Denise's Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus denise) Solomon Islands

Denise’s Pygmy Seahorse
Hippocampus denise
Video: 1.5 minutes
Cameras: 1998 Sony VX1000, Amphibico Housing (NTSC)
2007 Sony A1U, Amphibico Housing (1080i)
On November 9, 1998, while aboard the “Spirit of Solomons” (sister ship to the “Bilikiki”), we learned that a tiny pink seahorse had been spotted on a sea fan at Kokuana Island, New Georgia at a depth of 40’. After a long, tedious search with a flashlight our guide spotted one and pointed it out to me. I couldn’t see it. I had no idea it would be so tiny - less than ½” with its tail wrapped around the sea fan and it was perfectly camouflaged pink-on-pink.
When I reviewed the video, I knew it was not the well-known Bargibant’s Seahorse and was probably a new species. I would have loved to describe a new species of seahorse, but I didn’t have a collecting permit, nor would I want to remove an animal that was so special for Bilikiki divers to see. We also didn’t know if this species was extremely rare or just hard to spot, but in fact it has turned out to be fairly common, if you know where to look.
In 1997, Denise and Larry Tackett wrote an article for Asian Diver magazine about pygmy seahorses in Indonesia, and in 1999 brought this new species to the attention of Sara Lourie (“Project Seahorse”, McGill University). In 2003, Sara and Jack Randall described this seahorse as Hippocampus denise. We contributed our Solomons observations to provide additional geographic data for their publication. This species has also been reported from the Great Barrier Reef, PNG, Vanuatu, Palau and Pohnpei, and is likely to be found elsewhere.

[@underwatermarvels3206]

Super!

[@DrPaddyRyan]

Very cool - tripod?