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274:. Each pygmy seahorse stays on the same coral for its entire adult life. The young settle onto a host and over a few days take on its exact colour and texture, accounting for the wide variation in adults, but typically red, orange, or yellow. They grow up to 2.4 cm long. They have smooth skin with few tubercles. They have a bent, asymmetrical appearance. Females have a slender body with a small bulge at the base of the trunk, while males are rounder. They are found at depths of 13–90m. Underwater photographer
151:
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417:) First described in April 2018. One of the more diminutive species of the genus, the species reaches around 16mm in length. Uniquely among seahorses, the species has a dorsal ridge of triangular bony mounds. It is native to soft coral and algal reefs around Japan. This Pygmy seahorse was founded by Dr.Graham Short and his colleagues who attend the California Academy of Sciences. They represent the fifth species of Pygmy seahorse that has been recorded in Japan.
98:(sea fans) that it inhabits. Other distinctive pygmy seahorse characteristics include a fleshy head and body, a very short snout, and a long, prehensile tail. With their short snouts, they have the appearance of baby animals. Pygmy seahorses are 14–27 millimetres (0.55–1.06 in) long from the tip of the tail to the end of the snout, so that their vertical height while swimming is still smaller. An adult may be as small as 13 millimetres (0.51 in) long.
294:) was named in 2008. This species is free-living, not associated with gorgonian corals, and tends to live in shallower water (3m - 20m). They are found in the Coral Triangle area: Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Fiji. They can be found anywhere on tropical reefs in their range. However, they are most often seen in pairs or small groups in clumps of the calcareous alga,
143:
328:. They are nocturnal and very active at night. They have been found in only a few places in Indonesia and northern Borneo. They can be brown to pale with specific markings such as a dark spot in front of each relatively large eye. Spines cover the entire body. Both males and females have a round trunk. They are found from 15 – 20 meters deep in groups of 3 to 5.
311:
grows out of reef walls. Divers report them on many types of seagrass and algae, moving frequently to different hitching spots. They are almost identical in shape to the Severn's pygmy seahorse, but are a different colour: white with pink or yellow patches. They lack tubercules. The trunk is round
49:, which contains fishes with fused jaws that suck food into tubular mouths. They are found in Southeast Asia in the Coral Triangle area. They are some of the smallest seahorse species in the world, typically measuring less than 2 centimetres (0.79 in) in height.
178:, and live their whole adult life on a single coral. Their colour varies, seeming to match the coral that they live on: pink, yellow, lavender, or brown. They are the largest pygmy seahorse at almost 2.7 cm. They have the largest range: "from southern tropical
58:. At least six more species were named after 2000. The first species discovered lives exclusively on fan corals and matches their colour and appearance. So effective is pygmy seahorse camouflage that it was discovered only when a host
340:) is a free-living species described in 2008. They are almost the same shape as Pontoh's pygmy seahorse, but are a different colour: pale brown with red and orange patches. They can be found on any part of the reef, but often on
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438:
Other small seahorses are sometimes called pygmy seahorses, but lack the single gill opening and trunk brooding that distinguish the true pygmy seahorse. They can be called dwarf seahorses:
108:
Males and females are distinguished by openings at the bottom of the trunk: females have a tiny, raised round pore for extruding eggs and males have a fore-and-aft slit for accepting them.
1052:
405:
It was described in 2003. It is white, yellow, or gold with white spots outlined in red. It has a very small snout and well-defined nose spine. Both males and females are rotund.
364:. The soft coral have fat stems and this seahorse has a correspondingly long tail. They vary from pale pink to yellow. It has a very small range: it lives only in the
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museum and whilst one of these was on his dissection table he happened to notice a pair of tiny seahorses. The next year they were officially named by
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1066:
Extreme habitat specialization and population structure of two gorgonian-associated pygmy seahorses. R. E. Smith, A. S. Grutter, I. R. Tibbetts
365:
324:), named in 2008, are the world's smallest seahorse at up to 1.4 cm. This is a free-living species that is found near coral walls with
264:
1071:
885:"Hippocampus japapigu, a new species of pygmy seahorse from Japan, with a redescription of H. Pontohi (Teleostei, Syngnathidae)"
938:
554:
Reijnen, B.T., van der Meij, S.E.T., van
Ofwegen, L.P. (2011) "Fish, fans and hydroids: host species of pygmy seahorses."
