A pygmy pipehorse the size of a matchstick, holding to red algae on east coast rock. It was not described until 2006 and is found by searching the weed rather than the reef.
To 5.5 cm. Tiny and shaped like a scrap of algae. Whitish to reddish or dark grey with brown or reddish markings, with a large head, a prominent ridge across the front of the head carrying branched fleshy appendages, and a deep trunk. The skin texture encourages algae and bryozoans to grow on it, so the camouflage is close to total and most people swim past it.
Two related pipehorses are separated on the position of the head ridge and on snout length, which is proportionally longer here.
It lives on semi-exposed rocky reef with red algae or bryozoan cover between about 6 and 30 m, and it barely moves: individuals stay on the same small patch of reef for much of the year, which is why local divers can take people to see one. The male carries the eggs.
It is endemic to New South Wales, from Cabbage Tree Bay at Manly south to at least Bawley Point, and it was only described in 2004. It is fully protected under New South Wales law. It is a Sydney shore-diving speciality and not an Australian fish in any general sense.
Ratings are per location: 1 means found on most dives that look for it, 5 means a handful of records. Where enough dives have been logged the figure is calculated from them; otherwise it is an editorial estimate, and says so. We publish habitat and destination, not the dive site.