Pontoh's Pygmy Seahorse

Hippocampus pontohi

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Actinopterygii
Order: Syngnathiformes
Family: Syngnathidae
Genus: Hippocampus
Species: Hippocampus pontohi

Pontoh's pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus pontohi) is a tiny, free-living pygmy seahorse that lives among hydroids and algae on reef walls rather than on a single sea fan. It is usually white to pale yellow or pinkish, sometimes with darker patches.

It reaches only about 1.5-2 cm. It clings to hydroids, coralline algae and fine growth on walls and overhangs, feeding on tiny crustaceans, and is often found in pairs. It was named after Hence Pontoh, the dive guide who first found it.

Pontoh's pygmy seahorse is known from the western Pacific, including the Philippines, where sharp-eyed guides find it on walls and steep reef slopes.