Solenostomus

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Superclassis/Classis: Actinopterygii
Classis/Subclassis: Actinopteri
Subclassis/Infraclassis: Neopterygii
Infraclassis: Teleostei
Megacohors: Osteoglossocephalai
Supercohors: Clupeocephala
Cohors: Euteleosteomorpha
Subcohors: Neoteleostei
Infracohors: Eurypterygia
Sectio: Ctenosquamata
Subsectio: Acanthomorphata
Divisio/Superordo: Acanthopterygii
Ordo: Syngnathiformes
Subordo: Syngnathoidei

Familia: Solenostomidae
Genus: Solenostomus
Species: S. armatus – S. cyanopterus – S. halimeda – S. leptosoma – S. paegnius – S. paradoxus
Name

Solenostomus Lacépède, 1803

Gender: Masculine
Type species: Fistularia paradoxa Pallas, 1770
Type by monotypy

Synonyms

Solenichthys Bleeker, 1864
Solenostomichthys Bleeker, 1873
Solenostomatichthys Bleeker, 1874

References

Lacépède, B.G.E. 1803: Histoire naturelle des poissons. 5: i-lxviii + 1-803 + index, Pls. 1-21. BHL
Tim Flannery and Peter Schouten. Amazing Animals: Extraordinary Creatures and the Fantastic Worlds They Inhabit. New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2004. Page 116-117.

Links

Solenostomus – Taxon details on Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
Solenostomus in the World Register of Marine Species
Solenostomus species list in FishBase,
Froese, R. & Pauly, D. (eds.) 2022. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication, www.fishbase.org, version 08/2021.
Solenostomus and its species (including synonyms) in Catalog of Fishes, Eschmeyer, W.N., Fricke, R. & van der Laan, R. (eds.) 2022. Catalog of Fishes electronic version.
Photos of the 5 different species of Ghostpipefishes

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Geisterpfeifenfische
English: Ghost pipefishes, false pipefishes, tubemouth fishes
magyar: Tömlősszájúhal-félék
日本語: カミソリウオ科
lietuvių: Vamzdžiasnukės
Nederlands: Buisbekken
ไทย: ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปีศาจ, ปลาจิ้มฟันจระเข้ปลอม
Tiếng Việt: Chi Cá chìa vôi ma
中文: 溝口魚屬

Solenostomus, also known as the ghost pipefishes, false pipefishes or tubemouth fishes, is a genus of fishes in the order Syngnathiformes. Solenostomus is the only genus in the family Solenostomidae, and includes six currently recognized species.[2] Ghost pipefishes are related to pipefishes and seahorses. They are found in tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific.[3]

The animals, none of which are longer than 17 centimetres (6.7 in), 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.[3]

In many respects, they are similar to the pipefishes, but can be distinguished by the presence of pelvic fins, a prominent, spiny, dorsal fin, and star-shaped plates on the skin. Unlike true pipefish, female ghostpipefishes use their enlarged pelvic fins to brood their eggs until they hatch.[3]
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, 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 (Pallas, 1770) (ornate ghost pipefish or harlequin ghost pipefish)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Solenostomus.
References

Sepkoski, Jack (2002). "A compendium of fossil marine animal genera". Bulletins of American Paleontology. 364: 560. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
Family Solenostomidae [1] FishBase. Accessed 1 February 2015.

Orr, J.W. & Pietsch, T.W. (1998). Paxton, J.R. & Eschmeyer, W.N. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Fishes. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 169. ISBN 0-12-547665-5.

"Solenostomus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 6 June 2006.
Tim Flannery 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.