Briarium Pipefish

Apterygocampus epinnulatus

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Genus: Apterygocampus
Species: Apterygocampus epinnulatus

The briarium pipefish (Apterygocampus epinnulatus) is a minute pipefish that lives only on Briareum soft corals, its body mimicking the coral's fuzzy polyps. It has no dorsal or pectoral fins, which makes it look even more like part of the coral.

Reaching only about 2-3 cm, it clings to its host with a prehensile tail, much like a pygmy seahorse, and picks tiny crustaceans from among the polyps. Its colour shifts between green, brown and purple to match the coral it lives on.

It is known from the western Pacific, including the Philippines, where divers who know to inspect Briareum colonies closely can sometimes find this remarkable little pipefish.