PROCEEDINGS OF THE CALIFORNIA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES Fourth Series Vol. XXIX, No. 13, pp. 465-473, 3 figs. May 29, 1959 FROM PIPEFISH TO SEAHORSE — A STUDY OF PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS By EARL S. HERALD Steinhart Aquarium, California Academy of Sciences Valuable information about the relationships within the pipefish and seahorse family, Syngnathidae, can be obtained by careful study of the brood pouch. As is well known, it is the syngnathid male, and not the female, that carries the eggs during incubation. Depending upon the sub-family and genus, the eggs may be attached to the underside of either tlie abdomen or the tail. They may be attached loosely, imbedded singly in spongy sockets, or crammed into a covered pouch. Bony pouch-pro-tecting plates and pouch folds may either be present or absent. Most ichthyologists are in agreement on Duncker's (1915) subfamily classifi-cation based upon these criteria (table 1). From this table it will be noted that the abdominal-pouch syngnathids (Gastrophori) do not have a sealed pouch equivalent to the tail-pouch Hippocampus (Urophori). The term Protourophori is given to the hypothetical group of tail-pouch l^ipefishes corresponding to the Nerophinae. Although not one of this type is known from the fossil record, the other three subfamilies of the Urophori ( Solegnathinae, Syngnathinae, and Hippocampinae) must surely have evolved through this stage at some time in their development. Detailed studies of the manner in which the brood-pouch folds close over the eggs have not previously been made. The method of closure (herein designated by the letters BPC) shows to best advantage on males that have had a full clutch of eggs in the pouch for only a few days. [ 465 ]
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