Abstract
The occurrence of the pipefish Microphis brachyurus (Bleecker, 1854) in Suriname is reported here for the first time. The records include 3 specimens from the lower Suriname River at Overbridge, collected from a reach in the river with fresh water, without brackish tidal influence and dense aquatic and flooded shore vegetation.
Highlights
The taxonomy of Microphis brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) sensu lato is still in flux
Microphis brachyurus lineatus occurs in brackish waters and freshwater rivers in coastal areas from Brazil to Mexico (Ferraris 2003)
There are no records of Microphis brachyurus reported for Suriname
Summary
The taxonomy of Microphis brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) sensu lato is still in flux. Depending on the author, it represents either a single species with 4 subspecies (e.g., Dawson 1984) or 4 species (e.g., Fricke et al 2018). We tentatively follow the last detailed review by Dawson (1984), separating the taxon in 4 subspecies: Microphis brachyurus brachyurus (Bleeker, 1854) from the central Indian Ocean and central Pacific Ocean, M. b. Aculeatus (Kaup, 1856) from the eastern Atlantic Ocean, M. b. Millepunctatus (Kaup, 1856) from the western Indian Ocean, and M. b. Lineatus (Kaup, 1856) from the western Atlantic Ocean. Microphis brachyurus lineatus occurs in brackish waters and freshwater rivers in coastal areas from Brazil to Mexico (Ferraris 2003). It was reported for Guyana by Eigenmann (1912). The respective specimen was collected (probably in 2015) from the Comte River close to the village Cacao. By collecting 3 specimens in February 2018 from the Para District, we were able to close at least this gap
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