Bullneck Seahorse, Hippocampus minotaur Gomon 1997

The holotype of the Bullneck Seahorse, Hippocampus minotaur. Source: Martin F. Gomon / Museum Victoria. License: CC BY Attribution

Summary:

A rare seahorse known from very few specimens collected relatively deep waters off south-eastern Australia.

Cite this page as:

Bray, D.J. & Thompson, V.J. 2024, Hippocampus minotaur in Fishes of Australia, accessed 23 Jan 2025, https://fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/1541

Bullneck Seahorse, Hippocampus minotaur Gomon 1997

More Info

Distribution	Off Eden, New South Wales, to off Cape Patterson, Victoria; also reported from off Wollongong, NSW. Inhabits hard substrates with fine sand on the continental shelf at depths of 64-110 m.
Features	Dorsal fin 7-?; Pectoral fin 10-11; Anal fin 4 or absent; trunk rings 12; tail rings 28-29. Body very small, fleshy, somewhat laterally compressed, body rings not visible; head and neck large with little or no constriction between head and trunk; snout short, about one-third head length, without a bulbous tip; trunk deep, inferior and ventral trunk rings reduced or undeveloped, mostly obscured by fleshy covering; body smooth, except for large bumps dorsally in small individuals. Spines absent, angles of some body ridges with rounded tubercles. Nuchal plate rounded, coronet low. Dorsal fin tiny, fin base very short, supported by 1 trunk ring and 1 tail ring.
Size	To 55 mm SL
Colour	Colour in life unknown. In preservative, body overall cream to a brown, with tiny brown speckles.
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	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	Named after Minotaur, the mythical Greek creature with the head of a bull and the body of a human, in reference 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]. Type locality: off Eden, New South Wales, depth 35-40 fathoms.
Author	Bray, D.J. & Thompson, V.J. 2024
Resources	Atlas of Living Australia Australian Faunal Directory Catalog of Fishes

Bullneck Seahorse, Hippocampus minotaur Gomon 1997

References

Foster, R. & Gomon. M.F. 2010. A new seahorse (Teleostei: Syngnathidae: Hippocampus) from south-western Australia. Zootaxa 2613: 61-68 https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.2613.1.6

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. See ref 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. Records of the Australian Museum 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., Miskiewicz, A.G. & Trnski, T. 1998. Larvae of temperate Australian fishes: laboratory guide for larval fish identification. University of Western Australia press, Nedlands, Western Australia.

Pollom, R. 2017. Hippocampus minotaur. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T10077A54906067. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T10077A54906067.en. Accessed on 23 April 2024.