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Hippocampus spp.
| Family Name: | Syngathidae |
| Taxonomic Group: | Vertebrates (Fish) |
| Common Name: | Seahorses |
Name
Ecology, Habitat & Location
| Ecological Notes | The Tiger-tailed Seahorse (Hippocampus comes Cantor, 1850) inhabits coral reef. The Estuarine Seahorse (Hippocampus kuda Bleeker, 1852) occurs mainly in seagrass areas, usually around river mouths. Seahorses apparently spend much of their time anchored to one spot with their prehensile tail, feeding on minute zoo-plankton. Males have a special brood pouch on their abdomen into which the females deposit their eggs. |
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| Habitats | Coral Reef, Marine |
| Distribution | Tropical Indo-west Pacific. In Singapore, the Tiger-tailed Seahorse is mainly found around the southern islands, while the Estuarine Seahorse is found all around Singapore in shallow waters. |
Conservation
| Trends & Threats | Habitat destruction and excessive collecting. |
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| Scientific Interest & Potential Value | Sold as Chinese Traditional Medicine and also dried as curios. They are popular as aquarium pets but are difficult to keep in captivity. |
| Conservation Notes | Habitat protection and strict policing against illegal collecting are required. The sale of wild-caught seahorses is banned in Singapore. The aquarium trade should be supplied with captive-bred stocks. |
Status
| Singapore Red Data Book Status | Vulnerable (VU) [2008] |
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Photos
References
| References | Davison, G.W.H., Ng, P.K.L. & Ho, H.C (Eds.). 2008. The Singapore Red Data Book (2nd Edition). Singapore: Nature Society (Singapore). 285pp |
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