Hippocampus reidi

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	SYNGNATHIFORMES	SYNGNATHIDAE

Scientific Name:

Hippocampus reidi

Species Authority:

Ginsburg, 1933

Common Name/s:

English

–

Longsnout Seahorse, Slender Seahorse

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Data Deficient ver 3.1

Year Published:

2003

Assessor/s:

Project Seahorse

Reviewer/s:

Marsden, A.D., Foster, S.J. & Vincent, A.C.J. (Syngnathid Red List Authority)

Contributor/s:

Justification:
There are no published data about population trends or total numbers of mature animals for this species. There is very little available information about its extent of occurrence or its area of occupancy. There have been no quantitative analyses examining the probability of extinction of this species. As a result, the assessors have insufficient data to properly assess the species against any of the IUCN criteria.

Hippocampus reidi previously was listed in 1996 as VU A2cd under the 1994 criteria. This assessment was based on suspected past declines in occupancy, occurrence and habitat, as well as on potential levels of exploitation. In reassessing the species under the new criteria and with greater taxonomic understanding we find that no appropriate data on biology and ecology, habitat, abundance or distribution are available for this species. Further research is needed. Assessed as Data Deficient under the new criteria.

History:

1996

–

Vulnerable

Geographic Range [top]

Countries:	Native: Bahamas; Barbados; Belize; Bermuda; Brazil; Colombia; Cuba; Grenada; Haiti; Jamaica; Panama; United States (Florida, North Carolina); Venezuela
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Atlantic – southwest; Atlantic – western central
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	During Project Seahorse trade surveys conducted between 2000–2001, fishers in Brazil, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama reported decreases in the catch of seahorses both in trawls (as bycatch) and by divers (J. Baum and I. Rosa, unpublished data), but the portion of these declines attributable to H. reidi is unknown.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	Vari (1982) reports H. reidi at depths as great as 55 m. Small individuals tend to be found in shallower water than large animals (Dauwe 1993). It has been found on gorgonian corals, seagrass, mangroves and Sargassum (Lieske and Myers 1994). Hippocampus reidi are pair-bonded in the wild (B. Dauwe and M. Nijhoff in litt. to Lourie et al. 1999). This species may be particularly susceptible to decline. All seahorse species have vital parental care, and many species studied to date have high site fidelity (Perante et al. 2002, Vincent et al., in review), highly structured social behaviour (Vincent and Sadler 1995), and relatively sparse distributions (Lourie et al. 1999). The importance of life history parameters in determining response to exploitation has been demonstrated for a number of species (Jennings et al. 1998).
Systems:	Marine

Habitat and Ecology:

Vari (1982) reports H. reidi at depths as great as 55 m. Small individuals tend to be found in shallower water than large animals (Dauwe 1993). It has been found on gorgonian corals, seagrass, mangroves and Sargassum (Lieske and Myers 1994). Hippocampus reidi are pair-bonded in the wild (B. Dauwe and M. Nijhoff in litt. to Lourie et al. 1999).

This species may be particularly susceptible to decline. All seahorse species have vital parental care, and many species studied to date have high site fidelity (Perante et al. 2002, Vincent et al., in review), highly structured social behaviour (Vincent and Sadler 1995), and relatively sparse distributions (Lourie et al. 1999). The importance of life history parameters in determining response to exploitation has been demonstrated for a number of species (Jennings et al. 1998).

Systems:

Marine

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Hippocampus reidi are collected and traded in the Americas as aquarium fishes, folk medicine, curiosities and for religious purposes (Rosa et al. 2002). The volume of this trade is unknown, as there is confusion between this species and a similar one, H. erectus. Without appropriate management this trade might represent a threat to the species. H. reidi are also taken as bycatch in shrimp trawl fisheries in the U.S., Mexico and Central America (Rosa et al. 2002). A study of bycatch in Florida found that most seahorses in bycatch were H. erectus; this suggests that H. reidi may not be as susceptible to trawling as H. erectus, possibly because of habitat differences. Hippocampus reidi is considered threatened in the United States by the American Fisheries Society (AFS) (Musick et al. 2000). They cite the species' rarity and degradation of its seagrass habitats in South Florida as reasons for this listing. While this status may apply on a national level, we did not find information that would justify such a listing for the species as a whole.

Major Threat(s):

Hippocampus reidi are collected and traded in the Americas as aquarium fishes, folk medicine, curiosities and for religious purposes (Rosa et al. 2002). The volume of this trade is unknown, as there is confusion between this species and a similar one, H. erectus. Without appropriate management this trade might represent a threat to the species. H. reidi are also taken as bycatch in shrimp trawl fisheries in the U.S., Mexico and Central America (Rosa et al. 2002). A study of bycatch in Florida found that most seahorses in bycatch were H. erectus; this suggests that H. reidi may not be as susceptible to trawling as H. erectus, possibly because of habitat differences.

Hippocampus reidi is considered threatened in the United States by the American Fisheries Society (AFS) (Musick et al. 2000). They cite the species' rarity and degradation of its seagrass habitats in South Florida as reasons for this listing. While this status may apply on a national level, we did not find information that would justify such a listing for the species as a whole.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	The entire genus Hippocampus was listed in Appendix II of CITES in November 2002. Implementation of this listing will begin May 2004. The export of syngnathids from Mexico is effectively banned. Permits or licenses are required to export dried syngnathids from Honduras and Nicaragua, and to export live syngnathids from Panama, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Further research on this species biology, ecology, habitat, abundance and distribution is needed.

Conservation Actions:

The entire genus Hippocampus was listed in Appendix II of CITES in November 2002. Implementation of this listing will begin May 2004. The export of syngnathids from Mexico is effectively banned. Permits or licenses are required to export dried syngnathids from Honduras and Nicaragua, and to export live syngnathids from Panama, Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala and Nicaragua. Further research on this species biology, ecology, habitat, abundance and distribution is needed.

Citation:	Project Seahorse 2003. Hippocampus reidi. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 19 June 2013.
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