Teleostei (teleosts) >
Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and seahorses) >
Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Syngnathinae
Etymology: Hippocampus: Greek, ippos = horse + Greek,kampe = curvature (Ref. 45335); pusillus: Name from the Latin 'pusillus' meaning dwarfish; the name referring to the small adult body size of the species.
More on author: Fricke.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 35 - 228 m (Ref. 75989). Tropical
Western Pacific: New Caledonia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm
Max length : 3.9 cm OT male/unsexed; (Ref. 75989); 2.8 cm OT (female)
Short description
Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics
Dorsal soft rays (total): 15; Anal soft rays: 12 - 13. This pygmy spiny seahorse is distinguished by the following characters: dorsal fin rays 15; pectoral fin rays 12-13; trunk rings 13; tail rings 34; subdorsal spines 3/0,1,0; moderately large nose spine, its height about equal to or slightly smaller than pupil; above the eyes, the double spine is moderately long, longer than pupil diameter; lateral head spine double and large; raised coronet with 6 groups of 1-6 spines each; restricted gill openings, not reaching to neck ridge; shoulder rings confluent over the neck ridge forming a continuous collar; upper shoulder ring spine opposite 9th-11th pectoral fin rays; snout length is approximately 45-47% of head length (Ref. 75989).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Male carries the eggs in a brood pouch (Ref. 205).
Lourie, S.A., R.A. Pollom and S.J. Foster, 2016. A global revision of the seahorses Hippocampus Rafinesque 1810 (Actinopterygii: Syngnathiformes): taxonomy and biogeography with recommendations for further research. Zootaxa 4146(1):1-66. (Ref. 115213)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-2)
Threat to humans
Harmless
Human uses
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Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature (Ref.
123201): 19.7 - 24.9, mean 23.5 °C (based on 12 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref.
82804): PD
50 = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].
Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00447 (0.00175 - 0.01142), b=2.99 (2.77 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref.
93245).
Trophic level (Ref.
69278): 3.4 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives
Resilience (Ref.
120179): High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (Preliminary K or Fecundity.).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref.
59153): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
