Manaia pygmy pipehorse (Cylix tupareomanaia)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Syngnathiformes · Family: Syngnathidae · Genus: Cylix.

Accepted name: Cylix tupareomanaia · Authority: Short, Trnski & Ngātiwai in Short & Trnski, 2021 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1547904.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1547904 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

Measured values published by FishBase for Cylix tupareomanaia. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Maximum length: 5.550000190734863 cm · Depth range: 14–18 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: This species is observed in mixed habitat on a vertical rock wall covered in encrusting coralline algae, bryozoans, sponges, solitary corals, and turf algae, which faced a rocky outcrop exposed to the open ocean. The rock wall was subject to moderate ocean swell as was evident from the accumulated debris of detached and decomposed algae on the sandy to rubble bottom of the channel at 17-18 m deep. The holotype was collected below the Ecklonia radiata kelp line and it was observed moving about in close proximity to another individual of the same species, which appeared to represent a male-female pair. (Ref. 125308).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 69572) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Cylix-tupareomanaia.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Conservation status (IUCN Red List)

The IUCN Red List assesses Cylix tupareomanaia Short, Trnski & Ngātiwai, 2021 as Least Concern (code LC). No trend, population estimate or threat analysis is given here, because none is available from this source without the Red List API; follow the source link for the full assessment, including its date.

Source: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (taxon 215764369) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/215764369/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 11703547) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/11703547/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The description was published in 2021 and represents the first new species of syngnathid in New Zealand to be identified in 100 years.

Resembling other species of pygmy pipehorse of the Indo-Pacific region, genetic analysis indicates divergence from species of Acentronura and Idiotropiscis around 13 million years ago. A superficial resemblance to other species of Hippocampus, which also possess a coronet structure, saw early collections of this fish misidentified as Hippocampus jugumus, a rare species of the pacific southwest.

The authors distinguished the animal as a new genus Cylix, the Greek or Latin word for cup, a reference to the shape of the 'coronet' feature of its head. The researchers collaborated with the Ngātiwai people, traditional owners of the region where the species is found, their elders providing cultural information and names. The specific epithet tupareomanaia derives from, translating as "the garland of the Manaia". The Māori name for a seahorse, Manaia, was also used for the common name assigned by the authors.

This is the first time that an indigenous group (Ngātiwai, a Māori iwi or tribe) has formally named a new species of animal.

The head is notably angled and tail is prehensile.

It occupies habitat composed of algae, sponges and bryozoans at coral outcrops and reefs.

The species is found temperate coastal waters of New Zealand, offshore of coastal headlands at Whangaruru in Northland and also around the inshore islands Nukutaunga (Cavalli Islands), Pēwhairangi (Bay of Islands), and Tawhiti Rahi and Aorangi in the Poor Knights Islands, occurring at depths between twelve and twenty metres.

Source: Wikipedia: Cylix tupareomanaia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cylix_tupareomanaia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.