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62:
was being examined in a laboratory. In 1969 a New
Caledonian scientist, Georges Bargibant, was collecting specimens of
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717:
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as
Bargibant's pygmy seahorse. Other species live on soft corals or are free-ranging among seagrasses and algae.
238:, Solomon Islands and Palau. They must live on gorgonian corals but have been found on eight different genera:
1093:
388:
off the east coast of
Australia. However, there are unconfirmed reports from eastern Papua New Guinea and
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963:
101:
True pygmy seahorses have distinctive morphological markers. Unlike other seahorses, they have a
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A pygmy seahorse found at a depth of around 32 metres (105 ft) at
Tulamben near a shipwreck
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392:. This pygmy seahorse was found in the lagoon of Lord Howe Island living on seagrass, mainly
71:
892:
883:
Short, Graham; Smith, Richard; Motomura, Hiroyuki; Harasti, David; Hamilton, Healy (2018).
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but thin when viewed from behind. They are seen in high-current areas at depths of 11–25m.
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939:"New Species of Pygmy Seahorse Discovered: Hippocampus japapigu | Biology | Sci-News.com"
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Similarly to the rest of seahorses, males brood their young in a pouch on their trunk.
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989:"Pygmy pipehorse discovered in New Zealand given Māori name in 'world first'"
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372:, Indonesia, and depends on the continued existence of soft corals there.
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Lourie, S.A., Foster, S.J., Cooper, E.W.T. and
Vincent, A.C.J. (2004)
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Pygmy seahorse found while diving Nudi's Fall, Lembeh, Indonesia
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45:(seahorses and pipefish). Family Syngnathidae is part of order
348:
in pairs or small group. They are no larger than 1.7 cm.
345:
191:
179:
1023:
Creative
Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
489:
waters has been given an indigenous scientific name and the
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Project
Seahorse and TRAFFIC North America, Washington D.C.
203:
882:
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on the back of the head, instead of two on the sides.
126:
Well-camouflaged pygmy seahorse on a gorgonian coral
174:) are always found on gorgonian corals of the genus
961:
1085:
429:) is the second most recently described species.
282:and brought them to the attention of scientists.
52:The first pygmy seahorse known to science was
699:
697:
980:
964:"Meet Africa's first pygmy seahorse species"
876:
512:A Guide to the Identification of Seahorses.
230:) was described in 2003. Its range is from
86:. It is very difficult to spot amongst the
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82:The pygmy seahorse is both tiny and well
1017:This article incorporates text from the
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149:
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1068:. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 2012.
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16:Common name for several species of fish
1086:
782:
682:
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493:iwi (tribe) listed as a naming author.
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278:noticed that they were different from
1021:fact-file "Pygmy seahorse" under the
564:
529:
504:
955:
943:Breaking Science News | Sci-News.com
442:Red Sea soft coral pygmy seahorse,
13:
962:University of Leeds (2020-05-20).
218:." They are found at 16–40m depth.
14:
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1032:
835:
800:
753:
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30:comprise several species of tiny
1080:images and facts, Richard Smith
987:Corlett, Eva (6 October 2021).
931:
352:Walea soft coral pygmy seahorse
136:to identify the pygmy seahorse.
77:
1:
1053:National Geographic video of
497:
161:The known species are these:
1061:Resource for Pygmy Seahorses
384:) is probably restricted to
7:
307:They are often found where
10:
1115:
995:. London, United Kingdom.
473:, from southwest Australia
464:, from southeast Australia
166:Bargibant's pygmy seahorse
114:
18:
906:10.3897/zookeys.779.24799
871:Coleman's Pygmy Seahorse
376:Coleman's pygmy seahorse
19:Not to be confused with
1078:Japanese pygmy seahorse
1072:Japanese pygmy seahorse
789:Satomi's Pygmy Seahorse
689:Denise's Pygmy Seahorse
581:Pygmy seahorse research
409:Japanese pygmy seahorse
332:Severn's pygmy seahorse
316:Satomi's pygmy seahorse
305:Aglaephenia cupressina.
286:Pontoh's pygmy seahorse
222:Denise's pygmy seahorse
66:spp gorgonians for the
1055:Hippocampus bargibanti
840:Hippocampus waleananus
611:Hippocampus bargibanti
597:. Accessed 2012-11-02.
