Microphilypnus Explained

Microphilypnus is a genus of small fishes in the family Eleotridae native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America. At up to 2.4cm (00.9inches) in standard length, they are among the smallest sleeper gobies, but however larger than the Leptophilypnion sleeper gobies from the same region.^[1] The bottom-dwelling Microphilypnus are typically found in shallow water among leaf-litter or partially buried in sand,^[2] and they can be very abundant in their habitat.^[3] Their small size combined with a speckled and semi-transparent appearance makes them highly cryptic.^[2] They somewhat resemble certain freshwater shrimp (Palaemonetes and Pseudopalaemon), as well as Priocharax characins, and they sometimes group together.^[2] Microphilypnus feed on tiny invertebrates.^[3]

Species

The recognized species in this genus are:

• Microphilypnus acangaquara Caires & J. L. de Figueiredo, 2011
• Microphilypnus amazonicus G. S. Myers, 1927
• Microphilypnus macrostoma G. S. Myers, 1927
• Microphilypnus tapajosensis Caires, 2013^[4]
• Microphilypnus ternetzi G. S. Myers, 1927

Notes and References

1. Roberts, T.R. (2013): Leptophilypnion, a new genus with two new species of tiny central Amazonian gobioid fishes (Teleostei, Eleotridae). aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology, 19 (2): 85-98.
2. Carvalho, L.N.; J. Zuanon; and I. Sazima (2006). The almost invisible league: crypsis and association between minute fishes and shrimps as a possible defence against visually hunting predators. Neotrop. Ichthyol. 4(2).
3. Amazonian Fish: Gobiformes. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
4. Caires, R.A. (2013): Microphilypnus tapajosensis, a new species of eleotridid from the Tapajós basin, Brazil (Gobioidei: Eleotrididae). Ichthyological Exploration of Freshwaters, 24 (2): 155-160.