Researchers Name 7th Ghost Pipefish Species After Sesame Street Character Following 20-Year Search
Updated
Updated · Mongabay.com · May 29
Researchers Name 7th Ghost Pipefish Species After Sesame Street Character Following 20-Year Search
3 articles · Updated · Mongabay.com · May 29
Summary
Solenostomus snuffleupagus has been formally described as the seventh known ghost pipefish species, ending a two-decade effort sparked by David Harasti’s first sighting near Papua New Guinea in 2001.
Genetic analysis showed the fish split from its closest relative about 18 million years ago, while anatomical work found 36 vertebrae and distinctive star-shaped bony skin structures.
The bright orange-red species long escaped recognition because it was mistaken for the rough snout ghost pipefish and uses exceptional camouflage to mimic drifting red macroalgae on reefs and seagrass beds.
Researchers say the find from the Great Barrier Reef and wider Indo-Pacific underscores that even well-studied marine ecosystems still contain undescribed species.