Vietnam's “invisible” fish that is rarer than gold

Before 1995, a single fish of this kind was caught by chance in the waters off Nha Trang, a coastal city in Khánh Hòa province in south-central Vietnam, and it has never been seen there again.

The ghost pipefish Solenostomus paegnius (formerly Solenichthys paegnius) belongs to a family of fish so strangely shaped that they are hard to picture from words alone…

They have a fairly long, slightly flattened body, very large main fins, a big head and a very long, tube-like snout…

Overall, their shape and color look exactly like fronds of seaweed swaying on the seabed.

They can also change color to match the surroundings they shelter in.

Thanks to their superb camouflage, they become almost “invisible.”

Ghost pipefish are also faithful partners, often living in pairs for life.

This trait is shared with seahorses, close relatives of the ghost pipefish.

This is a very rare fish. According to the Vietnam Red Data Book, a single specimen was caught by chance off Nha Trang before 1995, and none has been seen there since.

Around the world, ghost pipefish species are highly prized in marine aquariums. (Photo: Arkive.org)

According to the Sinh vật rừng Việt Nam (Vietnam Forest Creatures) website, the ghost pipefish, also known in Vietnamese as the “false pipefish,” belongs to the ghost pipefish family Solenostomidae, in the order Syngnathiformes (formerly placed in Gasterosteiformes). Its body is fairly long and slightly compressed from side to side. The first dorsal fin, the pelvic fins and the tail fin are all very large. The head is fairly large and long. The snout is long and tube-shaped. The mouth has no teeth. The caudal peduncle is longer than it is deep.

Unlike seahorses (genus Hippocampus) and pipefishes (family Syngnathidae), it is the female ghost pipefish that cares for the eggs and young. On the female's belly is a skin pouch formed by the inner parts of the pelvic fins. This half-open pouch is where the eggs and young are nurtured. A female can carry up to 350 fertilized eggs.

The species is found in Japan, Indonesia, Mauritius, Zanzibar and the Maldives. In Vietnam, only a single individual has ever been recorded, off Nha Trang, and no one has seen the fish there since.

According to the Dive the World website, ghost pipefish are relatively weak swimmers, so they keep to very small territories.

Ghost pipefish live for only one year and reach sexual maturity very early. The female broods her eggs for three weeks. Life begins as a larva drifting on ocean currents. The larvae are tiny, about 3 mm long. Newborn young are transparent until they find their way to a coral reef to settle.

According to the Vietnam Red Data Book, the ghost pipefish is listed as Endangered. It has been proposed for inclusion on the fisheries sector's list of protected species. Authorities are also urged to raise public awareness about protecting this rare fish. Any fish that is caught should be released immediately while still alive; the species could also be kept in small saltwater tanks for captive breeding and larval rearing.

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This article was translated from Vietnamese. Read the original