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Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and seahorses) >
Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Syngnathinae
Etymology: Hippocampus: Greek, ippos = horse + Greek,kampe = curvature (Ref. 45335); paradoxus: Name from Latin 'paradoxus' meaning strange and contrary to expectation; referring to the unusual morphology relative to all other seahorses.
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Marine; benthopelagic; non-migratory; depth range ? - 102 m (Ref. 85152). Tropical
Eastern Indian Ocean: Western Australia.
Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm
Max length : 6.5 cm SL (female)
The holotype was collected from mid-continental shelf benthos (102 m); at this depth, high energy waves sweep the bed of the Great Australian Bight, producing expanses of rippled sand interspersed with sponge and bryozoans stabilised 'islands'. The site has a complex, highly diversed assemblage of bryozoans, including Adeona, a number of bushy flexible species (Family Catenicellidae), 'lace corals' (Fam. Phidoloporidae) and some sponges, on coarse substrate of calcareous sand. The female holotype collected in late July had a greatly distended abdomen holding eleven hydrated oocytes approximately 2 mm in diameter (Ref. 85152).
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 2024-1)
Threat to humans
Harmless
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Estimates based on models
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): 3.3 ±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).