Hippocampus pontohi Lourie & Kuiter, 2008

Species Nomenclature and Size

The weedy pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi Lourie & Kuiter, 2008), also called Pontoh's pygmy seahorse, is a small fish that reaches a maximum total length of approximately 1.7 centimeters, making it one of the smallest known seahorse species.

General Body Shape

Its body is small and slender, with a prehensile tail. The head is relatively large, accounting for roughly 25% of the animal's total body length.

Head Features

It has prominent eyes and a moderately long snout that lacks a bulbous tip. When viewed in profile, the coronet angles upward toward the rear.

Body and Tail Appendages

Small bulbs may be present on the animal's trunk and tail. Distinctive red branching filaments grow on the coronet and the widest section of the back.

Base Coloration

The body has a whitish base color, with yellow to pinkish coloring on the head and the back side of the body.

Markings and Pattern

Thin red lines extend from the base of the cutaneous filaments on the back, and the tail is marked with red bands.

Geographical Distribution

This species has been recorded in the central Indo-Pacific, specifically in eastern Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

Habitat and Depth Range

It inhabits current-exposed reef walls located between 11 and 25 meters depth, where these walls are rich in either Halimeda plants or the hydroid Aglaophenia cupressina.