Pair of Ornate Ghost Pipefish float to Sydney

Matt Rogers · Feb 26, 2010

Divers in Sydney Harbor are enjoying a rare opportunity this week to observe Ornate Ghost Pipefish, Solenostomus paradoxes, as a female and male pair have managed to float their way down the East Australian Current - "the same flow sea creatures rode in the move FInding Nemo" from the warmer waters of most likely Indonesia or Papua New Guinea.

Main photo: Jayne Jenkins. Inset photo: Richard Vevers/Underwater Australia
Credit: smh.com.au

These pipefish are interesting. Not only are they bizarre looking, they can actually change their color to blend in to the reef.

Here is a nice write up from Dive The World:

Pipefish are related to the seahorse and the harlequin ghost pipefish is probably the most beautiful of the family. Other family members include the robust ghost pipefish, banded pipefish and flag-tailed pipe fish.

This strange looking little creature can grow up to 15cm but hard to find as most of them are no bigger than your little finger. They are normally found living around crinoids, featherstars, gorgonian fans and branching black coral bushes. Here they live very well camouflaged by their complex colour patterns and body shape. Key to this effect is the fish's skin flaps, which mimic the 'feathers' of the host crinoid.

Harlequin ghost pipefish spend a lot of time floating upside down, mouth pointed downwards and virtually motionless.

When breeding time comes around, a murky, muddy bottom or a coral reef is the habitat of choice. Here they change not only their colour, but also their shape in order to camouflage themselves even better.

Because they are relatively weak swimmers, rapidly fanning their little fins for propulsion, they tend to stay within very small territories. Even though the fins provide accurate navigation and precise positioning of their bodies, their range is extremely limited.

Harlequin ghost pipefish feed on tiny crustaceans, sucked inside through their long snout.

Life as a Harlequin ghost pipefish starts as a larvae adrift on the currents of the oceans. Maturity is gradually reached during this stage, before settling on the sea floor.

At first, the fish will be transparent until it makes its way to the coral reef to reproduce. Here it will take on shape and colour to maximise its camouflage.

The ghost pipefish will take a mate and pair off, a union that can often be observed for days on end. Once fertilized, the female will carry around up to 350 eggs in her brooding pouch. These eggs will eventually be set adrift, restarting the cycle of life once more.

Harlequin ghost pipefish are normally found in shallow tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region, mainly near coral reefs, rocky drop-offs or seaweed beds. They are usually observed in 3-25 metres of water but you can find them to depths of more than 30 metres.

They have been observed at Thailand dive sites such as Richelieu Rock, as well as in the Burma Mergui Archipelago, Indonesia and also throughout Malaysia. They can also be found in the Red Sea, the Maldives, southern Japan, the Marshall Islands, New Guinea, off the east coast of Africa and off the east coast of Australia.
Click to expand...

More at:
Diving with Harlequin Ghost Pipefish

Source:
Pipefish | NSW Marine Parks Authority

Tadpole1mill · Feb 26, 2010

Beautiful

patrick824 · Feb 26, 2010

wow i want one! haha

amcarrig · Feb 26, 2010

I wonder how often stuff like this happens. Do you suppose that if they spawn, the fry will make it back "home?" If not, will inbreeding between the fry from this pair cause problems later on down the road? Or maybe I think too much

DanKistner · Feb 26, 2010

I remember when some guy caught a Piranha off of a pier in Tampa, FL. Weird stuff happens sometimes I guess.

grubbsj · Feb 26, 2010

Amazing beauty...

Gexx · Feb 26, 2010

wow very pretty. reminds me of leafy seahorse though...

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Pair of Ornate Ghost Pipefish float to Sydney

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Pair of Ornate Ghost Pipefish float to Sydney

Matt Rogers Kingfish

Tadpole1mill Purple Spiny Lobster

patrick824 Montipora Digitata

amcarrig Super Moderator

DanKistner Coral Banded Shrimp

grubbsj Gigas Clam

Gexx Giant Squid

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