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Hippocampus comes Cantor, 1849

Tiger tail seahorse
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Hippocampus comes   AquaMaps   Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Image of Hippocampus comes (Tiger tail seahorse)
Hippocampus comes
Female picture by Lourie, S.A.

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | Catalog of Fishes(genus, species) | ITIS | CoL | WoRMS | Cloffa

Teleostei (teleosts) > Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Syngnathinae
Etymology: Hippocampus: Greek, ippos = horse + Greek,kampe = curvature (Ref. 45335).

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; reef-associated; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 32 m (Ref. 128812). Tropical; 15°N - 10°S, 91°E - 128°E

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Point map | Introductions | Faunafri

Indo-West Pacific: India (Andaman Islands), Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Viet Nam. Confused with Hippocampus kuda.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm 8.1  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 18.7 cm OT male/unsexed; (Ref. 52034)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 17 - 19.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

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).

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and genetic (Ref. 52884). Male carries the eggs in a brood pouch (Ref. 205). Gestation period 2-3 weeks (but varies with water temperature) (Ref. 30915).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

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 2024-1)

  Vulnerable (VU) (A2bd+4bd); Date assessed: 15 September 2013

CITES

Appendix II: International trade monitored

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

  Harmless





Human uses

Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial
FAO - Aquaculture systems: species profile; Publication: search | FishSource |

More information

Trophic ecology
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Length-weight rel.
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Summary page | Point data | Common names | Photos

Internet sources

AFORO (otoliths) | Aquatic Commons | BHL | Cloffa | BOLDSystems | Websites from users | Check FishWatcher | CISTI | Catalog of Fishes: genus, species | DiscoverLife | ECOTOX | FAO - Aquaculture systems: species profile; Publication: search | Faunafri | Fishipedia | Fishtrace | GenBank: genome, nucleotide | GloBI | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | IGFA World Record | MitoFish | Otolith Atlas of Taiwan Fishes | Public aquariums | PubMed | Reef Life Survey | Socotra Atlas | Tree of Life | Wikipedia: Go, Search | World Records Freshwater Fishing | Zoobank | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 28.3 - 29.3, mean 28.8 °C (based on 688 cells).
Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804):  PD50 = 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
Generation time: 0.6 ( na - na) years. Estimated as median ln(3)/K based on 1 growth studies.
Resilience (Ref. 120179):  High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm=0.5-1).
Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153):  Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766):   Unknown.
Nutrients (Ref. 124155):  Calcium = 132 [74, 265] mg/100g; Iron = 1.23 [0.66, 2.10] mg/100g; Protein = 17.8 [16.6, 19.1] %; Omega3 = 0.108 [0.056, 0.209] g/100g; Selenium = 45.1 [22.5, 107.3] μg/100g; VitaminA = 65.9 [22.0, 204.1] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.78 [1.15, 2.64] mg/100g (wet weight);