![Robust Ghost Pipefish Seen in Cabilao, Philippines (2012). Photo by Mark Bockstael (my husband).<br />
Solenostomus cyanopterus can reach a length of 17 centimetres (6.7 in) and it is the largest of the ghost pipefishes. The body may be grey, brown, pink, yellow or bright green, with small black and white dots.[1] This cryptic species looks very similar to a drifting piece of seagrass. Caudal fin may be truncate, rounded, or lanceolate. Caudal peduncle is quite short or absent. Pelvic fin is sexually dimorphic. It is an uncommon species related to pipefishes and seahorses. It can be distinguished by the presence of the pelvic fins, the prominent spiny dorsal fin, and 27-35 star-shaped plates on the skin. These fishes float near motionlessly, with the mouth facing downwards, around a background that makes them nearly impossible to see. They feed on tiny crustaceans, 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. Unlike true pipefish, female ghostpipefishes use their enlarged pelvic fins to brood their eggs until they hatch.<br />
Habitat:<br />
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Robust ghost pipefish is mostly pelagic and reef-associated. When it settles on the substrate for breeding, it can be found on coastal reefs and weedy areas, at a depth of 2–25 metres (6 ft 7 in–82 ft 0.3 in) This species lives in the Red Sea and in the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the coast of East Africa to Fiji, southern Japan and Australia. Fall,Geotagged,Philippines,Robust ghost pipefish,Solenostomus cyanopterus](https://s3.amazonaws.com/media.jungledragon.com/images/2298/40007_medium.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=05GMT0V3GWVNE7GGM1R2&Expires=1759968010&Signature=WYQBpY9eDu90Pi%2F4B3hyX2KTCsY%3D)
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Robust Ghost Pipefish
Seen in Cabilao, Philippines (2012). Photo by Mark Bockstael (my husband).
Solenostomus cyanopterus can reach a length of 17 centimetres (6.7 in) and it is the largest of the ghost pipefishes. The body may be grey, brown, pink, yellow or bright green, with small black and white dots.[1] This cryptic species looks very similar to a drifting piece of seagrass. Caudal fin may be truncate, rounded, or lanceolate. Caudal peduncle is quite short or absent. Pelvic fin is sexually dimorphic. It is an uncommon species related to pipefishes and seahorses. It can be distinguished by the presence of the pelvic fins, the prominent spiny dorsal fin, and 27-35 star-shaped plates on the skin. These fishes float near motionlessly, with the mouth facing downwards, around a background that makes them nearly impossible to see. They feed on tiny crustaceans, 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. Unlike true pipefish, female ghostpipefishes use their enlarged pelvic fins to brood their eggs until they hatch.
Habitat:
Robust ghost pipefish is mostly pelagic and reef-associated. When it settles on the substrate for breeding, it can be found on coastal reefs and weedy areas, at a depth of 2–25 metres (6 ft 7 in–82 ft 0.3 in) This species lives in the Red Sea and in the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the coast of East Africa to Fiji, southern Japan and Australia.
The robust ghost pipefish, ''Solenostomus cyanopterus'', is a species of false pipefishes belonging to the family Solenostomidae.
