Ghost Pipefish
Solenostomus paradoxus
- Usual depth4–24 m
- Water temperature20–29 °C
- Best monthsMarch, April, and May
- How commonOccasional
Photo credit: (c) Pauline Walsh Jacobson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
About this species
Solenostomus paradoxus, the ornate ghost pipefish or harlequin ghost pipefish, is a false pipefish of the family Solenostomidae. The species' name comes from the Greek paradoxos, referring to this fish's unusual external features. With its common name, ghost, referring to its ability to disguise itself and appear and disappear quickly. Alluding to the fact that even though it is a relatively common fish, ornate ghost pipefish are very well-camouflaged and difficult to find.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Solenostomus paradoxus”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article
Where and when
Where it has been recorded
Worldwide
Loading the map
Best months
Worldwide (open data)
- January: 141 records
- February: 126 records
- March: 235 records
- April: 259 records
- May: 197 records
- June: 95 records
- July: 143 records
- August: 136 records
- September: 163 records
- October: 165 records
- November: 161 records
- December: 147 records
Depth and water temperature
Depth
Mostly recorded at 4–24 m · Deepest record: 28.7 m
Water temperature
Recorded in surface water of 20–29 °C
Photos
(c) portioid, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Georgina Jones, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist 
(c) Tom Heijnen, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
no rights reserved · CC0 1.0 · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Ben Costamagna, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist 
(c) Dan Schofield, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY · iNaturalist
Names and classification
- English
- Ghost Pipefish, Harlequin ghost pipefish, Ornate Ghost-pipefish, Ornate Ghost Pipefish, shortbodied pipefish
Names in 6 more languages
- German
- Fetzengeisterfisch, Harlekin-Geisterpfeifenfisch, Schmuck-Geisterpfeifenfisch
- Spanish
- Pez Pipa Fantasma Arlequín
- French
- Poisson-fantôme arlequin
- Japanese
- Fûrai-uo, Nishikifuraiuo, ニシキフウライウオ
- Thai
- ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจ
- Simplified Chinese
- 刀口魚, 刀口鱼, 剃刀魚, 剃刀鱼, 十字鬼龍, 細吻剃刀魚, (細吻)剃刀魚, (细吻)剃刀鱼
Other scientific names: Fistularia paradoxa, Solenostomatichthys paradoxus
Similar species
- Hairy Ghost Pipefish
Solenostomus paegnius
Sources and credits
Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).
- Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
- Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
- Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
- 250 open-data records from 1770 to 2016.
- Species data updated October 26, 2026.
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