PYLE'S SANDLANCE
Ammodytoides pylei Randall, Earle & Ida, 1994
     These small, slender plankton-feeders school over open sand away from reefs and are seen so infrequently that they were not named or described until 1994. They dive headfirst into the sand when threatened. The species is endemic to the Hawaiian chain and has been recorded from O`ahu, Kaua`i, and Midway. The name honors ichthyologist Richard Pyle, who photographed this school at a depth of 25 ft.at Kahe Point Beach Park, O`ahu. To about 7 in. The sandlance family contains a dozen or so species all of which live over sand and have the tip of the lower jaw protruding in front of the upper jaw. The Forktail Sand Wrasse, another recently described fish from Kahe Point, is similar in appearance and lifestyle.