LEIOGNATHIDAE Equulites stercorarius, 8.0 cm SL (photo by Seishi Kimura) Equulites stercorarius (Evermann and Seale, 1907) Slender Ponyfish D VIII, 16; A III, 14; P1 16-18; LL 58-61; GR 5-6 + 11-14 = 16-20. Body elongate, moderately compressed. Mouth protruding downwards; profile of lower jaw almost straight; small slender teeth arranged in a single row on jaws. Retrorse spines of dorsal and anal-fin pterygiophores embedded. Cheek, breast, and belly completely scaled. Color: body brownish dorsally, silvery-white ventrally; black blotch on snout; dark irregular oblique lines indistinctly on dorsolateral body surface; dorsal and anal fins with yellow bands. Size: maximum length about 12 cm. Distribution: found in Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. Remarks: inhabits soft bottom area at depths shallower than 50 m. Marketed fresh or dried.