Hippocampus histrix

Spiny seahorse
Conservation status
Vulnerable  (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Actinopterygii
Order:	Syngnathiformes
Family:	Syngnathidae
Genus:	Hippocampus
Species:	H. histrix
Binomial name
Hippocampus histrix Kaup, 1856

The spiny seahorse (Hippocampus histrix), also referred to as the thorny seahorse, is a seahorse in the family Syngnathidae (seahorses and pipefishes) of the order Syngnathiformes. H. histrix is found in seagrass beds as well as weedy or spongy reefs in the Indo-Pacific and has one of the largest species ranges of any seahorse. It occasionally makes its way into the aquarium trade. It grows to a size of 17 cm in length.

Conservation

H. histrix is listed as vulnerable by both the IUCN^[1] and the Viet Nam National Red Data Book. Trade of this species is limited under CITES, requiring licenses and a minimum size limit to be met. Like many other species of seahorse, H. histrix is increasingly threatened by traditional and patented Chinese medicine.

References

• "Thorny Seahorse (H, histrix')". Project Seahorse. Retrieved 6 Sep 2012. 
• Froese, Rainer and Pauly, Daniel, eds. (2012). "Hippocampus histrix" in FishBase. Septembler 2012 version.

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  Spiny seahorse from East Timor