Photo by Jeremy Bristow	Ghost Pipefish are related to true pipefishes, the Syngathidae, represented by a single species in the Cape Town area, the longsnout pipefish Syngnathus temminckii. Where ghost pipefish differ is in their fins, which are well developed, in contrast to the often barely visible fins on other pipefish. The large ventral fins are used by brooding females to form a pouch, which are held together like flattened hands by hooking the rays on the upper edge together. The photo shows a juvenile of either robust ghost pipefish Solenostomus cyanopterus or the ornate ghost pipefish Solenostomus paradoxus. All ghost pipefish are tropical, and this juvenile was probably brought down by an eddy of the Agulhas current, possibly as a larvae. The robust ghost pipefish is found only as far south as East London. The ornate pipefish is not mentioned to occur in South African waters by Smiths' Sea Fishes. This individual was photographed at Pie Rock, but others have been seen at A-Frame and the barge at Long Beach as well.
References: Smiths' Sea Fishes, MM Smith and PC Heemstra, 1986. Seahorses, Pipefishes and their relatives, RH Kuiter, 2000. Thanks to Kate Moots (SAIAB) for further information.
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