Hippocampus ingens Girard, 1858

Pacific seahorse

Catalog of Fishes (gen., sp.) | ITIS | CoL

Classification	Actinopterygii \| Syngnathiformes \| Syngnathidae \| Hippocampinae
Synonyms	Hippocampus ecuadorensis, Hippocampus gracilis, Hippocampus hildebrandi, ... more
Common names	Giant Seahorse, Caballito del Pacifico, Caballito de mar, ... more

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AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF OBIS

Main reference

Lourie, S.A., A.C.J. Vincent and H.J. Hall. 1999. (Ref. 30915)
Other references | Biblio | Coordinator | Collaborators

Size / Weight / Age

Max length : 30.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 2850)

Environment

Reef-associated; non-migratory; marine; depth range 0 - 60 m (Ref. 30915), usually 3 - 18 m (Ref. 5227)

Climate / Range

Subtropical

Eastern Pacific: San Diego in California, USA to Peru including the Galapagos Islands. International trade is monitored through a licensing system (CITES II, since 5.15.04) and a minimum size of 10 cm applies.
Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Short description

Dorsal spines (total): 0; Dorsal soft rays (total): 1821. Description: (based on 19 specimens): Adult height: 13.0-19.0cm. Rings: 11+39 (38-40) Snout length: 2.3-2.4 (2.1-2.5) in head length. Dorsal fin rays: 19 (18-21) covering 2+1 rings. Pectoral fin rays: 16 (15-17). Coronet: medium-high, tilted backwards with five well-defined points, sharp edges or flanges at top. Spines: variable, from low rounded bumps to well-developed blunt-tipped spines. Other distinctive characters: prominent, long (drooping), rounded, single cheek spines; prominent eye spine (may be broad or almost double); males commonly have a prominent keel; sexually mature females often have a dark patch below the anal fin. Color pattern: reddish-maroon, grey, yellow and gold; various shades of brown; may have fine white light and dark markings running vertically down body.

Nocturnal. Occur in offshore waters, mostly captured by dredging at 10 m or deeper. Occasionally caught at surface. Are often camouflaged within the branches of gorgonians and black coral trees where they are seen to curl their tail around the branches (Ref. 5227). Have been found in the stomachs of Pacific yellowfin tuna and bluefin tuna (Ref. 30915). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail (Ref. 205).


IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 57073)	Threat to humans
Vulnerable (VU) (A4cd)	Harmless

Human uses
Fisheries: commercial; aquarium: commercial


More information
Countries FAO areas Ecosystems Occurrences Introductions Ecology Diet Food items Food consumption Ration	Common names Synonyms Metabolism Predators Ecotoxicology Reproduction Maturity Spawning Eggs Egg development	Age/Size Growth Length-weight Length-length Length-frequencies Morphometrics Morphology Larvae Larval dynamics Recruitment	Other references Biblio Aquaculture Aquaculture profile Strains Genetics Allele frequencies Heritability Diseases Processing	Collaborators Pictures Stamps Sounds Ciguatera Speed Swim. type Gill area Otoliths Brains Vision

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Internet sources

Estimation of some characteristics with mathematical models

Resilience (Ref. 69278)

High, minimum population doubling time less than 15 months (tm=0.3-0.4)


Vulnerability (Ref. 59153)	Price category (Ref. 80766)
Low to moderate vulnerability (27 of 100)	Not marketed/unknown

Entered by Froese, Rainer

Modified by Kesner-Reyes, Kathleen

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Page last modified by : elaxamana, 15 July 2009

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