Species Hippocampus breviceps Peters, 1869

Museums

Regional Maps

External Links

• Hippocampus breviceps Peters, W.C.H. 1869. Über neue oder weniger bekannte Fische des Berliner Zoologischen Museums. Monatsberichte der Königlichen Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin 1869: 703-711 [710].

  Type data:

   Holotype ZMB 7082 (Missing in 2001), Adelaide, SA.

 

Generic Combinations

• Farlapiscis breviceps (Peters, 1869) [changed combination; Whitley (1931) erected a new genus with H. breviceps as type species but this was synonymised with Hippocampus by Ginsburg (1937)]. —
  Whitley, G.P. 1931. New names for Australian fishes. The Australian Zoologist 6(4): 310-334 1 fig. pls 25-27 [313]

 

Introduction

Lourie et al. (2016) regarded Hippocampus tuberculatus from Western Australia as a junior synonym based on similarity of meristic features. Kuiter (2001), however, separated the two species, primarily based on the coronet spines and body tubercles. Lourie et al. (2016) did not address these characters and suggested further work was needed to determine if the two are distinct species. We see little reason so treat the species as the same species, given that the arguments of Lourie et al. (2016) appear tentative and they did not address all the characters used by Kuiter (2001). There are numerous examples of species pairs, with the Western Australian species distinct from the species in south-eastern Australia.

 

Distribution

States

South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria

Extra Distribution Information

Port Welshpool, VIC (146°28'E) to Venus Bay, SA (134°40'E) and eastern TAS (to 43°S); temperate.

Australian Endemic.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Spencer Gulf Shelf Province (33), Western Bass Strait Shelf Transition (34), Bass Strait Shelf Province (35), Tasmanian Shelf Province (36), Southeast Shelf Transition (37)

Ecological Descriptors

Continental shelf, inshore, weed beds.

Extra Ecological Information

0-15m

 

General References

Coleman, N. 1980. Australian Sea Fishes South of 30ºS. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 309 pp. [91]

Dawson, C.E. 1994. Family Syngnathidae. pp. 440-475 figs 391-426 in Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [448] (as Hippocampus breviceps but including Hippocampus tuberculatus)

Edgar, G.J. 2008. Australian Marine Life: the plants and animals of temperate waters. Sydney : Reed New Holland 2nd edn, 624 pp. [482]

Foster, S.J. & Vincent, A.C.J. 2004. Life history and ecology of seahorses: implications for conservation and management. Journal of Fish Biology 65: 1-61

Ginsburg, I. 1937. Review of the seahorses (Hippocampus) found on the coasts of the American continents and of Europe. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 83(2997): 497-594

Gomon, M.F. 1997. A remarkable new pygmy seahorse (Syngnathidae Hippocampus) from south-eastern Australia, with a redescription of H. bargibanti Whitley from New Caledonia. Memoirs of Museum Victoria 56(1): 245-253 [250]

IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2011.1. www.iucnredlist.org

Kuiter, R.H. 1993. Coastal Fishes of South-eastern Australia. Bathurst : Crawford House Press 437 pp. [97]

Kuiter, R.H. 1996. Guide to Sea Fishes of Australia. A comprehensive reference for divers and fishermen. Sydney, NSW, Australia : New Holland Publishers xvii, 434 pp. [72]

Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and Their Relatives. Chorleywood, UK : TMC Publishing 240 pp. [16]

Kuiter, R.H. 2001. Revision of the Australian Seahorses of the genus Hippocampus (Syngnathiformes: Syngnathidae) with descriptions of nine new species. Records of the Australian Museum 53: 293-340 [312]

Kuiter, R.H. 2008. Syngnathidae. pp. 448-479 in Gomon, M.F., Bray, D.J. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds). Fishes of Australia's Southern Coast. Sydney : Reed New Holland 928 pp. [455]

Kuiter, R.H. 2009. Seahorses and their relatives. Seaford, Australia : Aquatic Photographics pp. 331. [46]

Last, P.R., Scott, E.O.G. & Talbot, F.H. 1983. Fishes of Tasmania. Hobart : Tasmanian Fisheries Development Authority 563 pp. figs. [300]

Lourie, S.A. 2016. Seahorses. A life-size guide to every species. Chicago : The Unversity of Chicago Press 160 pp. [86] (in part)

