I have caught this thing while prawning in Wallis Lake last new moon. Its scales are more like prawn shell then like fish scales and tail is like that of a prawn too. It is  6cm long.

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg230/GATCAATG/123/mf.jpg

You should take some more photos of it.

Does it have gill openings?

I released it after taking this photo.
I asked the same question on fishing forum and they suggested that it is some sort of pipefish or pipehorse related to sea seahorses, I looked in Australian museum site where they have pictures of those but could not find it there.

What's with the white background?

freediver wrote on Dec 11^th, 2010 at 10:10pm:

What's with the white background?

It is the lead of the bucket where I put captured prawns.

Could be one of these??

http://www.ozanimals.com/Fish/Robust-Ghost-Pipefish/Solenostomus/cyanopterus.html

gizmo_2655 wrote on Dec 12^th, 2010 at 6:45am:

Could be one of these?? http://www.ozanimals.com/Fish/Robust-Ghost-Pipefish/Solenostomus/cyanopterus.html

It looks similar considering that it is an adult fish and the one I caught may be a juvenile.

Here are links to Australian Museum for pipefishes and pipehorses

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Seahorses-and-pipefishes/

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Seadragons-and-Pipehorses/

I'm beginning to think that it may be Widebody Pipefish the only big no is lack of side fins.

http://australianmuseum.net.au/Uploads/Images/4235/NNSWII02-47%20Stigmatopora%20ni.jpg

Could be...
But it looks more like the first picture of the robust ghost pipefish, except for the tail..

But yours looks like it might be missing the tail....

gizmo_2655 wrote on Dec 12^th, 2010 at 4:14pm:

Could be... But it looks more like the first picture of the robust ghost pipefish, except for the tail.. But yours looks like it might be missing the tail....

The tail was there but it was small, more like a prawn tail.
I took the picture while the bucket was floating in the dark and I had to hang on the scoop net as well so unfortunately quality is not good.

tallowood wrote on Dec 12^th, 2010 at 5:08pm:

gizmo_2655 wrote on Dec 12th, 2010 at 4:14pm: Could be... But it looks more like the first picture of the robust ghost pipefish, except for the tail.. But yours looks like it might be missing the tail.... The tail was there but it was small, more like a prawn tail. I took the picture while the bucket was floating in the dark and I had to hang on the scoop net as well so unfortunately quality is not good.

I'm not sure, the fins look like the robust ghost though...
But there are 220 or something species, did you keep it or release it?

Might be worth sending the photo or specimen  to an expert, if you really need to know..

I released it straight after photo session.

tallowood wrote on Dec 12^th, 2010 at 5:20pm:

I released it straight after photo session.

Maybe a photo then....it still looks like a robust ghost to me, maybe regrowing a tail??
Of course I'm not a specialist in aquatic life forms..

gizmo_2655 wrote on Dec 12^th, 2010 at 5:24pm:

tallowood wrote on Dec 12th, 2010 at 5:20pm: I released it straight after photo session. Maybe a photo then....it still looks like a robust ghost to me, maybe regrowing a tail?? Of course I'm not a specialist in aquatic life forms..

Yes, I was thinking to sent the photo to the Australian Museum.

I love prawns.Yum!

woo,I'm new glad to join.ergo babycarrier sale :)

Looks like the species "Sewagicus Polluticus Mutationus".
Funny how we now play 'God' and create species anew by our own ...device.
You should see the 'strange' chickens that we hatch from the Hatchery where I work. Many, but not a majority, have extra legs protrude from their anus or stomach. They are alive. Then there are the ones that just stare upwards neurotically with blinking twitches.

I can't remember specifically, but there was a report of animals finding it hard to mate with their own species due to a severe 'lack of', that they are going for other/similar species and cross-breeds/retardations are being born.

That would be a good thing to do, might be worth asking some experts opinion.

Ever see
River Monsters
on ABC TV?

 I think it's one of them. ;D

 Moreover, it seems to be a baby extinct ichthyosaur.

http://www.oceansofkansas.com/Ichthyosaur/shoni-me.jpg

 I'd be contacting the Smithsonian instead of the museum.  ;)

---

 No, curiously, coincidentially in the manner normally reserved for  cryptozooological matters, I just saw the episode last night on Sawfish which are very rare now, and Jeremy Wade went to Australia to catch one.

 Yours seems to have teeth (though probably doesn't); the pipe fish doesn't. They don't have an exo-skeleton like prawns, but he said have very tough skin. And missing the tail as you said, which is like a shark - on both other creatures. Darn.  :(

but it looks so weird.

Maybe that's a hybrid prawn :D