Very inconspicuous, leaf-like ghost pipefish in colors red, green, purple or brown, mottled markings and long, narrow dorsal fin and fan-like ventral and tail fins with a short tail base.

Unassessed by the IUCN Red list. Widespread but an uncommon species.

Red Sea and Eastern Africa to the Fiji Islands, north to Japan and South to Australia. They prefer coastal reefs and weedy areas or lagoon reefs, often on algal flats or seagrass beds, in a depth range of 4-25 meters.

All ghost pipefishes are born as males, but after social cues, some change into females. The ventral fins then grow towards each other and develop, creating a pouch for the male to carry the eggs. New born ghost pipefishes spend the majority of their life as planktonic larvae, before settling to the bottom and developing into their adult form.