Systematic position
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Order: Gasterosteiformes (Sticklebacks)
Family: Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses)
Subfamily: Syngnathinae (Pipefishes)
Genus: Microphis
Species: M. deocata
Synonyms
Doryichthys deocata (Hamilton, 1822)
Syngnathus deocata Hamilton, 1822
Common/local names
English: Deocata pipefish
Bangladesh: Kumirer khil (কুমিরের খিল) and Kota kumirer khil (কোটা কুমিরের খিল)
Distributions: Bangladesh and India (North Bengal Bihar and Assam) (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991; IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Conservation status: Endangered in Bangladesh due to habitat loss (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000).
Morphology: Body elongate and sub-cylindrical with small and terminal mouth. 16 bony rings in trunk and 30 in tail (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000). Head 7-7.9 times in standard length (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). No pelvics. Anal fin very small (Rahman, 1989 and 2005) and located in a distinct depression, separated from anus by a transverse fleshy septum Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Pectoral and caudal fins are small and rounded.
Fin formula:
D. 30; P1. 15; A. 2; C. 7 (Rahman, 1989 and 2005; IUCN Bangladesh, 2000; Shafi and Quddus, 2001)
Rings (15-17)+(29-32); D 35-36; P 19-22 (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Maximum lengths: 14 cm TL (Rahman, 1989 and 2005; IUCN Bangladesh, 2000; Shafi and Quddus, 2001) and 15 cm SL (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Sexing: Male is brownish and inconspicuous and with dark lateral stripe on head (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). The female is orange in ground color (Rahman, 1989 and 2005) or with Y-shaped markings (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Habitats: Inhibits freshwaters (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991). Rivers of northern Bangladesh (Rahman, 1989 and 2005); north and north-east region (IUCN Bangladesh, 2000). Found in Rangapani khal of Sylhet (Rahman, 1989 and 2005). Common in Gangetic basin (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
Fishery information: Of no interest to fisheries (Talwar and Jhingran, 1991).
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REFERENCES
Hamilton F (1822) An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches. Edinburgh & London. An account of the fishes found in the river Ganges and its branches.: i-vii + 1-405, Pls. 1-39.
IUCN Bangladesh (2000) Red book of threatened fishes of Bangladesh, IUCN- The world conservation union. xii+116 pp.
Rahman AKA (1989) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 1st edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, p. 37.
Rahman AKA (2005) Freshwater Fishes of Bangladesh, 2nd edition, Zoological Society of Bangladesh, Department of Zoology, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, pp. 51-52.
Shafi M and Quddus MMA (2001) Bangladesher Matsho Shampad (Fisheries of Bangladesh) (in Bengali), Kabir publication. Dhaka, Bangladesh. p. 249.
Talwar PK and Jhingran AG (1991) Inland Fishes of India and Adjacent Countries, Vol. 2, Oxford & IBH Publishing Co. Pvt. Ltd. New Delhi-Calcutta, p. 771-772.
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