Hippocampus angustus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	ACTINOPTERYGII	SYNGNATHIFORMES	SYNGNATHIDAE

Scientific Name:

Hippocampus angustus

Species Authority:

Günther, 1870

Common Name/s:

English

–

Narrow-bellied Seahorse

Synonym/s:

Hippocampus erinaceus

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:

Data Deficient ver 3.1

Year Assessed:

2002

Assessor/s

Project Seahorse

Evaluator/s:

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

Justification:
The species assessed as H. angustus in 1996 is now recognized as H. subelongatus. In assessing the species now identified as H. angustus we found that appropriate data on biology and ecology, habitat, abundance and distribution are not available for this species. Further research is needed.

History:

1996	–	Vulnerable (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
1996	–	Vulnerable (Baillie and Groombridge 1996)

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	Very little is known about the species that is now recognised as H. angustus.
Countries:	Native: Australia (Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia)
FAO Marine Fishing Areas:	Native: Indian Ocean – eastern; Pacific – western central

Population [top]

Population:	Unknown.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	The species has been trawled from depths of 3-63 m (Lourie et al. 1999) and has also been collected from algal reef habitat from 12-25 m depth (Kuiter 2000). 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:

The species has been trawled from depths of 3-63 m (Lourie et al. 1999) and has also been collected from algal reef habitat from 12-25 m depth (Kuiter 2000). 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):	This species is known to be caught as by-catch in trawls in northern Australia (S. Lourie, pers. comm.).

Major Threat(s):

This species is known to be caught as by-catch in trawls in northern Australia (S. Lourie, pers. comm.).

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	H. angustus was moved under the Australian Wildlife Protection Act in 1998. Further research on this species is needed

Conservation Actions:

H. angustus was moved under the Australian Wildlife Protection Act in 1998. Further research on this species is needed

Citation:	Project Seahorse 2002. Hippocampus angustus. In: IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 04 December 2008.
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