Seahorses and Pipefish Codexery

Pacific seahorse

The only seahorse in the eastern Pacific.

Last updated

Pacific seahorse

LASZLO ILYES from Cleveland, Ohio, USA · via Wikipedia: Pacific seahorse · CC BY 2.0

The Pacific seahorse (Hippocampus ingens) is a fish in the family Syngnathidae and is the only seahorse species found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.[1] It is one of the largest seahorses, reaching up to 36 cm in length.[2]

Scientific classification

  1. KingdomAnimalia
  2. PhylumChordata
  3. ClassActinopterygii
  4. DivisionTeleostei
  5. OrderSyngnathiformes
  6. FamilySyngnathidae
  7. GenusHippocampus
  8. SpeciesHippocampus ingens

Named by Girard, 1859

Close relatives

Other species of Hippocampus with a Codexery entry.

Sources: Wikipedia taxobox: Pacific seahorse (CC BY-SA 4.0) · order, family and genus agree with WoRMS AphiaID 275197 (CC BY 4.0)

Conservation status

Vulnerable (VU)

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU▲ this species
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX
Population trend
Not held in our sources — see the assessment
Assessment published
2017

Source: IUCN Red List assessment · GBIF copy of the Red List category

How big is it?

Size comparison: Pacific seahorse and a personA 0.3 m long pacific seahorse drawn to scale next to a 1.8 m tall person. Schematic shapes, not a likeness.0.3 m1.8 m

Largest length in the source, 0.3 m, next to a 1.8 m person.

Diagram: drawn by Codexery, schematic shapes to scale (not a likeness). Length: Wikipedia: Pacific seahorse

Where the pacific seahorse has been recorded

Where the pacific seahorse has been recorded105 mapped locations from 850 GBIF occurrence records; marked places: Pacific Ocean, San Diego, Galápagos IslandsPacific OceanSan DiegoGalápagos Islands

Each dot is a place where the species has been observed and reported (850 records, half-degree grid) — not a modelled range. 75 inland records left out (institution coordinates).

Map: drawn by Codexery. Data: GBIF occurrence search (records CC0 / CC BY) · Natural Earth basemap (public domain) · place coordinates: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Biology and range

After a gestation period of 14 to 15 days, the male gives birth to live young.[2] Pacific seahorses reach sexual maturity at 8 to 10 months, with a lifespan of 3 to 5 years.[2] The species is distributed from San Diego in California to Peru, including the Galapagos Islands.[2] Pacific seahorses are active at night and live in various underwater environments close to the shore, going no deeper than 60 m.[2]

They blend in with gorgonians and black corals by hiding among their branches.[2] Mysids, small crustaceans, and other planktonic creatures that live near the seafloor make up the food they eat.[2] Using her ovipositor, a female places her eggs into the male's brood pouch, where fertilization happens and the opening is closed.[2] The top sellers of Pacific seahorses are Mexico and Peru, each moving over one dry ton per year.[2]

What the specialist sources record

The MarineBio Conservation Society account states that Pacific seahorses are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.[2] According to the MarineBio account, Mexico has listed giant seahorses as a species subject to special protection.[2] The GBIF backbone taxonomy accepts Hippocampus ingens and holds 1,027 occurrence records for this taxon.[3] According to the same source, more than 20 million seahorses are traded annually for use in traditional remedies, as aquarium specimens, and as dried ornaments.[2]

The WoRMS database lists Hippocampus ingens as a valid species belonging to the Syngnathidae family.[4]

References

  1. Wikipedia, "Pacific seahorse" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Pacific Seahorses ~ MarineBio Conservation Society", 2017-05-18; Saarman, "Genetic differentiation across eastern Pacific oceanographic barriers in the threatened seahorse Hippocampus ingens", Conservation Genetics, 2010, p. 1989–2000 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
  2. "Pacific Seahorses ~ MarineBio Conservation Society", 2017-05-18. facts only, no text reused. marinebio.org
  3. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and occurrence index, Hippocampus ingens (taxon key 5201050). CC BY 4.0 (backbone); counts are facts. gbif.org
  4. World Register of Marine Species, Hippocampus ingens (AphiaID 275197). CC BY 4.0. marinespecies.org

Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Pacific seahorse (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.

Related entries

Same family (Syngnathidae)

Acentronura breviperula Acentronura breviperulaBanded pipefish Dunckerocampus dactyliophorusBay pipefish Syngnathus leptorhynchusBlack-striped pipefish Syngnathus abasterBroadnosed pipefish Syngnathus typhle

More in Seahorses and Pipefish

SyngnathidaeAlligator pipefishAustralyichthysCorythoichthys flavofasciatusCylix (fish)EntelurusFlagtail pipefishHaliichthys taeniophorusHippocampiniHipposyngnathusKaupus costatusKyonemichthys

Test yourself

Three questions drawn from this entry’s sources. Pick an answer to check it.

1. To which genus does the pacific seahorse belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Hippocampus.

2. To which biological family does the pacific seahorse belong?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Syngnathidae.

3. What is the IUCN Red List category of the pacific seahorse?

Correct.

Not quite. The answer is Vulnerable.

More questions on TriviaCafe

Answers checked against the source article

Sources

Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.

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