Editorial: Syngnathid fishes: biology, ecology, physiology, conservation and innovative rearing techniques

Syngnathids (a bony fish family that includes seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons) have unique morphological and biological traits that include fused jaws, an exoskeleton and male parental care (Ahnesjö and Craig, 2011). They are mostly found in shallow coastal areas, and their unconventional life history renders them particularly vulnerable to population depletion (Foster and Vincent, 2004). Although some species have been listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, and even Critically Endangered by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, many are classified as Data Deficient (DD) due to insufficient information (IUCN, 2020; Pollom et al., 2021). Therefore, further research is needed to understand their distribution, population trends and main threats. A significant portion of the research on syngnathids is relatively recent (Cohen et al., 2017; Segaran et al., 2023). This Research Topic provides 12 original research and review contributions that provide an overview of current trends in research related to the biology, physiology, ecology and conservation of syngnathids.