Korean seahorse (Hippocampus haema)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from FishBase, occurrence map from GBIF, conservation from IUCN Red List, description from Wikipedia.
Hippocampus haema, the Korean seahorse, is a seahorse of the family Syngnathidae native to the northern Pacific Ocean (Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, northeastern coast of Honshu), and it usually lives in Sargassum and weeds on shallow soft bottom habitats from 0 to 18 m depth. The Korean seahorse is the most common seahorse in Korean waters so that the scientific name 'haema' is named from 'seahorse' in Korean. The Japanese name 'Himetatsu' is derived from its smaller shape such as body and coronet rather than the shape of a sister species, crowned seahorse (Hippocampus coronatus). This species had been repeatedly misidentified as crowned seahorse and Shiho's seahorse before a taxonomic review. However, the two genuine species do not live in Korean waters, therefore this species was handled by naming a new scientific name, Hippocampus haema.
Source: Wikipedia: Hippocampus haema — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus_haema (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
- Scientific name
- Hippocampus haema
- Authority
- Han, Kim, Kai & Senou, 2017
- Family
- Syngnathidae
- Order
- Syngnathiformes
- Maximum length
- 11.390000343322754 cm
- Depth range
- 0–18 m
- Habitat zone
- reef-associated
- Iucn red list
- Vulnerable
- Gbif occurrence records
- 33
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Syngnathiformes · Family: Syngnathidae · Genus: Hippocampus.
Accepted name: Hippocampus haema · Authority: Han, Kim, Kai & Senou, 2017 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 1376208.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1376208 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (FishBase)
Measured values published by FishBase for Hippocampus haema. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Maximum length: 11.390000343322754 cm · Depth range: 0–18 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.
FishBase notes: Lives in floating Sargassum and weeds on shallow soft bottom habitats (Ref. 117115).
Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 68696) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Hippocampus-haema.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
33 georeferenced occurrence records for Hippocampus haema are published through GBIF from 2 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 8 distinct locations from a sample of 33 records, omitting 8 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: Korea, Republic of (28); Japan (5).
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 9573174) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=9573174&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1376208 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Conservation status (IUCN Red List)
The IUCN Red List assesses Hippocampus haema Han, Kim, Kai & Senou, 2017 as Vulnerable (code VU). 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 250584055) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/250584055/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 9573174) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/9573174/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.
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