Lourie, S.A., Pollom, R.A. & Foster, S.J. 2016. A global revision of the Seahorses Hippocampus Rafinesque 1810 (Actinopterygii: Syngnathiformes): Taxonomy and biogeography with recommendations for further research. Zootaxa 4146(1): 1–66 [18] (in part)

Lourie, S.A., Vincent, A.C.J. & Hall, H.J. 1999. Seahorses. An identification guide to the world's species and their conservation. Project Seahorse. x 214 pp. [75] (as Hippocampus breviceps but including Hippocampus tuberculatus as a synonym)

Martin-Smith, K.M. & Vincent, A.C.J. 2006. Exploitation and trade of Australian seahorses, pipehorses, sea dragons and pipefishes (Family Syngnathidae). Oryx 40: 141-151

McCulloch, A.R. 1929. A check-list of the fishes recorded from Australia. Part I. Memoirs of the Australian Museum 5: 1–144 [95] (in part)

Moreau, M-A. & Vincent, A.C.J. 2004. Social structure and space use in a wild population of the Australian short-headed seahorse, Hippocampus breviceps Peters 1869. Marine and Freshwater Research 55: 231-239

Morgan, S.K., Pogonoski, J.J., Pollard, D.A. & Paxton, J.R. 2006. Hippocampus breviceps. In: IUCN 2014. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1.. http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/10063/0

Munro, I.S.R. 1961. Handbook of Australian fishes. Nos 1–42. Australian Fisheries Newsletter 15–17, 19, 20: 1-172 [published as separates 1956–1961] [92] (638)

Neira, F.J., Miskiewicz, A.G. & Trnski, T. 1998. Larvae of temperate Australian fishes: laboratory guide for larval fish identification. Nedlands, Western Australia : University of Western Australia press 474 pp.

Paxton, J.R., Gates, J.E., Hoese, D.F. & Bray, D.J. 2006. Syngnathidae. pp. 810-846 in Hoese, D.F., Bray, D.J., Paxton, J.R. & Allen, G.R. Fishes. In, Beesley, P.L. & Wells, A. (eds) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Vol. 35. Volume 35 Australia : ABRS & CSIRO Publishing Parts 1-3, 2178 pp. [826]

Paxton, J.R., Hoese, D.F., Allen, G.R. & Hanley, J.E. (eds) 1989. Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Pisces: Petromyzontidae to Carangidae. Canberra : Australian Government Publishing Service Vol. 7 665 pp. [421] (as Hippocampus breviceps but including Hippocampus tuberculatus)

Pognoski, J.J., Pollard, D.A. & Paxton, J.R. 2002. Conservation Overview and Action Plan for Australian Threatened and Potentially Threatened Marine and Estuarine Fishes. Canberra : Environment Australia 375 pp.

Scott, T.D. in Scott, T.D., Glover, C.J.M. & Southcott, R.V. 1974. The Marine and Freshwater Fishes of South Australia. Adelaide : Government Printer 392 pp. figs. [140]

Whitley, G.P. 1964. A survey of Australian Ichthyology. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 89(1): 11-127 [38] (539)

 

Common Name References

Coleman, N. 1980. Australian Sea Fishes South of 30ºS. Lane Cove, NSW : Doubleday Australia Pty Ltd 309 pp. [91] (Short-snouted Seahorse)

Gomon, M.F., Glover, C.J.M. & Kuiter, R.H. (eds) 1994. The Fishes of Australia's South Coast. Adelaide : State Printer 992 pp. 810 figs. [448] (Short-headed Seahorse, Shortsnout Seahorse)

Hutchins, J.B. & Swainston, R. 1986. Sea Fishes of Southern Australia. Complete field guide for anglers and divers. Perth : Swainston Publishing 180 pp. [125] (Short Snouted Seahorse)

Kuiter, R.H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and Their Relatives. Chorleywood, UK : TMC Publishing 240 pp. [16] (Short-head Seahorse)

Seafood Services Australia 2008. Australian Fish Names Standard. http://www.fishnames.com.au/. (Shorthead Seahorse)

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
27-Jul-2017	SYNGNATHIFORMES	05-May-2017	MODIFIED	Dr Doug Hoese Dr Matthew Lockett
25-Jun-2015	SYNGNATHIFORMES	22-Jun-2016	MODIFIED	Dr Dianne Bray (NMV) Dr Doug Hoese (AM) Dr Matthew Lockett (AM)
		27-Jul-2010	MODIFIED