Aeoliscus punctulatus, known as the Speckled Shrimpfish or Jointed Razorfish, belongs to the family Centriscidae within the order Syngnathiformes. This slender fish reaches a maximum length of 15 cm (6 in). Its body is flattened laterally with a distinct keel on the ventral surface and covered in bony plates. The head features a long, tubular snout. Colouration is a transparent pale greenish, marked by a brown lateral stripe and scattered small black spots. The dorsal fin bears three spines and ten to eleven soft rays, while the anal fin has twelve to thirteen soft rays. Its genus name, Aeoliscus, derives from Aeolus, the Greek god of winds, referring to its thin, often drifting form. The species is characterised by its consistent head-down, tail-up swimming posture.
The Speckled Shrimpfish inhabits sandy flats, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs, occurring from intertidal zones down to depths of 40 m (131 ft). It feeds on planktonic organisms, which it sucks in through its tubular snout. Individuals typically drift in small groups, maintaining their head-down posture. This behaviour facilitates camouflage, particularly when they hide among the spines of long-spined sea urchins or within the branches of hard corals.
