Robust Ghost Pipefish
Solenostomus cyanopterus
- Class
- Ray-finned fish
- Rarity
- Common
- Observations
- 621
- Most observed in
- 🇮🇩 Indonesia
- Conservation
- Least Concern
Description
The robust ghost pipefish (Solenostomus cyanopterus), also known as the blue-finned ghost pipefish, Racek's ghost pipefish, robust-snouted ghost pipefish, or the squaretail ghost-pipefish, is a species of false pipefish belonging to the family Solenostomidae. Its appearance can vary greatly due to its ability to change colors over several hours, but the general body shape and fin shapes allow it to mimic a piece of seagrass. Due to a wide range and adaptability to habitat, the robust ghost pipefish is considered a species of least concern by the IUCN. Its natural camouflage abilities allow it to evade predators while seeking out its own prey, which includes bottom-dwelling crustaceans and plankton. It has no teeth, nor proper scales, but scattered osseous plates offer a form of protection. It has a short lifespan and can only reproduce once. Larvae are planktonic, but are relatively well-developed; the mother releases them into the water column from her brood-pouch, which is a sexually-dimorphic feature formed from her two pelvic fins.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “Robust ghost pipefish”.