Solenostomus cyanopterus, Ghost pipefish : aquarium

Solenostomus cyanopterus Bleeker, 1854

Ghost pipefish
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Solenostomus cyanopterus   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Solenostomus cyanopterus (Ghost pipefish)
Solenostomus cyanopterus
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Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Solenostomidae (Ghost pipefishes)
Etymology: Solenostomus: Greek, solen = tube + Greek, stoma = mouth (Ref. 45335).
More on author: Bleeker.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory (Ref. 52884); depth range 0 - 25 m (Ref. 37816), usually 0 - 25 m (Ref. 37816). Tropical

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Indo-West Pacific: Red Sea and East Africa to Fiji, north to southern Japan, south to Australia.

Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 17.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 5463)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 5; Dorsal soft rays (total): 17 - 22; Anal spines: 0; Anal soft rays: 17 - 22; Vertebrae: 32 - 33. Color variable (from brown to pink or yellow) with small black and white spots; 2 elongate black spots between first 3 dorsal spines (Ref. 4263). Total body plates 27-35. Caudal fin truncate, rounded, or lanceolate. Caudal peduncle short or lost in large females (Ref. 48635). Pelvic fin sexually dimorphic, forming a brood pouch in females (Ref. 9829).
Body shape (shape guide): other; Cross section: flattened.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

This uncommon species is found in coastal reefs and weedy areas (Ref. 5463) or lagoon reefs, often on algal flats or seagrass beds (Ref 90102). Females carry the eggs in their pelvic fins that are modified to form a brood pouch (Ref. 205). Adults feed on small crustaceans (Ref. 1602). Monogamous and always in home-ranging pairs, that is they do not defend an exclusive territory (Ref. 52884).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and genetic (Ref. 52884).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Orr, J.W. and R.A. Fritzsche, 1993. Revision of the ghost pipefishes, family Solenostomidae (Teleostei: Syngnathoidei). Copeia 1993(1):168-182. (Ref. 9829)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2025-2)

  Least Concern (LC) ; Date assessed: 11 March 2015

CITES

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: of no interest; aquarium: public aquariums
FAO - Publication: search | FishSource |

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Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | DORIS | ECOTOX | FAO - Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | National databases | OneZoom | Open Tree of Life | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | TreeBase | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search |