Species: Micrognathus erugatus, Smooth Pipefish

Micrognathus erugatus Herald & Dawson, 1974

Smooth Pipefish

Head and body almost smooth due to poor development of ridges; snout short; central snout ridge with several forward-pointing spines; other head ridges (sides of snout & head, top of nape) not visible; head with short, simple skin flaps above opercle and on ridges along top and mid-side of opercle; body and tail without skin flaps; opercle with 20+ rows of minute pock-mark depressions radiating from indistinct central ridge; exhalant gill opening extends to top of head; dorsal fin 18-20 rays; anal fin 2 rays; pectoral fin rays 10-13; no pelvic fins; tail fin typically 10; upper body and tail ridges interrupted near rear of dorsal fin; lower trunk ridge ends near anus; side trunk ridge joins lower tail ridge; trunk rings 17-20, total rings 56-71; body rings difficult to distinguish, without skin flaps; ridges of head, body and tail not prominent; body ridges with almost no notches between body rings, edges smooth; brood pouch under tail rings 10-17, pouch plates not very enlarged, pouch semi-open.

Grey-green to green to yellow-brown; body color variable: plain with green and white belly, to mottled with white anteriorly, and sometimes with white bars.

Reaches 11.7 cm.

Tide pools and shallow seagrass beds.

Depth range: 0.5-2 m.

Brazil and south-east Venezuela.