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Species: Microdesmus longipinnis, Pink Wormfish

All Families:   All Genera:   All Species:

v elongate
uniform pink
D XIX-XXII, 45-53, origin before pectoral tip
A 37-48, origin under D elements 25-31
gill opening large, not tubular
low membranes join D & A to round C
scales well separated, sparse

Microdesmus longipinnis (Weymouth, 1910)

Pink Wormfish

Slender, wormlike, very elongate, body height 4.2-8.1% of SL; snout moderately blunt; small, conspicuous eyes on side of head; interorbital about equal to eye diameter; front nostril a flared tube; rear nostril a pore with raised rim; mouth strongly oblique, lower jaw heavy, protruding, upper jaw extends to middle of eye; teeth in 2 irregular rows; tongue rounded; gill opening large (not tubular), at base of pectoral fin; one, long based continuous dorsal fin, XIX-XXII, 45-53, fin originates in front of tip of depressed pectoral fin; anal fin 0, 37-48, origin under dorsal elements 25-31; dorsal and anal fins connected to tail fin by low membrane; pelvic fins minute, I, 3 rays; tail fin rounded; body sparsely covered with minute, embedded, well separated scales; no lateral line.

Uniform pink-tan.

Reaches: 27.0 cm.

Habitat: Burrows in shallow muddy and sandy bottoms.Often found in Callianasid shrimp burrows.

Depth: 5-10 m.

North Carolina to the S Caribbean; Brazil.


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Salinity
  • Brackish
  • Marine
Inshore/Offshore
  • Inshore
  • Inshore Only
Water Column Position
  • Bottom
Habitat
  • Sand & gravel
  • Soft bottom (mud/sand/gravel/beach/estuary/mangrove/seagrass)
  • Soft bottom only
  • Estuary
  • Mud
  • Reef (rock/coral/oyster)
  • Reef associated (reef + edges-water column & soft bottom)
FishBase Habitat
  • Demersal
  • Reef Associated
Feeding Group
  • Carnivore
  • Data
Diet
  • Data
  • Mobile benthic crustacea (shrimps/crabs)
Egg Type
  • Benthic
  • Data
  • Pelagic larva
Global Endemism
  • All species
  • Greater Caribbean non-endemic
  • West Atlantic Endemic
Regional Endemism
  • Also in Brazil
  • Continent
  • Continent + Island (s)
  • Extends N + S of GC
  • Extends North of GC
  • Extends South of GC
  • GC non-endemic
  • Island (s)
  • All species
Residency
  • Resident
Climate Zone
  • Equatorial (0-10N, Costa Rica / Venezuela)
  • Subtropical (23-35N, Florida / Carolinas / Bermuda)
  • Tropical (10-23N, Nicaragua / Cuba)
IUCN Red List
  • Least concern
  • Listed
CITES
  • Not listed
Length Max
  • 27
Depth Range Min
  • 5
Depth Range Max
  • 10