As part of our ongoing series of Similan Island Marine Life, Wicked Diving presents:
Ornate Ghostpipefish
Solenostomus paradoxus
The Ornate Ghostpipefish can be recognized by its distinctive body form with slender appendages on the body and fins. It has deeply incised membranes in the dorsal, caudal and ventral fins.
Its color varies from almost totally black to semi-transparent with red, yellow, and white scribbling, spots and blotches.
It grows to 10cm in length.
This species is found in protected coastal waters, especially near coral and rocky dropoffs. It is a common species that is easily overlooked because of its cryptic body form and coloration.
It has a widespread distribution in tropical waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The Ornate Ghostpipefish is usually solitary, but has also been observed in pairs or small groups.
Robust Ghostpipefish
Solenostomus cyanopterus
The Robust Ghostpipefish lives in marine waters of the Indian and western Pacific Oceans.
It is usually seen in pairs near algae or seagrass beds. When disturbed it will move into the vegetation. Although there is considerable variation, many Robust Ghostpipefish look remarkably similar to a piece of seagrass.
Its coloration is highly variable from grey, brown to bright green. It has a very short to absent caudal peduncle.
This species feeds on small crustaceans. It is the largest of the ghostpipefishes, growing to a maximum length of 15cm.
Ghostpipefishes (Family Solenostomidae) are different from seahorses in several ways. A ghostpipefish's head is held at an angle to the body, but the angle is less than that in seahorses. Ghostpipefishes have two dorsal fins whereas a seahorse only has one. Female ghostpipefishes (rather than the male seahorse) look after the eggs in a pouch formed by her enlarged pelvic fins.
Corythoichthys schultzi
Schultz's Pipefish has a whitish body that is covered in small black, brown and reddish dashes. The snout is long and slender and a caudal fin is present.
Male and female Schultz's Pipefish are easy to tell apart when they are breeding. During breeding males have a pouch on the belly in which they carry the developing young (see top image). Males give birth to young pipefish that resemble adults.
This species grows to 16cm in length.
Schultz's Pipefish is usually seen on rocky substrates close to coral reefs. It is also seen around sea fans. Really common on Bon soong Wreck
This species is found at depths from 1m to 30m.
It occurs in tropical marine waters of the Indo-Pacific region, from the Red Sea, north to the Japan, throughout Micronesia, south to Australia and east to Tonga.
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