Hippocampus zosterae
Dwarf Seahorse
NS
GNR
Collection Details
Specimens
Photos
There are no photos available for this taxon yet.
Records
Taxonomic Hierarchy
Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fishes)
Gasterosteiformes (Sticklebacks and relatives)
Syngnathidae (Pipefishes)
Hippocampus
Hippocampus zosterae (Dwarf Seahorse)
Description
This species account was compiled from
FishBase (Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. 2025. FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. www.fishbase.org, version 04/2025.)
and processed using AI-assisted text extraction.
It may contain errors in spelling, punctuation, or formatting.
When citing, please reference the original source rather than this page.
Learn more about our species accounts.
Characters
Body shape: other. Description: (based on 31 specimens): Adult height: 2-2.5cm. Rings: 9-10+31-32. Snout length: 4.2-4.3 in head length. Dorsal fin rays: 12 covering 2+0 rings. Pectoral fin rays: 11-12. Coronet: high, columnar or knob-like, without spines or projections. Spines: low or knob-like. Other distinctive characters: short snout <1/3 head length; skin often covered in tiny warts. Color pattern: beige, yellow, green, black; mottling variable (distinct to absent); may have white markings like splashes of paint; some specimens with dark spots. Striking features: striking shape of body.
Distribution
Western Atlantic: Bermuda, southern Florida (USA), Bahamas and the entire Gulf of Mexico.
Habitat Associations
Marine. demersal. depth range 0-10 m. Found in: seagrass beds.
Biology
Shallow grass flats, especially in association with Zostera and other seagrass; periodically found in floating vegetation. Diurnal, males more site faithful than females. Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail (Ref. 205). Specimens lose their skin filaments in aquaria (Ref. 30915). Has been reared in captivity (Ref. 35420). Maximum depth reported taken from Ref. 128812.
Max length: 5.0 cm TL; max age: 1 years.
Reproductive mode: dioecism; fertilization: in brood pouch or similar structure; mating system: monogamy; bearers (external brooders); parental care: paternal. Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and genetic (Ref. 52884). Male carries the eggs in a brood pouch (Ref. 205). Female transfers all the eggs in the ovary to the brood pouch of the male (Ref. 1284).
IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern (LC), assessed 2016-10-03. Resilience: Medium (tm=0.4; tmax=1; assuming Fec=100 (approx. 3 generations/year)).
Commercial or Environmental Importance
Fisheries: minor commercial.
References
Breder, C.M. and D.E. Rosen (1966) Modes of reproduction in fishes. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, New Jersey. 941 p.
Robins, C.R. and G.C. Ray (1986) A field guide to Atlantic coast fishes of North America. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, U.S.A. 354 p.
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
Whiteman, E.A. and I.M. Côté (2004) Monogamy in marine fishes. Biol. Rev. 79:351-375.
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.
Comments On Hippocampus zosterae