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Unknown
Conservation Actions in Place
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Filicampus tigris – published in 2016.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T65367453A67624788.en
5
Conservation Actions in Place
In-Place Research, Monitoring and Planning
Action Recovery plan: No
Systematic monitoring scheme: No
In-Place Land/Water Protection and Management
Conservation sites identified: Unknown
Occur in at least one PA: Yes
Area based regional management plan: Unknown
Invasive species control or prevention: Unknown
In-Place Species Management
Harvest management plan: No
Successfully reintroduced or introduced beningly: No
Subject to ex-situ conservation: Unknown
In-Place Education
Subject to recent education and awareness programmes: No
Included in international legislation: No
Subject to any international management/trade controls: No
Research Needed
(http://www.iucnredlist.org/technical-documents/classification-schemes)
Research Needed
1. Research -> 1.2. Population size, distribution & trends
1. Research -> 1.3. Life history & ecology
3. Monitoring -> 3.1. Population trends
3. Monitoring -> 3.4. Habitat trends
Additional Data Fields
Distribution
Lower depth limit (m): 27
Upper depth limit (m): 2
Habitats and Ecology
Movement patterns: Unknown
© The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: Filicampus tigris – published in 2016.
http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T65367453A67624788.en
6
The IUCN Red List Partnership
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is produced and managed by the IUCN Global Species
Programme, the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and The IUCN Red List Partnership.
The IUCN Red List Partners are: BirdLife International; Botanic Gardens Conservation International;
Conservation International; Microsoft; NatureServe; Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Sapienza University of
Rome; Texas A&M University; Wildscreen; and Zoological Society of London.
THE IUCN RED LIST OF THREATENED SPECIES™