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| Solenostomus snuffleupagus Short & Harasti, 2026 |
Abstract
A new species of ghost pipefish, Solenostomus snuffleupagus sp. nov., is described from the Coral Sea based on specimens (18–34 mm SL) collected from coral reef habitats in Queensland, Australia. The species is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: abundant elongate integumentary filaments imparting a conspicuously shaggy appearance; 36 total vertebrae (vs. 32–34 in all congeners); compact body form with a short, deep pretrunk (11%–14% SL); sexually dimorphic supraoccipital crests (moderately elevated in females, strongly developed in males); and two modified anchor-like ossicles spanning the pterygiophores in both soft dorsal and anal fins. Micro-CT imaging reveals distinctive pretrunk ossicle configuration characterized by deep angular interspaces and absence of a ventral ossicle series. Mitochondrial COI sequences indicate an uncorrected p-distance of 22.0% from the superficially similar S. paegnius, a species with which it has long been confused in museum collections and citizen science databases. Field observations document consistent association with dense filamentous red macroalgae, with body coloration closely matching host substrate. The species is currently known from the southwest Pacific, including northeastern Australia (Coral Sea), Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga, representing a southwestern Pacific distribution.
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| Solenostomus snuffleupagus, in situ, Great Barrier Reef, Australia, 2022: (a) adult individual; (b) female specimen used for genetic analysis; (c) male specimen used for genetic analysis (photographs by David Harasti). |
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| Micro-CT reconstructions (lateral view) of Solenostomus snuffleupagus: (a) holotype, female, AMS I.33751-047; (b) paratype, male, NTM S.13600–047. DF, dorsal-fin; PF, pectoral-fin; sAF, soft anal-fin; sDF, soft dorsal-fin. Numbers 1 and 2 indicate the respective pterygiophores supporting the soft dorsal- and anal-fins. |
Taxonomy
Family Solenostomidae
Genus Solenostomus Lacépède 1803
Solenostomus snuffleupagus, Short and Harasti, new species
Diagnosis: A species of Solenostomus distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: body compact and vertically deep anteriorly; pretrunk deep (24.4%–29.2% SL); abundant, elongate integumentary filaments conferring a conspicuously shaggy appearance, particularly dense on snout, jaws, head and fin extremities; pretrunk ossicles are narrow and elongated, separated by deep angular interspaces, forming a distinctive compact lattice; There are total 36 vertebrae. The supraoccipital crest is elevated and rounded in females, but strongly pronounced in males. There are two modified anchor-like ossicles spanning the pterygiophores in both the soft dorsal fin (19–20 rays) and anal fin (18–19 rays). The soft dorsal fin has 19–20 rays, the anal fin has 18–19 rays, the pectoral fin has 27 rays, the caudal fin has 15 rays.
Etymology: The specific epithet snuffleupagus refers to the shaggy character Mr. Snuffleupagus, also known as ‘Snuffy’, from the children's television series Sesame Street™, in allusion to the species' distinctly shaggy, filamentous appearance and snout reminiscent of the character's covering and trunk. The name is treated as a noun in apposition (ICZN Article 31.1.2).
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| Solenostomus paegnius, in situ: (a) Indonesia (photograph by Richard Smith); (b) Philippines, male–female pair with the female positioned above the male in the water column (photograph by Lynn Funkhouser); (c) Philippines, male–female pair with the female positioned above the male in the water column (photograph by Alex Tyrrell @dive4photos). |
Graham Short and David Harasti. 2026. Solenostomus snuffleupagus sp. nov., A hairy Ghost Pipefish (Teleostei: Solenostomidae) from the Southwest Pacific, with an integrative comparison to S. paegnius. Journal of Fish Biology. DOI: doi.org/10.1111/jfb.70497 [10 May 2026]
