melanopleura, Syngnathus Bleeker [P.] 1858:464 [Natuurkundig Tijdschrift voor Nederlandsch Indië v. 15 (no. 2); ref. 16960] Nova Selma [Cocos-Keeling Islands, eastern Indian Ocean]. Holotype (unique): RMNH 7251. •Valid as Syngnathus melanopleura Bleeker 1858 -- (Fritzsche 1980:189 [ref. 1511]). •Synonym of Doryrhamphus excisus Kaup 1856 -- (Dawson 1981:4 [ref. 5511], Dawson 1985:60 [ref. 6541], Randall et al. 1990:73 [ref. 15987], Randall 1995:101 [ref. 22896], Grove & Lavenberg 1997:285 [ref. 24023], Thomson et al. 2000:65 [ref. 25640], Love et al. 2005:71 [ref. 37547], Randall 2005:107 [ref. 28239], Mundy 2005:318 [ref. 28379], Paxton et al. 2006:818 [ref. 29073], Randall 2007:160 [ref. 30952]). •Valid as Doryrhamphus melanopleura (Bleeker 1858) -- (Yu & Chung 1975:3 [ref. 41103], Allen & Adrim 2003:28 [ref. 26830], Fricke 2004:20 [ref. 28269], Kuiter 2009:173 [ref. 30404], Fricke et al. 2011:375 [ref. 31242], Allen & Erdmann 2012:192 [ref. 31980], Fricke 2015:2 [ref. 33807], Fricke et al. 2019:93 [ref. 36673], Stiller et al. 2022: Additional file p. 18 [ref. 39142], Allen & Erdmann 2024:210 [ref. 40796]). Current status: Valid as Doryrhamphus melanopleura (Bleeker 1858). Syngnathidae: Nerophinae. Distribution: Eastern Indian Ocean, western and central Pacific: Indonesia east to Hawaiian Islands and Tuamotu Archipelago, north to southern Japan, south to northern Western Australia and Great Barrier Reef (Queensland, Australia) New Caledonia, Tonga, and Rapa; eastern Pacific: Pacific coast of Baja California Sur (Mexico) south to Ecuador, including southern Gulf of California (Mexico). Habitat: marine.