Currently Recognized Hippocampus Species and Common Names
There
are currently around thirty-five recognized seahorse species.
Seahorses are part of the family syngnathidae (pronounced
sing-nath-i-dee), which means "fused jaw". All seahorses
belong to the genus Hippocampus. Below are the scientific
name and most commonly accepted common names. Because common
names can be quite confusing and vary quite a bit, it is best
to always use the scientific name of a species.
Note: Seahorse genetics is just
beginning to be fully understood, and as a result, seahorse
taxonomy is constantly changing. Seahorse.org does its
best to stay on top of these changes, but if you see
anything in error, please let marc
know.
References:
Hall Heather J., Lourie Sara A., & Vincent Amanda
C.J. 1999. Seahorses: An Identification Guide to the
World's Species and Their Conservation. Project Seahorse.
Kuiter Rudie H. 2000. Seahorses, Pipefishes and Their
Relatives. TMC Publishing.
There
are currently around thirty-five recognized seahorse species.
Seahorses are part of the family syngnathidae (pronounced
sing-nath-i-dee), which means "fused jaw". All seahorses
belong to the genus Hippocampus. Below are the scientific
name and most commonly accepted common names. Because common
names can be quite confusing and vary quite a bit, it is best
to always use the scientific name of a species.