Acentronura breviperula

Acentronura breviperula, also known as the shortpouch pygmy pipehorse, dwarf pipehorse and northern little pipehorse,[1] is a species of pygmy pipehorse, a member of the family Syngnathidae, the seahorses and pipefishes.[2] It occurs in the Indo-Pacific region from the eastern Andaman Sea, through the Malay Archipelago to the Western Pacific as far east as New Guinea and the northern Great Barrier Reef.[2]

Acentronura breviperula
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Syngnathiformes
Family:	Syngnathidae
Genus:	Acentronura
Species:	A. breviperula
Binomial name
Acentronura breviperula Fraser-Brunner & Whitley, 1949

It is a small, drab-coloured pipehorse which is very well camouflaged among sandy and silty habitats,[1] although it is usually found on substrates of coral rubble or in areas of sparse algal growth.[3] It has a prehensile tail similar to that of a seahorse but it lacks an angled head and swims with its body held in a horizontal position.[1] It is normally recorded in pairs and they typically use their prehensile tails to grip onto pieces of algae or debris.[2] It is a carnivorous species which feeds on small invertebrates.[1] Like other syngnathids it is ovoviviparous and the males hold the developing eggs in a brood pouch located on the underside of its body. It is found at depths from 2–40 metres (6.6–131.2 ft).[1] They are sexually dimorphic, the females resemble pipefish but the males have large bellies and bear more resemblance to sea horses. They grow to a maximum length of 6 centimetres (2.4 in).[3]

A breviperula was previously thought to be a synonym of Acentronura tentaculata but is now considered to be a valid species with A. tenticulata restricted to the Red Sea. In Australia A. berviperula is a listed Marine Species under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.[1]