Bargibants pygmy Seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti)

Physical description Swims upright, has a prehensile tale, and a short snout Max length of 2.7 cm Interesting camouflage: Two known color morphs grey body with red or pink tubercles and yellow body with orange tubercles. Body rings are almost unrecognizable: in other species of seahorse it is easy to see bony circular structures encompassing the body with skin stretched over them. Because the H. bargibanti has bulbous tubercles all over its body, these rings cannot be seen.

Habitat Gorgonian coral: where they spend the entirety of their life. Over twenty pairs have been found living on a single gorgonian. 16 40 m depth: warm water Appear in pairs may be monogamous: also may switch mates but it has not been studied. Non-migratory Range: largest range of all pygmy seahorses. They are found in a large area from the southern part of Japan, throughout the Philippians, and on the northern edge of Australia in the coral reef.

Discovery Because of their small size and camouflage, they werent discovered until George Bargibant was collecting Gorgonian coral, their host plant, for a museum and he noticed two small seahorses with the plant while it was on his dissection table. The next year they were officially named Bargibants seahorses. Diet Dont have teeth: instead have a fused snout that they use like a vacuum Dont have a true stomach: Whatever they eat goes through their digestive system quickly. Consume mostly small crustaceans

Eat frequently: because the food they eat does not spend much time in their body.

Reproduction Courting rituals: spend a lot of time with their mate in order to learn how to coordinate with their movements. Easier for the H. bargibanti because they all live on the same coral. Female deposits eggs into males pouch Few weeks gestation: usually around two weeks. If the water is colder it will take longer for the offspring to develop. Offspring are born fully developed: But they are extremely small. When they are born they are the one of the smallest living animals in the ocean. Also, over 1,000 young can be born at one time, but many will be eaten while still young. Just hours after giving birth male is ready to mate again: Seahorse offspring are given no parental care after birth and so the female with deposit more eggs into the males pouch and in this way their mating season is constant.

Protection Photography and touch: Great care must be taken when viewing and photographing any marine life but these diminutive seahorses are particularly susceptible to damage from poor techniques. It is vital that neither the seahorses nor their gorgonian host are touched in any way and bright constant lights such as flash lights/torches have been shown to disturb the seahorse's natural behaviors. Data deficient: Basically more studies need to be done in order to determine if this species is endangered and needs to be protected. The population trend and total number of mature animals for this species is unknown. It is possible that due to their attractive coloration they may be being collected for aquaria trade. This species is under the Australian Wildlife Protection act and require a permit in order to have them exported.