Pygmy Seahorse
Hippocampus bargibanti
Identification: The Pygmy Seahorse has a short snout, rounded knob-like coronet and irregular bulbous tubercles on the body. It has a rounded spine above each eye and on each cheek. Two colour morphs are recorded for this species, one is pale grey or purple with pink or red tubercles, the second is yellow with orange tubercles.
Behavior: Both are found only on gorgonians (sea fans) of the genus Muricella, in depths of 16-40m. It is remarkably well camouflaged. The colour of the fish matches the gorgonian it inhabits, and the body tubercles look very similar to the polyps of the gorgonian.
Maximum Length: The Pygmy Seahorse grows to 2cm in length.
Origin: This species is known from coral reefs of the Western Pacific including Australia.
Minimum tank size: 10 Gallon
Feeding and diet: Frozen, enriched Mysis shrimp, copepods, Hawaiian Red Shrimp.
Availability: Rare
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