Long-snouted seahorse

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Long-snouted seahorse
Long-snouted seahorse (Hippocampus guttulatus)

Long-snouted seahorse ( Hippocampus guttulatus )

Systematics
Spinefish (Acanthopterygii)
Perch relatives (Percomorphaceae)
Order : Pipefish (Syngnathiformes)
Family : Pipefish (Syngnathidae)
Genre : Seahorse ( hippocampus )
Type : Long-snouted seahorse
Scientific name
Hippocampus guttulatus
G. Cuvier , 1829

The long-snouted seahorse ( Hippocampus guttulatus ) is a species of bony fish ( ray fins ) belonging to the seahorse genus , which is found in seagrass meadows and kelp forests in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean .

features

The long-snouted seahorse usually reaches a body length of about 15 centimeters, up to a maximum of 21.5. In the neck it usually has several extensions from the head to the dorsal fin, which give the impression of a horse's mane. The long snout of Hippocampus guttulatus makes up more than a third of the length of the head. The dorsal fin used for propulsion has 18 to 21 rays. The 15 to 18-pointed pectoral fins start below the gill openings and are used in particular for stabilization and control. The tiny anal fin is not located in the deepest part of the abdomen, but closer to the tail. Ventral fins are missing as well as a caudal fin. The bone plates, with their nodules, give the seahorse its curved and at the same time nodular shape. The color of this seahorse varies from greenish yellow to reddish brown with bluish white spots. Often the color of the surrounding vegetation is adopted. The tapering, curled prehensile tail is used to attach it to plants and cannot be actively bent backwards.

distribution and habitat

Hippocampus guttulatus is distributed in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean from the North Sea coast of the Netherlands along the European Atlantic coast to Morocco and Senegal as well as in the Mediterranean , where it is found on the coasts of Italy , Malta , Croatia , Greece and Cyprus .

The seahorse prefers to live in shallow sea water from 1 m to 20 m deep in seagrass meadows with posidonia and zostera as well as in kelp forest , where it clings to the plants with its prehensile tail.

Reproduction

The long-snouted seahorse is two to four years old. As with other species of seahorse, it is the male that hatches the eggs in his belly pouch. The mating season is from April to August. After courtship, the female transfers her eggs to the male's belly pouch, where they are fertilized by the male's sperm. The fertilized eggs are surrounded by a tissue in the abdominal pouch, through which the embryos are supplied with oxygen and nutrient-rich blood via capillaries and which thus takes on the function of a placenta . In addition, the embryos are also supplied by the yolk of the eggs from the female . About 4 to 5 weeks after the transfer and fertilization of the eggs, the male gives birth to about 100 to a maximum of 300 young animals with a length of about 1.6 cm. The fry are left to their own devices immediately after birth.

nutrition

The long-snouted seahorse feeds on small crustaceans , larvae and fish eggs that are sucked in through the toothless snout.

literature

  • Rudie H. Kuiter: Seahorses: pipefish, shredded fish and their relatives , Ulmer (Eugen), 2001, ISBN 3-80013-244-3

Web links

Commons : Long-snouted Seahorse ( Hippocampus guttulatus )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files