Endangered
New Holland seahorse
Hippocampus whitei
New Holland seahorse is a ray-finned fish in the family Syngnathidae (order Syngnathiformes) — Hippocampus whitei, recorded as Endangered and tied to Australia.
Appearance
H. Whitei is a small fish, reaching a maximum size of 13 centimetres (5.1 in). Distinctive characteristics include a narrow head, moderate to high coronet, a long snout (about half of overall head length), moderately sized spines above the eyes, and low single or double cheek spines. Individuals of this species are generally pale to dark brown or black, although some are entirely yellow.
Range and habitat
H. Whitei inhabits shallow, weedy inshore areas, usually at depths of 1–25 metres (3.3–82.0 ft). Its natural habitats include Zostera seagrass beds, sponges, kelp holdfasts, macroalgae, and corals, but it can also be found under jetties and on other anthropogenic structures, such as shark nets. Evidence from Port Stephens indicates that juveniles prefer gorgonian habitats (Euplexaura sp.), while adults prefer sponges and soft coral habitats.
It is thought to be endemic to the Southwest Pacific, from Sydney, New South Wales and southern Queensland (Australia) to the Solomon Islands.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet and breeding
Most of the species' predators are considered generalist feeders, suggesting that H. Whitei are not targeted as prey. H. Whitei is an ovoviviparous species, with females using an ovipositor to transfer eggs into a male's brood pouch, where they are fertilized and protected until the male gives birth to live young.
In crisis
Population information for H. Whitei is available from two estuaries in Australia: Port Stephens and Port Jackson. Surveys in Port Stephens indicate a steep decline in H. Whitei abundance, with two site surveys (the Pipeline and Seahorse Gardens) estimating 95–98% population decline from 2006-2015. Population surveys in Port Jackson also indicate a decline, with a site survey (the protective swimming enclosure of Manly Harbour) estimating 40% population decline from 2008-2015.
Based on the available survey data, it is expected that overall population declines of 50–70% have occurred. The major threat experienced by H. Whitei is habitat loss.
CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.
New Holland seahorse is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on New Holland seahorse, Wikidata item Q301403. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
