Hippocampe hérisson, Hedgehog seahorse, Winged seahorse, Halfspine seahorse, Queensland seahorse, Half-Spined seahorse, White-Spined seahorse, فرس البحر المشوك, Cá ngựa gai, 棘海馬,

Synonymes
Hippocampus aimei (Roule, 1916)
Hippocampus alatus (Kuiter, 2001)
Hippocampus arnei (Roule, 1916)
Hippocampus queenslandicus (Horne, 2001)
Hippocampus semispinosus (Kuiter, 2001)

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Description
Dorsal fin rays: 15-19 (usually: 17); Anal fin rays: 4; Pectoral fin rays: 15; Trunk rings: 11; Tail rings: 34-36 (usually: 34); Subdorsal rings: 2.25-2.0 + 1.5; Rings supporting dorsal fin: 2 trunk rings and 1 tail ring; Body slender and elongate; Head long: 5.8 in TL, head large: 85 % of trunk length; Snout deep, snout length: 2.4-2.5 in HL, snout depth 3.6 in snout length. Superior trunk and tail ridges with enlarges spines, forming laterally-directed pairs at regular intervals with 2-3 on trunk and 3-4 on tail, greatly produced in young and least prominent in males. Nape, lateral head spines and enlarged body spines with long, broad, often frilled dermal flaps, usually attached posteriorly just below the tip; Nasal spine absent; spine above eyes of moderate length, reaching pupil diameter; Lateral head spine large, usually larger than spine above eyes; Upper shoulder-ring spine at gill opening; Lower shoulder-ring spine low and thick, either very broad or divided into two rounded tips; Neck ridge raised centrally with rugose tips and with tubercle at posterior end. Subdorsal spines: 2-3/0-0.5,1,0-0.5, usually enlarged on 11th trunk ring. Coronet distinct, well-developed, apex with an irregular star arrangement of 5-7 rough-tipped spines. Lateral line with small pores on each trink ring, running just above inferior ridge, continuing on tail to 12th to 15th ring. Adult males are less spiny than females, and many rings may be smooth. Dermal flaps, filaments and/or attached algae may be present on head, trunk and tail. Male brood pouch abdominal, under tail rings: 1-6. Max. length: 18.0 cm TL. Depth range: 1 - 80 m, usually: 5 - 20 m.
 
Color
In life, pale pinkish-white with numerous minute dark spots and broad reddish-grey saddle-like markings over trunk, on anterior part of tail and around the eyes. In preservative - adults pale creamy-white with numerous tiny brown spots and dark saddle-like markings on trunk and anterior part of tail around enlarged spines on superior ridges; dermal flaps dark brown to black.

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.
spinosissimus: from Latin, spīna = a thorny tree or shrub + from Latin suffix, -īmus (Superlative form of īnferus) = lowest, deepest, last.
Original description: Hippocampus spinosissimus Weber, 1913 - Type locality: Sapeh Strait, Indonesia, Siboga station 49, depth 70 meters.

Distribution
Indo-West Pacific: Sri Lanka, east to Philippines, south to northern Australia (Northern Territorry & Queensland), New Caledonia.