A mature female Ornate Ghost Pipefish floats above a soft coral garden.

Ornate Ghost Pipefish (or Harlequin Ghost Pipefish) can display an array of colourations that make them masters of disguise, and will vary throughout their life cycle. They can often be found hiding amongst crinoids, sea grass, as well as sponges and algae, although divers will need a very keen eye to differentiate them from their surroundings.

Ghost Pipefish are the only member of the genus Solenostomidae, or False Pipefish, which distinguishes them from true pipefish and seahorses due to the fact that the females (as seen in this image) will brood eggs, in a special pouch located between their two pelvic fins. In seahorses for example, it is always the males that will brood.

Female Ghost Pipefish will carry the eggs until the young are ready to hatch at a site that the mother has chosen carefully to decreases the likelihood of predation. When they hatch, the young appear mostly transparent/translucent, and will float away from the reef into Pelagic waters. Their appearance helps to disguise them from predators, as well as enable them to hunt other plankton-like animals, until they eventually reach maturity and return to the reef to continue this cycle.

This print is set on 310g/m² Fine Art Rag Paper (Matte).

A4 paper dimensions: (210mm x 297mm)
A3 paper dimensions: (297 x 420mm)
A3+ paper dimensions: (329 mm x 483 mm)

White Border: print will be inset from the edge of the paper
No Border: print will fill the paper edge to edge