Hippocampus
Sign in to saveA seahorse (also written sea-horse and sea horse) is any of 46 species of small marine bony fish in the genus Hippocampus. The genus name comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or "sea animal". Having a head and neck suggestive of a horse, seahorses also feature segmented bony armour, an upright posture and a curled prehensile tail. Along with the pipefishes and seadragons (Phycodurus and Phyllopteryx) they form the family Syngnathidae.
AI overview
Hippocampus is the scientific genus name for seahorses, a group of 46 species of small marine fish named for their horse-like head and neck. These fish are notable for their segmented bony armor, upright posture, and curled tail that can grip objects, and they belong to the same family as pipefishes and seadragons.
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Taxonomy · GBIF
GENUS
- KingdomAnimalia
- PhylumChordata
- OrderSyngnathiformes
- FamilySyngnathidae
via GBIF · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- taxon
- Parent taxon
- Hippocampinae
- Image
- Hippocampus hippocampus (on Ascophyllum nodosum).jpg
Article
25 sectionsContents
- Evolution and fossil record
- Description
- Habitat
- Feeding habits
- Reproduction
- Courtship
- Phases of courtship
- Phase 1: Initial courtship
- Phase 2: Pointing and pumping
- Phase 3: Pointing – pointing
- Phase 4: Rising and copulation
- Fertilization
- Gestation
- Birth
- Reproductive roles
- Monogamy
- Threats of extinction
- Conservation
- Aquaria
- Consumption
- Species
- Pygmy seahorses
- References
- Further reading
- External links
A seahorse (also written sea-horse and sea horse) is any of 46 species of small marine bony fish in the genus Hippocampus. The genus name comes from the Ancient Greek (), itself from () meaning "horse" and () meaning "sea monster" or "sea animal". Having a head and neck suggestive of a horse, seahorses also feature segmented bony armour, an upright posture and a curled prehensile tail. Along with the pipefishes and seadragons (Phycodurus and Phyllopteryx) they form the family Syngnathidae.
==Evolution and fossil record== Anatomical evidence, supported by molecular, physical, and genetic evidence, demonstrates that seahorses are highly modified pipefish. The fossil record of seahorses, however, is very sparse. The best known and best studied fossils are specimens of Hippocampus guttulatus (though literature more commonly refers to them under the synonym of H. ramulosus), from the Marecchia River formation of Rimini Province, Italy, dating back to the Lower Pliocene, about 3 million years ago. The earliest known seahorse fossils are of two pipefish-like species, H. sarmaticus and H. slovenicus, from the coprolitic horizon of Tunjice Hills, a middle Miocene lagerstätte in Slovenia dating back about 13 million years.