Skip to main content Skip to main navigation menu Skip to site footer
Type: Article
Published: 2008-12-15
Page range: 54–68
Abstract views: 85
PDF downloaded: 92

Three new pygmy seahorse species from Indonesia (Teleostei: Syngnathidae: Hippocampus)

Redpath Museum, McGill University, 859 Sherbrooke Street West, Montréal, Québec, H3A 2K6, Canada Tel: 1 (514) 398 4086, Fax: 1 (514) 398 3185
Ichthyology, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
Fish pontohi severnsi satomiae new species taxonomy Indo-Pacific marine

Abstract

Three new species of pygmy seahorse are described from Indonesia: Hippocampus pontohi and H. severnsi from Bunaken Island, off Sulawesi, and H. satomiae from Derawan Island, off Kalimantan. They are considered to be closely related to each other and to Hippocampus colemani. All three species are morphologically distinguished from the larger species of seahorses by the following combination of characters: 12 trunk rings, low number of tail rings (26–29), the placement of brooded young within the trunk region of males, and extremely small size (bargibanti, H. denise, H. colemani and H. minotaur) based on meristics, proportions, colour and body ornamentation. All three new species have a single gill opening as does H. colemani. Hippocampus pontohi and H. severnsi also share distinctive fleshy appendages with H. colemani but can be separated from the latter based on their body shape, raised angular coronet, larger orbit diameter, narrower trunk, fewer tail rings, smaller overall size and in the case of H. severnsi also colour. Diagnostic features of H. satomiae include 9 pectoral fin rays, 13 dorsal fin rays, spinous exterior, and distinct raised coronet with laterally expanded anterior and posterior flanges.

References

  1. Boyer, M. (2007) Sea DB: World Database of Marine Species, Available from: http://www.seadb.univpm.it/index.php?idl=1 (accessed 11 November 2007).

    Casgrain, P. & Legendre, P. (2001) The R package for multivariate and spatical analysis, vers. 4.0 d5. Departement de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal. Available from <http://www.fas.umontreal.ca/BIOL/legendre).

    Colin, P.L. & Arneson, C. (1995) Tropical Pacific Invertebrates: a field guide to the marine invertebrates occurring on tropical Pacific coral reefs, seagrass beds and mangroves. Coral Reef Press, Beverly Hills, California, 296 pp.

    Dawson, C.E. (1985) Indo–Pacific pipefishes (Red Sea to the Americas). Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, Ocean Springs, Mississippi, 230 pp.

    Fabricius, K. & Alderslade, P. (2001) Soft corals and sea fans. A comprehensive guide to the tropical shallow water genera of the Central–West Pacific, the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville, 264 pp.

    Ginsburg, I. (1933) Description of five new species of seahorse. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 23, 560–563.

    Gomon, M.F. (1997) A remarkable new pygmy seahorse (Syngnathidae:Hippocampus) from southeastern Australia, with a redescription of H. bargibantiWhitley from New Caledonia. Memoirs of the Museum of Victoria, 56, 245–253.

    Gower, J.C. (1966) A general coefficient of similarity and some of its properties. Biometrics, 27, 857–872.

    Kuiter, R.H. (2000) Seahorses, pipefishes and their relatives. TMC Publishing, Chorleywood, UK, 240 pp.

    Kuiter, R.H. (2003) A new pygmy seahorse (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus) from Lord Howe Island. Records of the Australian Museum, 55, 113–116.

    Lourie, S.A. & Randall, J.E. (2003) A new pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus denise (Teleostei: Syngnathidae) from the Indo–Pacific. Zoological Studies, 42, 284–291.

    Miller, P.J. (1996) The functional ecology of small fish: some opportunities and consequences The Zoological Society of London, London, pp. 263–306.

    Roth, J., K. Haycock, J. Gagnon, C. Soper, and J. Caldarola. 1992–1995. Statview Version 4.51. Abacus Concepts Inc., Berkeley, California.

    Teske, P.R., Cherry, M.I. & Matthee, C.A. (2004) The evolutionary history of seahorses (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus): molecular data suggest a West Pacific origin and two invasions of the Atlantic Ocean. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 30, 273–286.

    Zmarzly, D.L. (1990) Adaptive coloration of Pontoniine shrimps (Crustacea: Decapoda: Caridae) Texas A & M University, Chicago, pp. 69–75.