Denise Pygmy Seahorse

Description:

Can you see me? Pygmy seahorses are very tiny, length of up to 1.5cm but very scrawny. This particular guy is very small and 'thin' and they are very well camouflaged. Denise's pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus denise) is a species of fish in the Syngnathidae family. Originally described from Indonesia, Hippocampus denise has also been recorded from Vanuatu, Palau, Malaysia, Solomon Islands, as well as off southern Japan, northern Australia and New Caledonia. Its natural habitat is coral reefs. Pygmy seahorses are among the most well camouflaged species in the oceans, being very difficult to spot amongst the gorgonian coral they live in. Hippocampus denise is tiny, growing only to a total length of 1.5 cm (5/8 inch). It is orange and resembles the pygmy seahorse, Hippocampus bargibanti, though its tubercles are less distinct. Some individuals have better developed tubercles and are darker in colour. Males and females differ significantly in body shape. They are usually solitary, though they may be found in pairs or small groups on their host gorgonians, usually colonies of Annella reticulata, Muricella or Echinogorgia, in depths of up to 84m.