Denise’s pygmy seahorse  (Hippocampus denise)

Description

Denise’s pygmy seahorse is a master of camouflage, its orange colouration and body tubercles exactly matching the stems and polyps of its gorgonian sea fan hosts (4). This relatively delicate seahorse has a thin body, long neck, short snout, a very long, prehensile tail (4) (5), and is one of the smallest of all seahorse species, typically measuring less than just 2 cm in height (1). Although similar to the common pygmy seahorse (H. bargibanti), Denise’s pygmy seahorse is more smooth-skinned, showing comparatively fewer and less developed tubercles (2). In addition, males and females show greater differences in their body shape than in the common pygmy seahorse, with the female having a relatively slender, elongate trunk, while that of the male is noticeably more rounded (4).

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