Hippocampe pygmée de Pontoh, Pontoh’s Pygmy Seahorse,

Synonyme
Hippocampus severnsi (Lourie & Kuiter, 2008)

---------------------------

Description
Dorsal fin rays: 14, dorsal fin base strongly raised and angled with respect to trunk (highest posteriorly); Dorsal fin base starting immediately posterior to 9th trunk ring and ending immediately posterior to 12th trunk ring (covering 3 + 0 rings); Pectoral fin rays: 9-10 (usually: 9), pectoral fin base raised; Small or absent anal fin; Trunk rings: 12, dorsal surface of TrR1 and TrR2 expanded laterally (but without spines); Trunk length: 33.0% in SL; Trunk depth just anterior to dorsal fin base: 14.4% in SL; Tail rings: 26-28 (usually: 28), reduced ossification of inferior and ventral trunk ridges; Tail length: 45.3% in SL. Brooding area in males anterior to anus; Medium length snout which lacks a bulbous tip; Distinct, angular coronet, coronet height: 46.2% in HL, unbranched dermal appendage attached to anterior part of coronet. Fused (or almost fused in holotype) gill-openings on midline behind coronet supported by raised cleithral girdle; Scattered tubercles on trunk and tail; Distinctive branching filaments. Head length: 21.6% in SL, and head depth: 64.4 in HL; Snout length: 24.1 in HL without bulbous tip, and snout depth: 89.0% in SnL; Orbital diameter: 22.9-26.6% (usually: 22.4%) in HL; Post-orbital length: 49.0-53.5% (usually: 50.9%) in HL; Frontal bone strongly raised posteriorly to form a sharply angled coronet; No external pouch visible in males, developing young housed entirely within trunk region anterior to the anus; First tail ring quadrangular; Sexual dimorphism appears to be limited to differences in the genital region: males with vertical pouch slit, females with slightly raised, circular genital opening. Max length: 1.7 cm SL mâle, 1.6 cm SL (female). Depth range: 3 - 25 m.

Color
White, pinkish or yellowish-white (slightly darker on dorsal surface) with fine red lines tracing the superior trunk ridge and extending ventrally in broad loop around 5th and 8th trunk ring; 3-5 red transverse bands across tail that correspond to the position of enlarged superior tail ridge spines; Scattered dark markings on head; Sporadic dark markings on ventral midline between horizontal trunk ridges; Dark patch immediately posterior to anus.
Body ornamentation: prominent spine dorsal of eye, small spine ventroposterior to eye; Lateral head spine ventral of coronet; Two moderately large spines on cleithral ring, upper spine at level of last pectoral fin ray, lower spine at ventral extent of ring; Snout spine on midline between eyes; Nape spine absent; Subdorsal spines four, superior trunk ridge ending with three rounded spines protruding laterad, the posterior spine greatly enlarged on 12th trunk ring; Superior trunk ridge with large bilaterally paired truncate spines projecting laterad on first and second trunk rings, laterodorsal surface flat on second, third, and fourth trunk rings, large bilaterally paired spines on fifth trunk ring, and small pair of spines dorsally on sixth trunk ridge; Lateral trunk ridge with small spine on fifth trunk ring and large spine on eighth trunk ring; Inferior trunk ridge with spines of moderate size beginning on fifth trunk ring and and ending on 11th trunk ring; Superior tail ridge spines well developed anteriorly, becoming smaller posteriorly, with enlarged spines on fifth and ninth tail rings; Inferior tail ridge spines absent; Caudal fin absent.

Etymology
Hippocampus: from Greek, ippos = horse + from Greek, kampế = curvature, sinuosity or from Greek, kámpos = marine monster, sea animal. Hippocampus or hippocamp, also hippokampos is a mythological creature with the head, torso and forelegs of a horse and the tail end of a fish or dolphin, galloping through the ocean pulling Poseidon’s golden chariot. Some say campus = caterpillar, referring to the seahorse’s narrow tail covered in rounded spines similar to rows of caterpillar feet, or to a medieval belief that seahorses are larval dragons.
pontohi: named in honor of Hence Pontoh, the Indonesian dive guide who first brought these pygmy seahorses to our attention.
Original description: Hippocampus pontohi Lourie & Kuiter, 2008 - Type locality: Lekuan II, Bunaken, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, 1°36'05"N, 124°45'56"E, depth: 16 meters.

Distribution
Western Pacific: Indonesia, east to Fiji, north to Amami Islands (southern Japan), south to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia.

Biology
Reported on the coralline algae Halimeda, as well as on the hydroid Pachyrhynchia cuppressina (Kirchenpauer, 1872). Severns noted it particularly in areas where Halimeda is growing on reef 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 and has been seen swimming over a fungiid coral. Hippocampus pontohi is commonly found in pairs and, like Hippocampus denise, is relatively active in the morning and late afternoon when it is not in direct sunlight Two of the specimens examined were pregnant and each contained approximately 11 embryos. Male carries the eggs in a brood pouch.

Similar species
Hippocampus colemani (Kuiter, 2003) - Reported from New Caledonia - Link to the species (here). Hippocampus pontohi is most similar to Hippocampus colemani and is primarily separated from the latter species on the basis of tail ring counts (26-28 in Hippocampus pontohi, versus 28-30 in Hippocampus colemani), raised angular coronet.

Last update: 22, June 2023