Pontoh's pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Hippocampus pontohi · Authority: Lourie & Kuiter, 2008 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 398433.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Hippocampus severnsi Lourie & Kuiter, 2008.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=398433 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 1.690000057220459 cm · Depth range: 3–25 m · Habitat zone: benthopelagic · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

FishBase notes: Hippocampus pontohi has been observed on the coralline algae Halimeda , as well as on the hydroid Aglaephenia cupressina (Müller and Severns, pers. comm.). Severns noted it particularly in areas where Halimeda is growing on reef walls. It has been recorded at a number of areas in Indonesia (Bunaken, Cape Sri, Sorong, Wakatobi, Lembeh Straits), at depths of between 11-25 m particularly on vertical walls or in rock fissures on current-swept walls where it will tend to occur on the side of the fissure that faces away from the current, but in all cases where there is some upward current (Müller, pers. comm.) and has been seen swimming over a fungiid coral (Hardt, pers. comm.). Hippocampus pontohi is commonly found in pairs and, like H. denise , is relatively active in the morning and late afternoon when it is not in direct sunlight (Müller, pers. comm.). Two of the specimens examined were pregnant and each contained approximately 11 embryos (Ref. 79848).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 64800) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Hippocampus-pontohi.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

322 georeferenced occurrence records for Hippocampus pontohi are published through GBIF from 9 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 50 distinct locations from a sample of 322 records, omitting 10 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: Indonesia (231); Philippines (42); Fiji (32); Chinese Taipei (6); Papua New Guinea (4); Japan (3); Timor-Leste (2); Malaysia (1); New Caledonia (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5201122) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5201122&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=398433 (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 pontohi Lourie & Kuiter, 2008 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 107261198) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/107261198/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5201122) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5201122/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The weedy pygmy seahorse is a small fish which can reach a maximum length of approximately 1.7 cm, which makes it one of the smallest representatives of the seahorses.

The body is small and slender with a prehensile tail. The head is relatively large, it represents about 25% of the size of the body.

The eyes are prominent. It has a moderately long snout and this later does not have any bulbous tip. The coronet rises rearwardly creating a kind of angle when the animal's profile is observed.

The trunk and tail may also have some small bulbs. The coronet and the widest part of the back can have some red distinctive branching filaments.

The body background color is whitish with a yellow to pinkish color on the head and backside of its body.

Thin red lines may also extend from the starting point of the cutaneous filaments from its back. The tail has also some red bands.

The Pontoh's pygmy seahorse has been recorded from central Indo-Pacific area in eastern Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

This pygmy seahorse likes reef wall exposed to current and rich in Halimeda plants or hydroids Aglaophenia cupressina between 11 and 25 meters depth.

The weedy pygmy seahorse has a carnivorous diet and feeds on small crustaceans and other planktonic organisms.

The species is ovoviviparous, and it is the male who broods the eggs in its ventral brood pouch. The latter includes villi rich in capillaries that surround each fertilized egg creating a sort of placenta supplying the embryos. When fully grown, pups are expelled from the pocket and become autonomous.

This species population may be vulnerable to the loss of meadows of Halimedadue to the acidification of oceans, however, it can use other habitats and is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

Internationally, it is also listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) this means that it is on the list of species not necessarily threatened with extinction, but in which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

The specific name honours Hence Pontoh, an Indonesian dive guide who brought these small seahorses to the attention of its describers.

Source: Wikipedia: Hippocampus pontohi — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippocampus_pontohi (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.