Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 17 - 18. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: trunk rings 11; tail rings 34-35; dorsal fin rays 17-18; pectoral fin rays 16; subdorsal rings 3; subdorsal spines 4, superior trunk ridge ending with 3 enlarged spines, the superior tail ridge commencing with one enlarged spine (3/0,1,0); cleithral ring spines 3, one small spine at each end of pectoral-fin base, none at gill-opening, large single or double spine at ventral extent of head; with 2 small lateral head spines, one directly posterior of eye, one anterodorsally of operculum and ventral of coronet; with a distinct snout spine; no parietal spine or diminutive if present; single eye spine, large and protruding dorsally; small single or double spine, rugose, posteroventrally of eye; the coronet, distinct and tall, protruding anteriorly in juveniles, angled dorsoposteriorly in adults, and with 5 small spines present on apex in a star-like arrangement; superior trunk with enlarged spines on first and eigth tail ridges (Ref. 125503).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Syngnathiformes

Family: Syngnathidae

Genus: Hippocampus

Species: Hippocampus whitei Bleeker, 1855

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Occur in coastal estuaries and embayments (Ref. 125503); in shallow, weedy inshore areas and Zostera seagrass beds; also on sponges. Also under jetties on holdfasts of kelp, and on other man-made structures such as shark nets. Diurnal and site faithful (Ref. 30915). Female max length (Ref. 42735). Ovoviviparous (Ref. 205). The male carries the eggs in a brood pouch which is found under the tail (Ref. 205). Minimum depth reported taken from Ref. 128812.

Habitat

brackish