Tiger tail seahorse (Hippocampus comes)

Classification (WoRMS)

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

Accepted name: Hippocampus comes · Authority: Cantor, 1849 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 275191.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275191 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (FishBase)

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

Maximum length: 18.700000762939453 cm · Depth range: 0–32 m · Habitat zone: reef-associated · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Fishery importance: commercial · Aquarium trade: commercial.

FishBase notes: Length type refers to Height (= from top of coronet to the tip of straightened tail). This species is mainly found in pairs (Ref. 48635) on coral reefs, sponge gardens, kelp, and floating Sargassum . Nocturnal, site faithful. Feeds on zooplankton (Ref. 85309). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail (Ref. 205). Life span probably more than 2-3 years. Used for traditional Chinese medicine (Ref. 85309).

Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 53792) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Hippocampus-comes.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

407 georeferenced occurrence records for Hippocampus comes are published through GBIF from 12 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 57 distinct locations from a sample of 407 records, omitting 13 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: Philippines (135); Singapore (87); China (73); Thailand (65); Malaysia (18); Indonesia (14); Myanmar (7); United States of America (3); Brunei Darussalam (2); India (1); Sri Lanka (1); Viet Nam (1).

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5201144) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5201144&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275191 (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 comes Cantor, 1849 as Endangered (code EN). 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 41008) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41008/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5201144) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5201144/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The tiger tail sea horse lives in Western Central Pacific: Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. It lives from 0-1.5 years in captivity and in the wild, 1–5 years. It is harmless. Its climate in water is tropical; 15°N – 1°N and Its maximum size is 18.7 cm. Its snout is 2.2 in head length; it is used to suck up food. They eat small fish, coral, small shrimp, and plankton. The most common pattern is alternating yellow and black. The tail has stripes from the belly to the tip of the tail.

These sea horses are normally found in pairs on coral reefs, sponge gardens, kelp, or floating Sargassum. This species is nocturnal. The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch on their chest which holds from 1 – 2,000 eggs and the pregnancy takes from 1 to 4 weeks.

It is also used for traditional Chinese medicine. Seahorse populations are thought to have been endangered in recent years by over fishing and habitat destruction. The seahorse is used in traditional Chinese medicine, and as many as 20 million seahorses may be caught each year and sold for this purpose. Import and export of seahorses has been controlled under CITES since May 15, 2004.

They don't have scales as fish do, they have a tough thin skin stretched out around bony rings on their bodies. This makes them an unlikely prey for most marine animals, as they are too bony to digest. They swim upright, rather than horizontally.

A medium-sized seahorse, the tiger tail seahorse reaches a maximum total length of around 15 cm. The coloration of this species is variable, generally being black or brown in adults with yellow saddle shapes on the upper surface and yellow stripes on the tail, hence the common name. Thin white stripes may be present in a radiating pattern around the eyes, as well as mottled patterns across the body. Like other seahorses, the tiger tail seahorse has bony plates arranged in rings throughout its body, with this species in particular having 11 trunk rings and 33 to 37 tail rings. The dorsal fin has 17 to 19 rays, while the pectoral fin has 16 to 19 rays. Two spines extend from each cheek, in addition to a prominent spine on the nose. The coronet (the crown-like spine on the head) is low and has five knobs.

Source: Wikipedia: Tiger tail seahorse — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_tail_seahorse (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.