537:Hippocampus bargibanti
526:. Accessed 2012-11-02.
477:Manaia pygmy pipehorse
467:Paradoxical seahorse,
421:Sodwana pygmy seahorse
360:) lives on and around
357:Hippocampus waleananus
171:Hippocampus bargibanti
155:
147:
137:
55:Hippocampus bargibanti
1074:images, Richard Smith
642:Common Pygmy Seahorse
592:Fishes of Australia:
470:Hippocampus paradoxus
153:
145:
125:
873:Accessed 2012-10-31.
805:Hippocampus severnsi
791:Accessed 2012-10-31.
758:Hippocampus satomiae
744:Accessed 2012-10-31.
742:Weedy Pygmy Seahorse
691:Accessed 2012-10-31.
644:Accessed 2012-10-31.
524:Bargibant's seahorse
461:Hippocampus minotaur
445:Hippocampus debelius
414:Hippocampus japapigu
381:Hippocampus colemani
337:Hippocampus severnsi
321:Hippocampus satomiae
1094:Hippocampus (genus)
897:2018ZooK..779...27S
708:Hippocampus pontohi
482:Cylix tupareomanaia
458:Bullneck seahorse,
434:Other dwarf species
291:Hippocampus pontohi
103:single gill opening
846:Ocean Realm Images
836:Smith, Richard E.
811:Ocean Realm Images
801:Smith, Richard E.
764:Ocean Realm Images
754:Smith, Richard E.
714:Ocean Realm Images
704:Smith, Richard E.
664:Ocean Realm Images
658:Hippocampus denise
654:Smith, Richard E.
617:Ocean Realm Images
607:Smith, Richard E.
579:Smith, Richard E.
542:2016-04-13 at the
535:Smith, Richard E.
227:Hippocampus denise
212:Great Barrier Reef
156:
148:
138:
1099:Fish common names
182:, throughout the
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848:. Archived from
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817:on 27 March 2016
813:. Archived from
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770:on 27 March 2016
766:. Archived from
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716:. Archived from
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670:on 27 March 2016
666:. Archived from
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623:on 13 April 2016
619:. Archived from
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426:Hippocampus nalu
386:Lord Howe Island
196:Papua New Guinea
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200:Solomon Islands
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47:Syngnathiformes
28:pygmy seahorses
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1039:Pygmy seahorse
1034:
1033:External links
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891:(779): 27–49.
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852:on 3 July 2017
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850:the original
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43:Syngnathidae
27:
25:
1041:media from
487:New Zealand
485:) found in
368:of central
366:Tomini Gulf
326:soft corals
300:and on the
271:Villogorgia
184:Philippines
92:soft corals
88:sea grasses
84:camouflaged
78:Description
1088:Categories
1006:2021-10-06
973:2020-05-22
948:2020-10-17
856:31 October
821:31 October
774:31 October
724:31 October
674:31 October
627:31 October
498:References
362:soft coral
346:algal turf
265:Verrucella
236:New Guinea
190:, east to
134:this image
96:gorgonians
36:syngnathid
1001:0261-3077
401:Halophila
261:Muricella
257:Melithaea
253:Ellisella
216:Australia
188:Indonesia
176:Muricella
129:Muricella
64:Muricella
60:gorgonian
1025:and the
968:Phys.org
925:30166895
540:Archived
491:Ngātiwai
370:Sulawesi
342:hydroids
309:Halimeda
297:Halimeda
210:and the
132:sp. See
32:seahorse
916:6110155
893:Bibcode
889:ZooKeys
561:: 1-26.
556:ZooKeys
454:Red Sea
452:to the
450:endemic
395:Zostera
302:hydroid
245:Annella
208:Vanuatu
115:Species
72:Whitley
34:in the
1043:ARKive
1019:ARKive
999:
923:
913:
390:Taiwan
232:Borneo
68:Nouméa
39:family
192:Palau
180:Japan
94:, or
1027:GFDL
997:ISSN
921:PMID
858:2012
823:2012
776:2012
726:2012
676:2012
629:2012
398:and
344:and
268:and
204:Fiji
26:The
911:PMC
901:doi
559:103
234:to
214:in
41:or
1090::
1029:.
991:.
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23:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
