Hippocampus erectus
Lined Seahorse
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
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Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Gasterosteiformes (Sticklebacks and relatives)
Syngnathidae (Pipefishes)
Hippocampus
Hippocampus erectus (Lined Seahorse)
Description
This species account was compiled from
Composite (multiple sources) (McEachran, J.D. and J.D. Fechhelm. Fishes of the Gulf of Mexico. University of Texas Press, Austin.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
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Characters
Angular body shape with head distinctly demarcated and angled ventrally from trunk; prehensile tail lacking caudal fin; snout moderately long and lacks mid-dorsal snout ridge; head movable with respect to trunk along medial axis; head length 20% to 27%, body depth 11% to 22% (females) and 16% to 24% (males), trunk length 36% to 40% (females) and 33% to 43% (males), and tail length 54% to 64% (females) and 57% to 67% (males) of TL; snout length 33% to 46%, orbital diameter 12% to 18%, and postorbital head length 38% to 49% of head length; pectoral fin has 14 to 17, dorsal fin has 16 to 20, and anal fin has 3 or 4 rays; trunk rings number 10 or 11, and tail rings number 33 to 38; penultimate trunk ring is septangular or, rarely, novemangular; ultimate trunk ring is septangular or, rarely, novemangular; superior trunk and tail ridges are discontinuous and overlap along 2 or 3 rings under dorsal fin base; lateral trunk ridge is confluent with inferior tail ridge; inferior trunk ridge terminates at ultimate trunk ring; median ventral trunk ridge ends at penultimate trunk ring; brood pouch extends along 5 to 8 tail rings; branched dermal flaps are variously developed
Light yellow to nearly black, usually with large, pale blotches and dark lines on neck and back
Distribution
Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia and Bermuda to Argentina, including the Gulf of Mexico, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean Sea
Gulf of Mexico
Habitat Associations
Associated with vegetation, to 73 m
Vegetation
Biology
Copepods and amphipods
173 mm TL
Generally in coastal waters; often around man-made structures (Ref. 26938). Usually attached to gorgonians or seagrasses but may occur in floating Sargassum or swimming freely in midwater (Ref. 9710). Those that live in Sargassum usually have bony protuberances and fleshy tabs that may serve as camouflage. Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35420, 35422). Move into deeper waters during winter (Ref. 36630). Feeds by sucking in small organisms, using its long face as a pipette (Ref. 26938); like small crustaceans (Ref. 27549). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail (Ref. 205). Length type refers to Height (= from top of coronet to the tip of straightened tail).
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: in brood pouch or similar structure; bearers (external brooders); parental care: paternal. Incubates eggs in an external marsupium. Gestation period 20-21 days but varies with water temperature (Ref. 30915).
IUCN Red List Status: Vulnerable (VU), assessed 2016-10-03. Resilience: High (K=0.34; tmax=1; Fec=1,552).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial; aquarium: commercial.
References
Longley and Hildebrand 1941 (as H. punctulatus)
Bohlke and Chaplin 1968
Hoese and Moore 1977
Vari 1982
C. R. Robins et al. 1986
Boschung 1992
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Balon, E.K. (1990) Epigenesis of an epigeneticist: the development of some alternative concepts on the early ontogeny and evolution of fishes. Guelph Ichthyol. Rev. 1:1-48.
Lourie, S.A., A.C.J. Vincent and H.J. Hall (1999) Seahorses: an identification guide to the world's species and their conservation. Project Seahorse, London. 214 p.
Foster, S.J. and A.C.J. Vincent (2004) Life history and ecology of seahorses: implications for conservation and management. J. Fish Biol. 65(1):1-61. DOI: 10.1111/j.0022-1112.2004.00429.x
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.
Camins, E., L.M. Stanton, M.J. Correia and A.C.J. Vincent (2023) Comprehensive review of advances in life history of 35 seahorse species, drawn from community science. Fisheries Centre Research Report 31(1):107p.
Comments On Hippocampus erectus