Photo Courtesy of John Sear
The title for smallest of the small goes to Satomi’s Pygmy Seahorse. A max size of only 1.4cm, its no surprise this species went so long without being discovered. It is found in scattered locations throughout Indonesia, and are extremely difficult to spot even in known locations.
Habitat
H. satomiae seems to prefer seafans. It is found at depths of 15 – 20 meters in groups of 3 – 5 individuals.
Range
Sparse Indonesian locals. Found in Derawan, and Lembeh Strait. Also found in northern Borneo, Malaysia.
Description
Extremely small, no larger than 1.4cm. Spines covering entire body. Round trunk in both males and females. Large eyes relative to head size. white to pale brown or greyish base colour; black spot immediately anterior to eye. May have red highlights on or around gills.
Life Cycle
Birth has been observed in the wild. Young are born around down and are 3mm in size, and very dark. Pelagic young settle near the adults. 8 embroyos were found in the pouch of the male used for describing the species.
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