SYNGNATHIDAE Hippichthys (Hippichthys) cyanospilus, 13.0 cm (photo by Seishi Kimura) Hippichthys (Hippichthys) cyanospilus (Bleeker, 1854) Blue-spotted Pipefish D 20-28; P1 13-16. Trunk rings 12-14; tail rings 32-35; superior trunk and tail ridges discontinuous, posterior end of lateral trunk ridge deflected downward; inferior trunk and tail ridges continuous; dorsal-fin origin on last or penultimate trunk ring. Color: body plain brown, mottled or blotched; often finely flecked with pale blue; lower part of snout often pale; venter and side of trunk without dark bars; dorsal fin with 3-4 dark spots on each fin ray. Size: maximum standard length about 16 cm. Distribution: Indo-Pacific: northern Red Sea and East Africa to the western Pacific, north to the Ryukyu Islands, south to Queensland, and east to Caroline Islands and Fiji. Remarks: occurs in estuaries, lower reaches of coastal rivers and streams and mangroves.