Common name : Ornate ghost pipefish, Harlequin ghost pipefish
Scientific name : Solenostomus paradoxus
Family : Solenostomidae
Native to : Indo-Pacific Ocean
Interesting fact : Inside the brooding pouch, branching stalks grow out of the skin and attach to the incubating eggs acting like an umbilical cord.
Conservation status : Not Evaluated
Ghost pipefish are experts at camouflage and the most beautiful. Measuring only 15 cm, they come in colours such as red, yellow, black or green with patterned spots. They float motionlessly sucking crustaceans and benthic shrimps with their long snouts. The females have enlarged and modified pelvic fins forming a brood pouch to incubate the eggs.
