Solenostomus paradoxus

The ornate ghost pipefish or harlequin ghost pipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, is a false pipefish of the family Solenostomidae. The species name comes from the Greek paradoxos, referring to this fish's unusual external features. Ornate ghost pipefish are found in the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean along reef edges prone to strong currents from the Red Sea to Tonga.[2] They reach a maximum length of 12 cm. They vary in color from red or yellow to black and are almost transparent. Although relatively common, ornate ghost pipefish are very well-camouflaged and difficult to find.[3] It occurs either as solitary individuals or in pairs, among the branches of gorgonians, in floating weeds, or crinoids where the feed on mysids and small benthic shrimp.[2]

Its ghostly appearance gives the fish its name.
Different color variation
A pair observed in North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Solenostomus paradoxus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Solenostomidae
Genus: Solenostomus
Species:
Solenostomus paradoxus
Binomial name
Solenostomus paradoxus
(Pallas, 1770)
Synonyms
  • Fistularia paradoxa Pallas, 1770
  • Solenostomatichthys paradoxus (Pallas, 1770)

The IUCN conservation status of Solenostomus paradoxus has been evaluated as "Least Concern".[1]

References
  1. Dick, K. & Pollom, R. (2016). "Solenostomus paradoxus (errata version published in 2017)". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T65363417A115409075. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T65363417A67621198.en.{{cite iucn}}: error: |doi= / |page= mismatch (help)
  2. Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2018). "Solenostomus paradoxus" in FishBase. February 2018 version.
  3. Dianne J Bray & Vanessa J Thompson, 2011, Ornate Ghostpipefish, Solenostomus paradoxus, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 07 Oct 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/3165
  • Orr, James Wilder; Fritzsche, Ronald A. (1993). "Revision of the Ghost Pipefishes, Family Solenostomidae (Teleostei: Syngnathoidei)". Copeia. 1993 (1): 168–182. doi:10.2307/1446307. JSTOR 1446307.


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