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The odd looking snipefish or Macrorhamphosidae have a somewhat high set body that is laterally compressed. There is armor only on the edge of the stomach area, between the first dorsal fin and the pectoral fins. Set far back on the body the second spine of the dorsal fin is quite long and pointing in the direction of the caudal fin. The lateral armor on this fish forms a kind of lattice work that has both diagonal and longitudinal elements even though the genera tends to differ in the arrangement. The juvenile snipefish have a snout that is short and thick but as the fish matures it becomes longer and more tubular shaped. On the sides of the bodies of the juveniles there are tiny thorns that are arranged in longitudinal rows. There are approximately twelve species of this fish all considered to be deep water marine fish.
These fish are found in temperate, tropical and sub-tropical oceans in most cases swimming close to the surface of the water. Of the three genera of snipefish the Macrorhamphosus and Notopogon are both found south of the equator, predominately in the areas off the coast of Australia. The genera Centriscops is occasionally found in the same areas as the other two genera, however their main habitat is in the Mediterranean, off the southern cost of England and from time to time off the south coast of Norway in the North Sea. These fish prefer to feed on sandy or muddy bottoms. Their main diet consist of eggs, the larvae of the starfish, marine snails, marine fish, mussels, crustaceans, worms and cephalopods. Snipefish are highly excitable fish that swim with their heads down moving quickly either forward or backward. The longspine snipefish, which is the most well known species near Europe, is olive brown with a silvery coloration on the the belly and a reddish sheen over the entire body.
Although snipefish have no commercial importance today it was claimed around 400 years ago by Konrad Gesner, a naturalist, that these fish were nutritious, easily digested and simple to store when dehydrated. Found in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean, as well as off the coast of Japan and Samoa, the slender snipefish or Macrorhamphosus gracilis is entirely blue in color. In contrast a few specimens of Macrorhamphosus belitaris were found in the South African port of Durban and near Amboina which is one of the Moluccan islands that were bright red in color with a steel blue tope and silver underside. This species also sported gray spots on their snouts. Some snipefish, such as those from the Notopogon group, have bushy spots on their neck. There are four of these species that are scattered throughout the coast of Australia, South America and South Africa.
Even more rare are the two species that are found in the genus C. humerosus and C. obliquus. These fish are occasionally found on the shores of the Pacific south of the equator and in the tropical Atlantic. This species of snipefish are reddish orange in color with diagonal bands of dark gray running across their bodies. In most cases the snipefish are pink, silver or red in coloration and grow to be about twelve inches long. Interestingly, the longer second spine on this fish grouped with the tail forms a kind of bellows which is responsible for this species second name which is the bellows fish.
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