Short-tailed pipefish

The short-tailed pipefish (Microphis brachyurus) is a species of fish in the family Syngnathidae. It is found in fresh and brackish waters from Sri Lanka and India east to southern Japan and the Society Islands.^[2] It inhabits places with little or no current in rivers, streams and estuaries.^[3]

Short-tailed pipefish
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Syngnathiformes
Family:	Syngnathidae
Genus:	Microphis
Species:	M. brachyurus
Binomial name
Microphis brachyurus (Valenciennes, 1842)
Synonyms
Syngnathus brachyurus Bleeker, 1854 Doryichthys brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) Oostethus brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) Syngnathus polyacanthus Bleeker, 1856 Doryichthys hasselti Kaup, 1856 Doryichthys auronitens Kaup, 1856 Doryichthys pristipeltis Kaup, 1856 Microphis bleekeri Day, 1865 Microphis jouani Duméril, 1870 Doryichthys philippinus Fowler, 1918

It formerly included three subspecies, but these are now regarded as separate species: Microphis aculeatus of the East Atlantic region, Microphis lineatus of the West Atlantic and Caribbean regions, and Microphis millepunctatus of the Western Indian Ocean region.^[2][4]

The short-tailed pipefish reaches up to 22 cm (8.7 in) in standard length.^[3]