A Meeting of Ghosts

Not to be out performed by the recent cetacean sightings, macro finds in Gorontalo the last few days have impressed visiting divers. At one muck sight seven harlequin ghost pipefish of various patterns and color combinations were gathering around a colony of fire coral. They have since paired up and separated to adjoining coral clumps with one still looking for a companion. The same site also produced a baby Bonaparte eel, two dark frogfish including a fingertip sized baby, several cockatoo waspfish, a robust pipefish, a black Ambonion scorpionfish, Tozeuma shrimp and a family of Helmet conchs, rare in many places in the world. A harlequin ghost pipefish found at another dive site has since been replaced by a smiling lionfish that presumably has eaten it. However, the transparent baby Mimic octopus is likely to escape notice of predators for some time to come.