''Solenostomus'', also known as the ghost pipefishes, false pipefishes or tubemouth fishes, is a genus of fishes in the order

Syngnathiformes The Syngnathiformes are an order of ray-finned fishes that includes the trumpetfishes and seahorses.FishBase (2005)Order Summary for Syngnathiformes Version of 2005-FEB-15. Retrieved 19 Aug 2008. These fishes have elongated, narrow, bodies sur ...

. ''Solenostomus'' is the only genus in the family Solenostomidae, and includes six currently recognized species.Family Solenostomida

FishBase. Accessed 1 February 2015. Ghost pipefishes are related to

pipefish Pipefishes or pipe-fishes (Syngnathinae) are a subfamily of small fishes, which, together with the seahorses and seadragons ('' Phycodurus'' and '' Phyllopteryx''), form the family Syngnathidae. Description Pipefish look like straight-bodied se ...

es and

seahorse A seahorse (also written ''sea-horse'' and ''sea horse'') is any of 46 species of small marine fish in the genus ''Hippocampus''. "Hippocampus" comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or " ...

s. They are found in tropical waters of the

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

. The animals, none of which are longer than , float near motionlessly, with the mouth facing downwards, around a background that makes them nearly impossible to see. They feed on tiny

crustacean Crustaceans (Crustacea, ) form a large, diverse arthropod taxon which includes such animals as decapods, seed shrimp, branchiopods, fish lice, krill, remipedes, isopods, barnacles, copepods, amphipods and mantis shrimp. The crustacean gro ...

s, sucked inside through their long snout. They live in open waters except during breeding, when they find a coral reef or muddy bottom, changing color and shape to minimize visibility. In many respects, they are similar to the pipefishes, but can be distinguished by the presence of

pelvic fin Pelvic fins or ventral fins are paired fins located on the ventral surface of fish. The paired pelvic fins are homologous to the hindlimbs of tetrapods. Structure and function Structure In actinopterygians, the pelvic fin consists of two e ...

s, a prominent, spiny,

dorsal fin A dorsal fin is a fin located on the back of most marine and freshwater vertebrates within various taxa of the animal kingdom. Many species of animals possessing dorsal fins are not particularly closely related to each other, though through c ...

, and star-shaped plates on the skin. Unlike true pipefish, female ghostpipefishes use their enlarged pelvic fins to brood their eggs until they hatch. left, Ornate ghostpipefish, ''Solenostomus paradoxus''.

Species

* '' Solenostomus armatus'' M. C. W. Weber, 1913 (long-tailed ghost pipefish or armored pipefish) * '' Solenostomus cyanopterus'' Bleeker, 1854 (robust ghost pipefish) * '' Solenostomus halimeda''

J. W. Orr John William Orr (1815–1887) was an American Wood engraving, wood engraver who drew many of his own illustrations and owned his own engraving and printing business. He was born in Ireland on March 31, 1815, and was brought to Buffalo, New York ...

, Fritzsche & J. E. Randall, 2002 (Halimeda ghost pipefish) * '' Solenostomus leptosoma'' S. Tanaka (I), 1908 (delicate ghost pipefish) * '' Solenostomus paegnius'' Jordan & Thompson, 1914 (roughsnout ghost pipefish) * ''

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 g ...

'' (

Pallas Pallas may refer to: Astronomy * 2 Pallas asteroid ** Pallas family, a group of asteroids that includes 2 Pallas * Pallas (crater), a crater on Earth's moon Mythology * Pallas (Giant), a son of Uranus and Gaia, killed and flayed by Athena * Pal ...

, 1770) (ornate ghost pipefish or harlequin ghost pipefish)

References

* *

Tim Flannery Timothy Fridtjof Flannery (born 28 January 1956) is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, conservationist, explorer, author, science communicator, activist and public scientist. He was awarded Australian of the Ye ...

and Peter Schouten. ''Amazing Animals: Extraordinary Creatures and the Fantastic Worlds They Inhabit''. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2004. Page 116-117. *Orr, JW and Fritzsche, RA. 1993. Revision of the Ghost Pipefishes, Family Solenostomidae (Teleostei: Syngnathoidei). Copeia 1993:168-182.

External links

Photos of the 5 different species of GhostpipefishesVideo of different species of Ghostpipefishes
{{Taxonbar, from=Q264195 Marine fish genera Extant Eocene first appearances Taxa named by Bernard Germain de Lacépède