SYNGNATHIDAE Corythoichthys schultzi (photo by Mark Strickland) Corythoichthys schultzi Herald, 1953 Schultz's Pipefish D 25-31; A 4; P1 14-18. Trunk rings 15-17; tail rings 32-39. Superior trunk and tail ridges discontinuous, inferior trunk and tail ridges continuous, lateral trunk ridge straight, not confluent with lateral and superior tail ridges. Caudalfin rays 10. Snout without dorsolateral spines and spinules, without lateral ridge or dermal flaps, without bony platelets in gill membranes. Pouch plates absent, semi-pouch closure. Color: usually with dark stripes and spots on the side of snout and with dark stripe on opercle; trunk and tail with 10-15 bands crossing the side of dorsum, the bands indistinct or composed of stripes, sometimes with ocelli. Size: maximum length about 17 cm. Distribution: Indo-Pacific, from Red Sea and East Africa to Tonga and New Caledonia. Remarks: found among corals or sea fans in lagoon and seaward reefs down to the depth of 30 m. Feeds on small crustaceans, sucked in from the sandy substratum or from between the branches of corals. Adults in pairs or small aggregations when in the open or in safe places at night.