West African seahorse (Hippocampus algiricus)
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from FishBase, occurrence map from GBIF, conservation from IUCN Red List, description from Wikipedia.
The West African seahorse (Hippocampus algiricus) is a species of fish in the family Syngnathidae (Seahorses and pipefish). It is found in the eastern central Atlantic Ocean off Angola, Benin, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, and Sierra Leone, as well as the Canary Islands. Although there have been no records from Algeria since Guichenot said that the type was collected at Béjaïa in the 1850s, but the location given may be an error.
- Scientific name
- Hippocampus algiricus
- Authority
- Kaup, 1856
- Family
- Syngnathidae
- Order
- Syngnathiformes
- Maximum length
- 19.200000762939453 cm
- Depth range
- 0–25 m
- Habitat zone
- demersal
- Iucn red list
- Vulnerable
- Gbif occurrence records
- 713
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Chordata · Class: Teleostei · Order: Syngnathiformes · Family: Syngnathidae · Genus: Hippocampus.
Accepted name: Hippocampus algiricus · Authority: Kaup, 1856 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 275184.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Hippocampus deanei Duméril, 1861; Hippocampus kaupii Duméril, 1870; Hippocampus punctulatus Kaup, 1856.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275184 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (FishBase)
Measured values published by FishBase for Hippocampus algiricus. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Maximum length: 19.200000762939453 cm · Depth range: 0–25 m · Habitat zone: demersal · Body shape: other · Vulnerability index: 10 of 100 · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.
FishBase notes: Length type refers to height (= TL - head length). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail (Ref. 205).
Source: FishBase species summary (SpecCode 53788) — https://www.fishbase.se/summary/Hippocampus-algiricus.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
713 georeferenced occurrence records for Hippocampus algiricus are published through GBIF from 23 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 50 distinct locations from a sample of 713 records, omitting 37 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: Nigeria (118); Gabon (78); Ghana (76); Côte d’Ivoire (72); Liberia (63); Spain (49); Cameroon (45); Sierra Leone (41); Guinea (34); Guinea-Bissau (24); Equatorial Guinea (19); Sao Tome and Principe (19); Senegal (15); Togo (12); Benin (11).
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5201057) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5201057&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=275184 (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 algiricus Kaup, 1856 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 41007) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/41007/0; GBIF IUCN Red List category endpoint (taxonKey 5201057) — https://api.gbif.org/v1/species/5201057/iucnRedListCategory. Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
There is scarce information despite conservation efforts for this species. The first records of the West African seahorse at Gran Canaria Island, located in the north-east Atlantic Ocean, were confirmed by genetic and morphometric analysis. This sighting of the West African seahorse in the Canary Islands could be due to the Canary current, West African coastal upwelling, trade winds, anthropogenic origin related to sporadic ship water ballast transport, or the climatic warming in the canary region making it suitable for them to live in. In turn, this has caused a hybridization event between the West African Seahorse and the European short-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus hippocampus), who already resides there.
It was first videotaped in 2012. The video is part of a joint investigation between Project Seahorse, Imperial College London, and the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) into West Africa's burgeoning seahorse trade. The number of seahorses exported, primarily to China for traditional medicine, has risen sharply in the last few years to about 600,000 seahorses annually. Meanwhile, scientists know virtually nothing about their numbers, habitat, or life cycle.
The efforts of Project Seahorse, directed by Dr. Amanda Vincent, resulted in the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) adopting international trade controls for seahorses in 2002.
Source: Wikipedia: West African seahorse — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_African_seahorse (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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