SYNGNATHIDAE Syngnathoides biaculeatus, 19.9 cm (photo by Seishi Kimura) Syngnathoides biaculeatus (Bloch, 1785) Alligator Pipefish D 38-48; A 4; P1 20-24. Trunk rings 15-18; tail rings 40-54; superior and inferior trunk ridges continuous with their respective tail ridges, inferior trunk ridge inconspicuous and located on venter of trunk; lateral trunk ridges bent dorsally, ending just below superior ridge near rear of dorsal fin base; trunk compressed dorsoventrally, broadest near middle of trunk length. Median dorsal snout ridge low, entire; supraorbital ridge usually with spinelike point; opercle without a longitudinal ridge. Dorsal fin origin on trunk; caudal fin absent, tail slender distally, prehensile. Color: mainly green to brown or gray, with variable darker markings, sometimes with a narrow dark stripe on opercle. Females often with bilateral dark spots or blotches on venter of some trunk rings. Size: maximum length about 30 cm. Distribution: Indo-Pacific: Red Sea south to South Africa, east to Samoa, north to southern Japan, south to New South Wales. Remarks: occurs in protected coastal shallows over or among algae, seagrasses, or floating weeds. Feeds on small planktonic organisms. Used in Chinese medicine to extract Hailong, one of the important drugs.