Syngnathoidea is a
superfamily of the
pipefishorderSyngnathiformes. It is divided into two
families, the speciose pipefish
Syngnathidae, which includes the
sea horses and
monotypicSolenostomidae, the ghost pipefishes, which has just five species. The superfamily occurs worldwide in tropical, subtropical and temperate seas, especially in coastal waters around rock and coral reefs and among
sea weed and
sea grass beds. However, there are also pelagic species of pipefish and even freshwater species. In total the superfamily comprises in excess of 50 genera and nearly 300 species.[2]
Classification
The superfamily Syngnathoidea contains the following families and
subfamilies:[3][2][4]