Order Gasterosteiformes / Family Syngnathidae
CITES Appendix II
Hippocampus zosterae
Jordan and Gilbert 1882
Common names
Dwarf seahorse (U.S.A.); caballito enano (Spanish, Mexico)
Synonyms
H. rosamondae Borodin 1928; H. regulus Ginsburg 1933
Description
Maximum recorded adult height: 2.5 cm2
Trunk rings: 9–10
Tail rings: 31–32
HL/SnL: 4.2–4.3
Rings supporting dorsal fin: 2 trunk rings (no tail rings)
Dorsal fin rays: 12
Pectoral fin rays: 11–12
Coronet: High, columnar or knob-like, without spines or projections
Spines: Low or knob-like
Other distinctive characteristics: Short snout less than one-third head length; skin often covered in
tiny warts
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Order Gasterosteiformes / Family Syngnathidae
CITES Appendix II
Colour/pattern: Beige, yellow, green, black; mottling variable (distinct to absent); may have white
markings like splashes of paint; some specimens have dark spots
Confirmed distribution
Bahamas; Mexico, United States of America
Suspected distribution
No other locations are suspected
Habitat
Seagrass beds in summer, in winter moving deeper or into tide pools with heavy vegetation, may
move with tidal currents114; distribution correlated with presence, abundance and length of
seagrasses115
Life history
Breeding season February to November114; sexually monogamous in captivity22; maximum reported
brood size 55114; egg diameter averages 1.3 mm26; gestation duration averages 11 days15; length at
birth averages 8 mm15
Trade
Live for aquarium or hobbyist use
Conservation status
The entire genus Hippocampus is listed in Appendix II of CITES, effective May 20041. H. zosterae is
listed as Data Deficient by IUCN13. Mexican populations are listed in the NOM-059-SEMARNAT2001 as species subject to special protection; Mexico prohibits the intentional capture and trade of
wild seahorses, permitting only the commercialisation of cultured and incidentally caught seahorses
Similar species
• H. lichtensteinii, which is known only from the Red Sea and Indian Ocean
Other notes
• Males have longer tails and snouts than do females26
• Specimens brought into aquaria usually lose their skin filaments within a couple of days116
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