THE STEINHART AQUARIUM - Gulf of Guinea Science ...

Australia and New Zealand.
Habitat: Harbors and sheltered coastal bays
among algae, seagrasses and rocky reefs.
Appearance: One of the largest seahorses
(grows of up to 35 cm). As the common name
suggests, the species is marked by a large,
swollen belly. Individuals may be brown,
yellow, grey, white, orange or mottled with
dark spots on head and trunk. Males differ
from females by having longer tails, shorter
snouts, and darker markings as well as a
yellow mark near the top of the brood pouch,
which is extremely prominent (usually white).
Diet: Tiny crustaceans, such as amphipods and
shrimp, sucked into the tube-like snouts and
ingested whole.
Reproduction and Development: This species
breeds in the austral spring and summer.
Females seem to be attracted to males with the
largest pouches, so to win the mating game,
males create “potbellies” by pumping them
full of water. The impressed female lays eggs
in the selected pouch where they are fertilized
by the male. As is the case with seahorse
species in general, the eggs become embedded
in the wall of the pouch; a placenta-like fluid
removes waste products and supplies eggs
with nutrients and oxygen.
Conservation Status: Threats include habitat
loss, incidental by-catch in commercial
fisheries, and collection for the aquarium and
oriental medicine trades. Australia strictly
controls catch and export. Like all seahorse
species, listed Appendix II by CITES.
Remarks: The potbelly seahorse is one of the
strongest swimming seahorse species.
Lined Seahorse
Hippocampus erectus (Syngnathidae)
Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons
Distribution: North and South American
coastline from Nova Scotia to as far south as
Argentina.
Habitat: Commonly found in sea grasses along
coastal areas and in bays and salt marshes at
depths of 0.5 –30 m.
Appearance: A deep-chested, hardy seahorse.
Colors range from black-brown, gray, green,
yellow, orange, and red. These colors are may
change with surroundings, diet, stress, mood,
or possibly other factors.
California Academy of Sciences
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Diet: Zooplankton.
Reproduction and Development: As with all
seahorses, male broods and cares for the young.
H. erectus females spray several hundred eggs
into the male brood pocket. Eggs hatch within
about 20 days, and embryos continue to be
carried within the pouch until they are capable
of free swimming.
Like most seahorses, H. erectus is monogamous;
a seahorse will mate exclusively with the
same partner for life. Partners reaffirm their
relationships with a ritual morning dance.
Conservation Status: Listed as “Vulnerable”
by IUCN. This species is taken as bycatch in
shrimp trawls ad is also affected by habitat
degradation caused by pollution and coastal
development,
Remarks: H. erectus is a weak swimmer. One
estimate: crossing a bath tub would take an
individual about 5 minutes!
The lined seahorse is traded for use as
aquarium fishes, curios and traditional Chinese
medicine.
Spotted Seahorse
Hippocampus kuda (Syngnathidae)
Pipefishes, Seahorses, and Seadragons
Distribution: Maldives to southwest Japan and
northern Australia, east to Hawaii.
Habitat: To 68 m. Inhabit seagrass and marine
algae areas of estuaries and seaward reefs; also
on steep mud slopes in mangroves. Found
pelagically attached to drifting Sargassum up
to 20 km from shore.
Appearance: To 30 cm. Drab brown to black
with sprinkling of small dark spots. Like all
seahorses, its elongate body is enclosed with
bony plates covered by scaleless skin, and a
prehensile tail used to tether to plants, etc.
Diet: Minute invertebrates are sucked into the
tubular snout.
Reproduction and Development: Female
deposits eggs into male’s brood pouch in
which the eggs are fertilized and incubated.
The orange-amber, pear-shaped eggs are
embedded in the epithelial tissue lining of the
pouch wall, and the surrounding capillaries
supply oxygen to the 20–1000 larvae in
incubating sacs; length of development is
20–28 days.