Description

Dorsal soft rays (total): 12. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the following set of characters: 4 subdorsal rings; 2 pairs of bilaterally wing-like protrusions formed by a pair of large truncate spines projecting laterad on both first and second superior trunk ridges; flat laterodorsal surface on the third and fourth trunk rings; 28 tail rings 28; 14 dorsal-fin rays; 10 pectoral-fin rays (Ref. 118476).

Common Names

No common names available.

Taxonomic Hierarchy

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Teleostei

Order: Syngnathiformes

Family: Syngnathidae

Genus: Hippocampus

Species: Hippocampus pontohi Lourie & Kuiter, 2008

Climate Zone

Location

Biology

Hippocampus pontohi has been observed on the coralline algae Halimeda, as well as on the hydroid Aglaephenia cupressina (Müller and Severns, pers. comm.). Severns noted it particularly in areas where Halimeda is growing on reef walls. It has been recorded at a number of areas in Indonesia (Bunaken, Cape Sri, Sorong, Wakatobi, Lembeh Straits), at depths of between 11-25 m particularly on vertical walls or in rock fissures on current-swept walls where it will tend to occur on the side of the fissure that faces away from the current, but in all cases where there is some upward current (Müller, pers. comm.) and has been seen swimming over a fungiid coral (Hardt, pers. comm.). Hippocampus pontohi is commonly found in pairs and, like H. denise, is relatively active in the morning and late afternoon when it is not in direct sunlight (Müller, pers. comm.). Two of the specimens examined were pregnant and each contained approximately 11 embryos (Ref. 79848).

Habitat

benthopelagic