Microphilypnus

Microphilypnus is a genus of small fishes in the family Eleotridae native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins in South America. At up to 2.4 cm (0.94 in) in standard length,^[2] they are among the smallest sleeper gobies, but however larger than the Leptophilypnion sleeper gobies from the same region.^[3] The bottom-dwelling Microphilypnus are typically found in shallow water among leaf-litter or partially buried in sand,^[4] and they can be very abundant in their habitat.^[5] Their small size combined with a speckled and semi-transparent appearance makes them highly cryptic.^[4] They somewhat resemble certain freshwater shrimp (Palaemonetes and Pseudopalaemon), as well as Priocharax characins, and they sometimes group together.^[4] Microphilypnus feed on tiny invertebrates.^[5]

Microphilypnus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Gobiiformes
Family:	Eleotridae
Genus:	Microphilypnus G. S. Myers, 1927
Type species
Microphilypnus ternetzi G. S. Myers, 1927[1]

Species

The recognized species in this genus are:^[2][6]

• Microphilypnus acangaquara Caires & J. L. de Figueiredo, 2011
• Microphilypnus amazonicus G. S. Myers, 1927
• Microphilypnus macrostoma G. S. Myers, 1927
• Microphilypnus tapajosensis Caires, 2013^[6]
• Microphilypnus ternetzi G. S. Myers, 1927

References

1. Eschmeyer, William N.; Fricke, Ron & van der Laan, Richard (eds.). "Microphilypnus". Catalog of Fishes. California Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
2. Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.). "Species in genus Microphilypnus". FishBase. October 2013 version.
3. 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.
4. 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). doi:10.1590/S1679-62252006000200008
5. Amazonian Fish: Gobiformes. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
6. 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.