Pygmy thorny seahorse (Hippocampus pusillus)

Scientific name: Hippocampus pusillus Fricke, 2004

Pygmy thorny seahorse (Hippocampus pusillus)

The Pygmy thorny seahorse (Hippocampus pusillus) is a marine fish of the family Syngnathidae. Native range: Western Pacific, New Caledonia.

Biology

Dorsal soft rays (total): 15; Anal soft rays: 12 - 13. This pygmy spiny seahorse is distinguished by the following characters: dorsal fin rays 15; pectoral fin rays 12-13; trunk rings 13; tail rings 34; subdorsal spines 3/0,1,0; moderately large nose spine, its height about equal to or slightly smaller than pupil; above the eyes, the double spine is moderately long, longer than pupil diameter; lateral head spine double and large; raised coronet with 6 groups of 1-6 spines each; restricted gill openings, not reaching to neck ridge; shoulder rings confluent over the neck ridge forming a continuous collar; upper shoulder ring spine opposite 9th-11th pectoral fin rays; snout length is approximately 45-47% of head length.

Source: FishBase, licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

Species facts

Scientific name
Hippocampus pusillus
Family
Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses)
Order
Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and Seahorses)
Class
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned fishes)
Depth range
35–228 m (115–748 ft)
Environment
Marine; reef-associated; depth range 35 - 228 m
Climate
Tropical
Distribution
Western Pacific: New Caledonia.
Conservation status (IUCN)
Not Evaluated
Threat to humans
Harmless
Resilience
High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.)

Sources

Taxonomy, distribution and biology data: FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly, eds.), licensed CC BY-NC 4.0.

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