A new pygmy seahorse (Pisces: Syngnathidae: Hippocampus) from Lord Howe Island

Abstract

A new species of seahorse (Hippocampus colemani) is described from Lord Howe Island off eastern Australia. It can be distinguished from congeners by the following combined features: very small size (to about 23 mm in height), very deep trunk (about 60% in its length), low number of tail rings (27-29) and, most distinctly, a single gill opening, placed dorsally behind the head.