Trypauchen vagina (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Zainal Abidin, Danial Hariz, Lavoué, Sébastien, Mohd Abu Hassan Alshari, Norli Fauzani, Mohd. Nor, Siti Azizah, A. Rahim, Masazurah & Mohammed Akib, Noor Adelyna, 2021, Ichthyofauna of Sungai Merbok Mangrove Forest Reserve, northwest Peninsular Malaysia, and its adjacent marine waters, Check List 17 (2), pp. 601-631 : 619

Trypauchen vagina (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

Figure 3M

Material examined. MALAYSIA • 1, 129 mm TL; Kedah State, Kampung Batu Lintang, Pompang Batu Lintang ; 05.624°N, 100.395°E; 19 Apr. 2019; Danial H. Zainal Abidin, Norli F.M.A.H. Alshari leg.; USMFC (34) 00013. Identification. Maximum TL less than 200 mm; body very elongated, moderately compressed laterally; standard length (SL) <80% of total length; head length <20% of SL; eye rudimentary; cephalic sensory canals and pores absent; pelvic fins forming a cup; body uniformly light pink .

Trypauchen vagina can be distinguished from T. pelaeos , also occurring in the Merbok river estuary, by its more elongated body (head <20% of SL). A mud-dweller species but more information is needed on the ecology of T. vagina . It seems to be common in muddy estuarine environments in Southeast Asia but not often collected. Trypauchen vagina occurs in brackish and coastal muddy habitats in Southeast Asia (Murdy 2006).