Long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Hippocampus guttulatus · Authority: Cuvier, 1829 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 154776.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Hippocampus bicuspis Kaup, 1856; Hippocampus filamentosus Duméril, 1870; Hippocampus guttulatus microcoronatus Slastenenko, 1938; Hippocampus guttulatus microstephanus Slastenenko, 1937; Hippocampus guttulatus multiannularis Ginsburg, 1937; Hippocampus hippocampus microcoronatus Slastenenko, 1938; Hippocampus hippocampus microstephanus Slastenenko, 1937; Hippocampus longirostris Schinz, 1822; Hippocampus ramulosus Leach, 1814.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=154776 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 21.5 cm · Depth range: 0–30 m · Habitat zone: demersal · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 24.2 of 100 · Fishery importance: minor commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Commonly referred to as Hippocampus ramulosus . Occurs mostly in shallow inshore waters including littoral lagoons (Ref. 9937) among algae and eel grass ( Zostera or Posidonia ), or among rocks and in gravel bottoms (Ref. 52034). Juveniles were observed to recruit to vegetated habitats at 8.8- 10.4 cm length (Ref. 79902). Adults (from 12.5 cm length) appear to maintain very restricted home ranges (19.9 ± 12.4 m2) over multiple years making limited daily movements. (Ref. 79902). May move to deeper waters during winter (Ref. 53712). Like other seahorse species, adult dispersals over large distances is probably caused by strong wave action and currents during storms or when it anchors itself to floating debris (Ref. 52034). Is thought to live for 4-7 years (Ref. 79902). Because of its early age at maturity, rapid growth rate, short generation time and multiple breeding cycles during each spawning season, resilience is thought to be high (Ref. 88171). However, in tropical areas where seagrass beds are regularly exploited for other species of seahorses for the aquarium trade, traditional medicine, etc., populations have been quickly eradicated (Ref. 89253). Can be maintained in an aquarium environment if trained to feed on dead animals (Ref. 88171). Length type OT refers to height (= TL - head length), Ref. 30915.

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 1802) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Hippocampus-guttulatus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

3,429 georeferenced occurrence records for Hippocampus guttulatus are published through GBIF from 51 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 132 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 133 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: France (1,659); Spain (1,079); Croatia (120); Portugal (96); Italy (94).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5201064) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5201064&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=154776 (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 guttulatus Cuvier, 1829 as Near Threatened (code NT). 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 41006) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41006/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5201064) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5201064/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

H. hippocampus microstephanus Slastenenko 1937; H. hippocampus microcoronatus Slastenenko 1938; H. guttulatus multiannularis Ginsburg 1937; H biscuspis Kaup 1856.

The long-snouted seahorse is a small-sized fish that can reach a maximum length of 21.5 cm, but the average size is approximately 12 cm.

The body is slender, the snout is long and the tail is prehensile.

Its head and dorsal ridge often have many long dermal filaments which can be simple or bifid.

Its color ranges from dark green to different variants of brown to yellow, and the body is often speckled with small white dots.

The long-snouted seahorse is widespread throughout the temperate waters of the eastern Atlantic Ocean from the south coast of the United Kingdom to the Netherlands and south to Morocco, including the Canary Islands, the Azores and Madeira, Italy and the Mediterranean Sea.

The longsnout seahorse ranges from black to yellow, red, orange and brown with multiple white dots usually on the tail.

This seahorse likes shallow coastal waters from 1 to 20 m deep. It occurs close by Posidonia and seagrass meadows or in mixed habitat with sandy bottom and rocks with algae.

The long-snouted seahorse has a carnivorous diet and feeds on small crustaceans, larvae, fish eggs and other planktonic organisms.

It 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, the young, called fry, will be expelled from the pocket and mature in complete autonomy. Many seahorse species are monogamous as mating occurs between the same two partners in one breeding season. However, the mating habits for H. guttulatus are unknown. An interesting aspect of seahorse coloration is the ability to rapidly transform color patterns to blend with their immediate surroundings. They swim upright and avoid predators by mimicking the colour of underwater plants.

The long-snouted seahorse is relatively rare, and limited data exists on its population and about the volume and the impact of trade for traditional Chinese medicine and for the aquarium. The species is therefore considered as "Data Deficient" on the IUCN Red List.

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 for which trade must be controlled in order to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival.

A haven for this species was set up in Studland Bay, Devon, England. It was designated as a Marine Conservation Zone in 2019. Human activities influenced 42% of the habitat suitability of H. guttulatus, while only 30% of their potential distributions is protected by Italy's existing conservation area system, in accordance with the global average for seahorses. In particular, the central Adriatic Sea represents a critical area where the occurrence of this seahorses is lower and the anthropic impact is higher.

Source: Wikipedia: Long-snouted seahorse — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long-snouted_seahorse (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.