Syngnathus exilis (Osburn & Nichols, 1916) .

Barcheek Pipefish. To 30.2 cm (11.9 in) TL (Kristy Forsgren, pers. comm. to M.L.). Half Moon Bay, central California to Bahía Magdalena, southern Baja California including offshore islands (Fritzche 1980). Depth: surface (Personal communication: Scripps Institution of Oceanography Fish Collection, La Jolla, California, nightlight), intertidal to perhaps 37 m (120 ft) (min.: Allen 1999; max.: Personal communication: Scripps Institution of Oceanography Fish Collection, La Jolla, California). Garcia et al. (2019) proposed that this species is a junior synonym of Syngnathus californiensis Storer, 1845 .