About Hippocampus bargibanti Whitley, 1970
This species, commonly known as Bargibant's pygmy seahorse, has the scientific name Hippocampus bargibanti Whitley, 1970. It is a tiny seahorse that measures less than one inch (2 cm) in length. It lives exclusively on gorgonian corals, and its natural camouflage is so effective that it is extremely difficult to spot among its host. This camouflage even delayed the formal scientific discovery of the species: the species was only found when a host coral was being examined in a laboratory. In 1969, New Caledonian scientist Georges Bargibant was collecting Muricella gorgonian specimens for the Nouméa museum, and he happened to spot a pair of these tiny seahorses on the coral while it was on his examination table. The following year, Whitley officially named the species Bargibant's pygmy seahorse in his honor. Large, bulbous tubercles, or knobs, cover the seahorse's body. These tubercles match the color and shape of the polyps of its host gorgonian coral, while the seahorse's main body matches the color and shape of the gorgonian's stem. The seahorse wraps its long prehensile tail around the gorgonian stem for stability. This close matching of the seahorse's coloration and tubercles to its host Muricella gorgonian provides effective camouflage from predators. It is currently unknown whether individual pygmy seahorses can change color if they move to a different sea fan, although other seahorse species such as Hippocampus whitei do have the ability to change color to match their surroundings. Other distinctive characteristics of this pygmy seahorse include a fleshy head and body, a very short snout, and a long prehensile tail. Bargibant's pygmy seahorse is distributed across coastal areas ranging from southern Japan and Indonesia to northern Australia and New Caledonia, where it lives on reefs and slopes at depths between 10 and 40 metres (33–131 ft). Adult Bargibant's pygmy seahorses are usually found in pairs or groups of pairs, and up to 28 individuals have been recorded on a single gorgonian coral. The species may be monogamous. Like all other seahorses, male Bargibant's pygmy seahorses carry the species' developing young. Breeding occurs year-round. The female lays her eggs into a brood pouch located on the male's trunk region. The male fertilizes the eggs, then incubates them until birth. Gestation averages two weeks. Among seahorse species, the brood pouch of male Bargibant's pygmy seahorse is unusually deep inside the body. One underwater observation recorded a male expelling a brood of 34 live young during birth. The newly born young, or fry, look like miniature versions of adult seahorses. They are independent immediately after birth, receive no further parental care, and are dark in color.
