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Teleostei (teleosts) > Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Syngnathinae
Etymology: Hippocampus: Greek, ippos = horse + Greek,kampe = curvature (Ref. 45335).
Eponymy: John White (ca: 1756–1832) served as a surgeon in the Royal Navy (1781–1820), visiting India and the West Indies before 1787, when he was appointed Chief Naval Surgeon of the ‘First Fleet’ – the 11 ships which took the first 1,500 colonists to [...] (Ref. 128868), visit book page.
More on author: Bleeker.

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Marine; brackish; demersal; non-migratory; depth range 0 - 46 m (Ref. 4281), usually 1 - 25 m (Ref. 30915). Temperate; 20°S - 35°S, 145°E - 160°E

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Southwest Pacific: Australia.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: L_m 8.3, range 8 - ? cm
Max length : 13.0 cm OT male/unsexed; (Ref. 30915); 11.0 cm OT (female); common length : 8.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 4281); max. reported age: 5 years (Ref. 93066)

Short description Identification keys | Morphology | Morphometrics

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).

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.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

Gestation period 21-22 days depending on temperature (Ref. 30915). Monogamous and faithful to pair in the wild (Ref. 30915). Monogamous mating is observed as both obligate and genetic (Ref. 52884). Male carries the eggs in a brood pouch (Ref. 205).

Main reference Upload your references | References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Short, G., D. Harasti and H. Hamilton, 2019. Hippocampus whitei Bleeker, 1855, a senior synonym of the southern Queensland seahorse H. procerus Kuiter, 2001: molecular and morphological evidence (Teleostei, Syngnathidae). ZooKeys 824:109-133. (Ref. 125503)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435: Version 2024-1)

Endangered (EN) (A2bc); Date assessed: 05 October 2016

CITES

Appendix II: International trade monitored

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Harmless

Human uses

Fisheries: minor commercial

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Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 123201): 21.7 - 27.1, mean 25.4 °C (based on 146 cells).

Phylogenetic diversity index (Ref. 82804): PD₅₀ = 0.5000 [Uniqueness, from 0.5 = low to 2.0 = high].

Bayesian length-weight: a=0.00447 (0.00175 - 0.01142), b=2.99 (2.77 - 3.21), in cm total length, based on LWR estimates for this (Sub)family-body shape (Ref. 93245).

Trophic level (Ref. 69278): 3.4 ±0.5 se; based on size and trophs of closest relatives

Resilience (Ref. 120179): Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (Assuming annual Fec<1000).

Fishing Vulnerability (Ref. 59153): Low vulnerability (12 of 100).

Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.

Nutrients (Ref. 124155): Calcium = 152 [88, 414] mg/100g; Iron = 0.824 [0.417, 1.602] mg/100g; Protein = 17.4 [16.1, 18.8] %; Omega3 = 0.511 [0.228, 1.134] g/100g; Selenium = 17.9 [7.4, 44.4] μg/100g; VitaminA = 8.22 [1.79, 36.79] μg/100g; Zinc = 1.07 [0.68, 1.68] mg/100g (wet weight);

Hippocampus whitei Bleeker, 1855