Tyro Seahorse

This species is distinguished by the following characters: D 15; pectoral rays 14-15; rings on trunk 14; tail 38; subdorsal 3; subdorsal spines 4, forming a square, the dorsal 2 enlarged; spines blunt and moderate in size in trunk and tail ridges; third and seventh superior trunk spines, and fourth, eighth, and eleventh superior tail spines enlarged, with a slender, leaf-like filament; slender body, the maximum trunk depth (at seventh trunk ring) 11.2 in TL; depth of tail at third tail ring 23 in TL; trunk length 3.2 in TL; head at right angle to trunk as photographed (80° in preserved specimen); head length 6.2 in TL; snout length 2.2 in HL; eye diameter 6.25 in HL; suborbital 1, supraorbital 2, and 2 nose spines; coronet oval and cuplike in dorsal view, with a rugose spine to each side, followed by a narrow median ridge; anterior edges of coronet converging to a low, arrow-like, median spine; shoulder ridge continuous middorsally, followed by crest-like ridge; gill opening a single middorsal slit in neck ridge between coronet and collar of shoulder ridge; color when preservative uniform greyish white; when fresh light brown with whitish blotches, grading to light orangish brown posteriorly on tail, and to whitish ventrally on head and trunk; trunk and tail ridge spines white; filaments on spines dark brown. This species differs from H. pusillus in having a much greater head depth, 38 (vs.34) tail rings, and 14 or 15 (vs. 12 or 13) pectoral rays (Ref. 82040).

Male carries the eggs in a brood pouch (Ref. 205).

Dorsal soft rays (total): 15

Collected from coarse calcareous sand and coral (82040).

Hippocampus tyro is a seahorse, a fish in the family Syngnathidae. The species is only known from a single specimen caught off of the coast of the Seychelles at a depth of between 43 and 48m.