Relatively small species that lacks a tail fin, has a long snout and a pattern of extremely fine black dots covering the body. It is easily confused with the spotted pipefish but differs from that species in having the dorsal fin further forward on the body (originating on the fifth to seventh trunk ring, rather than on the ninth to thirteenth). The name wide-bodied refers to the swelling of the trunk that occurs in males during the breeding season; at other times of the year this species is one of the thinnest pipefishes. Wide-bodied pipefish occur in enormous abundance in eelgrass beds (Heterozostera nigricaulis), but individuals are also frequently found attached to small pieces of floating algae.

• Max Size: 16 cm
• Sea Temperature Range: 10.9-21.2°C
• Depth: 1-35 m
• Habitat: Rocky Reef, Seagrass

• IUCN Threat Status: Not Evaluated
• Occurrence: Infrequent (2% of sites)
  Occurrence describes how often the species is found on surveys within its distribution. It is calculated as the % of reef sites surveyed by RLS divers across all the ecoregions in which the species has been observed
• Abundance: Solitary (1 per transect)
  Abundance is calculated as the average number of individuals recorded per RLS transect, where present.