Hiding in plain sight
Harasti’s Pipefish took almost 20 years to be identified as Australia’s newest species of fish thanks to its ability to hide in plain sight. Photo by David Harasti.
Scientists have formally identified Australia’s newest species of fish after nearly 20 years of painstaking investigation.
It has taken all this time to identify Harasti’s Pipefish (Stigmatopora harastii), also known as the Red Wide-bodied Pipefish, because of its uncanny ability to hide in plain sight. The bright red fish easily blends in with its preferred habitat of equally brightly coloured red finger sponges and algae.
The first recognised sighting of Harasti’s Pipefish as a new species was made in 2002 near Jervis Bay by Dr David Harasti, a Senior Research Scientist with the NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries. It took another 15 years for a confirmed second sighting near Shellharbour on the Illawarra coast. A third sighting was made at Botany Bay, but that required three months of determined searching by Australian Museum scientist, Andrew Trevor-Jones.
Harasti’s Pipefish is not only a master of camouflage but also very particular about where it lives. It is only known to live in similarly coloured sponges and algae growing on rocky reefs near the entrances to large and small ocean bays, somewhere at depths of 10-25 metres.
There are locations closely matching this description between Forster on the mid-north coast and Eden to the south but so far populations have only been observed at three locations.
Harasti’s joins three other species of Stigmatopora that are unique to Australia. They all feature a long snout and thread-like tail which they use to grip tightly onto the marine plants where they live. What makes Harasti’s Pipefish stand out from the others is its red colour and choice of habitat.
You can read more about Harasti’s Pipefish on the Australian Museum website.
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