About Halicampus macrorhynchus Bamber, 1915
Ornate pipefish (Halicampus macrorhynchus Bamber, 1915) is a small fish that grows to a maximum length of 18 cm. It has a thin, elongated body with reduced fins that are difficult to see. Its body color changes to match its surrounding environment for better camouflage, and can range through reddish, greenish, yellowish, to brownish tones. There are small skin growths arranged in pairs along the back of its body; these growths look like fins, and there are generally eight of them. The body also has small, irregular whitish and pinkish spots. The ornate pipefish has a small head that does not stand out distinctly from the rest of the body, and it has a long snout, whose tip may be covered in skin growths. This pipefish is widespread across tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-West Pacific. Its range extends along the eastern coast of Africa, including the Red Sea, east to the Solomon Islands, and from southern Japan south to the area of Queensland, Australia. Ornate pipefish live close to the seabed, at depths between the surface and 25 meters. They prefer habitats including reefs, sandy bottoms, or coral rubble areas that have algae or debris, where they can easily hide.
