Bullneck Seahorse, Hippocampus minotaur Gomon 1997
The holotype of the Bullneck Seahorse, Hippocampus minotaur. Source: Martin F. Gomon / Museum Victoria. License: CC BY Attribution
A rare seahorse known from very few specimens collected relatively deep waters off south-eastern Australia.
Bullneck Seahorse, Hippocampus minotaur Gomon 1997
More Info
Distribution |
Endemic to temperate waters of southeastern Australia - known only from off Eden, NSW and off Cape Patterson, Victoria; also reported from off Wollongong, NSW; benthic, inhabiting hard bottom substrates with fine sand on the continental shelf at 64-110 m. |
Features |
Dorsal fin 7-?; Pectoral fin 10-11; Anal fin 4 or absent; trunk rings 12; tail rings 28-29. |
Size |
To 55 mm SL |
Colour |
Colour in life unknown. |
Feeding |
Unknown, presumably preys on tiny zooplankton. |
Biology |
Males brood the eggs in a pouch on the underside of the tail. The female uses an ovipositor to transfer her eggs into an elaborate enclosed pouch under the abdomen of the male. |
Fisheries |
This very rare deep water species has only been collected in trawls and dredges. |
Conservation |
International: Listed under Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). As a result, the species is subject to the Convention. |
Remarks |
The Bullneck Seahorse may cling to gorgonian corals, as the tubercles on the tail resemble gorgonian coral polyps. |
Similar Species |
H. bargibanti shares the lack of obvious body segments, a short snout, thick neck and the small size with H. minotaur, but differs in having prominent tubercles on the body, more trunk rings, fewer tail rings and a longer dorsal-fin base. In addition, H. minotaur has a distinct tail pouch, unlike the abdominal pouch of H. bargibanti. |
Etymology |
From the Greek ippos = horse and kampe = curvature. The specific name minotaur is from the Latin Minotaurus, a mythical monster with the head of a bull and body of a man, referring to the contrasting massive bull-like head and graceful trunk and tail of this species. |
Species Citation |
Hippocampus minotaur Gomon 1997, Mem. Mus. Vic. 56(1): 246 [figs. 1, 2a, 3a-2], off Eden, New South Wales. |
Author |
Dianne J. Bray & Vanessa J. Thompson |
Bullneck Seahorse, Hippocampus minotaur Gomon 1997
References
Gomon, M.F. 1997. A remarkable new pygmy seahorse (Syngnathidae: Hippocampus) from south-eastern Australia, with a redescription of H. bargibanti Whitley from New Caledonia. Mem. Mus. Vict. 56(1): 245-253. PDF at BHL
Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and their Relatives. TMC Publishing, Chorleywood, UK, 240 pp.
Kuiter, R.H. 2001. Revision of the Australian Seahorse of the genus Hippocampus (Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae) with descriptions of nine new species. Rec. Aust. Mus. 53: 293-340.
Lourie, S.A., A.C.J. Vincent & H.J. Hall. 1999. Seahorses: an identification guide to the world's species and their conservation. Project Seahorse. London UK. 214 pp.
Neira F.J., A.G. Miskiewicz & T. Trnski. 1998. Larvae of temperate Australian fishes: laboratory guide for larval fish identification. University of Western Australia press, Nedlands, Western Australia.
Pogonoski, J.J., D.A. Pollard & J.R. Paxton. 2002. Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Canberra, Environment Australia, 375 pp.
Pogonoski, J.J., Pollard, D.A. & Paxton, J.R. 2006. Hippocampus minotaur. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2006: e.T10077A3160625. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2006.RLTS.T10077A3160625.en . Downloaded on 05 October 2015.