WoRMS taxon details
Hippocampus hippocampus (Linnaeus, 1758)
127380 (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:127380)
accepted
Species
Gasterosteus equus Cabrera, Pérez & Haenseler, 1817 · unaccepted
Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814 · unaccepted
Hippocampus antiquus Risso, 1827 · unaccepted
Hippocampus atrichus De la Pylaie, 1835 · unaccepted > nomen nudum
Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822 · unaccepted
Hippocampus europaeus Ginsburg, 1933 · unaccepted (junior synonym)
Hippocampus heptagonus Rafinesque, 1810 · unaccepted (synonym)
Hippocampus jubatus De la Pylaie, 1835 · unaccepted > nomen nudum
Hippocampus pentagonus Rafinesque, 1810 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Hippocampus vulgaris Cloquet, 1821 · unaccepted
Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted
- Subspecies Hippocampus hippocampus microcoronatus Slastenenko, 1938 accepted as Hippocampus guttulatus microstephanus Slastenenko, 1937 accepted as Hippocampus guttulatus Cuvier, 1829 (unaccepted > superseded combination, change of species)
- Subspecies Hippocampus hippocampus microstephanus Slastenenko, 1937 accepted as Hippocampus guttulatus microstephanus Slastenenko, 1937 accepted as Hippocampus guttulatus Cuvier, 1829 (unaccepted > superseded combination, change of species)
marine, brackish, fresh, terrestrial
(of Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). <i>Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis</i>. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 338 [details] Available for editors
[request]
page(s): 338 [details] Available for editors
[request]
Froese, R. and D. Pauly. Editors. (2026). FishBase. Hippocampus hippocampus (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=127380 on 2026-06-27
Date
action
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The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
Nomenclature
original description
(of Hippocampus heptagonus Rafinesque, 1810) Rafinesque, C. S. (1810). Caratteri di alcuni nuovi generi e nuove specie di animali e piante della sicilia, con varie osservazioni sopra i medisimi. <em>Per le stampe di Sanfilippo: Palermo, Italy.</em> Part 1 involves fishes, pp. [i-iv] 3-69 [70 blank], Part 2 with slightly different title, pp. ia-iva + 71-105 [106 blank]). Pls. 1-20., available online at https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/47825964 [details] 
original description (of Hippocampus europaeus Ginsburg, 1933) Ginsburg, I. (1933). Descriptions of five new species of seahorses. <em>Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences.</em> 23 (12): 560-563. [details]
original description (of Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814) Leach, W. E. ; Nodder, R. P. (1814). The zoological miscellany; being descriptions of new, or interesting animals. <em>The zoological miscellany.</em> E. Nodder & Son, London. v. 1-3: 1-144, 1-160, 1-151, 149 pls. [Pls. 1-50 (v. 1), 51-120 (v. 2), 121-149 (v. 3)]., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.41372
page(s): 104 [details]
original description (of Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822) Schinz, H. R. (1822). Das Thierreich eingetheilt nach dem Bau der Thiere als Grundlage ihrer Naturgeschichte und der vergleichenden Anatomie. <em>Mit vielen Zusätzenversehen von H. R. Schinz. Cotta, Stuttgart & Tübingen.</em> v. 2: i-xvi + 1-835., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.120236 [details]
original description (of Hippocampus vulgaris Cloquet, 1821) Cloquet, H. (1816-30). Pisces accounts. <em>In: Dictionnaire des sciences naturelles.</em> Volumes 1-60. [Initials after accounts correspond to authors given in Vol. 1; fish accounts by Lacepède (L. L.), Duméril (C. D.), Daudin (F. M. D.) and Cloquet (H. C.)]. [Dates for volumes are given by Cassini 1834, Opuscles Phytologiques, p. 47.].
page(s): 178 (v. 21) [details]
original description (of Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). <i>Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis</i>. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 338 [details] Available for editors [request]
basis of record van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 357-374 (look up in IMIS) [details]
original description (of Hippocampus europaeus Ginsburg, 1933) Ginsburg, I. (1933). Descriptions of five new species of seahorses. <em>Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences.</em> 23 (12): 560-563. [details]
original description (of Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814) Leach, W. E. ; Nodder, R. P. (1814). The zoological miscellany; being descriptions of new, or interesting animals. <em>The zoological miscellany.</em> E. Nodder & Son, London. v. 1-3: 1-144, 1-160, 1-151, 149 pls. [Pls. 1-50 (v. 1), 51-120 (v. 2), 121-149 (v. 3)]., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.41372
page(s): 104 [details]
original description (of Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822) Schinz, H. R. (1822). Das Thierreich eingetheilt nach dem Bau der Thiere als Grundlage ihrer Naturgeschichte und der vergleichenden Anatomie. <em>Mit vielen Zusätzenversehen von H. R. Schinz. Cotta, Stuttgart & Tübingen.</em> v. 2: i-xvi + 1-835., available online at https://doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.120236 [details]
original description (of Hippocampus vulgaris Cloquet, 1821) Cloquet, H. (1816-30). Pisces accounts. <em>In: Dictionnaire des sciences naturelles.</em> Volumes 1-60. [Initials after accounts correspond to authors given in Vol. 1; fish accounts by Lacepède (L. L.), Duméril (C. D.), Daudin (F. M. D.) and Cloquet (H. C.)]. [Dates for volumes are given by Cassini 1834, Opuscles Phytologiques, p. 47.].
page(s): 178 (v. 21) [details]
original description (of Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). <i>Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis</i>. Laurentii Salvii. Holmiae [Stockholm]. [iii] + 824 pp. , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 338 [details] Available for editors
[request]basis of record van der Land, J.; Costello, M.J.; Zavodnik, D.; Santos, R.S.; Porteiro, F.M.; Bailly, N.; Eschmeyer, W.N.; Froese, R. (2001). Pisces, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 357-374 (look up in IMIS) [details]
Ecology
ecology source
Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. <em>Scientific Data.</em> 10(1). (look up in IMIS), available online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02745-4 [details]
Other
context source (Schelde)
Maris, T., O. Beauchard, S. Van Damme, E. Van den Bergh, S. Wijnhoven & P. Meire. (2013). Referentiematrices en Ecotoopoppervlaktes Annex bij de Evaluatiemethodiek Schelde-estuarium Studie naar “Ecotoopoppervlaktes en intactness index”. [Reference matrices and Ecotope areas Annex to the Evaluation methodology Scheldt estuary Study on “Ecotope areas and intactness index”. <em>Monitor Taskforce Publication Series, 2013-01. NIOZ: Yerseke.</em> 35 pp. (look up in IMIS) [details]
context source (BeRMS 2020) Bio-environmental research group; Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries research (ILVO), Belgium; (2015): Epibenthos and demersal fish monitoring at long-term monitoring stations in the Belgian part of the North Sea. [details]
additional source Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. <em>Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France.</em> 307 pp., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/145561.pdf [details]
additional source Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W. N. & Van der Laan, R. (eds). (2026). ECoF. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. <em>California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco.</em> Electronic version accessed dd mmm 2026., available online at http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/Ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp [details]
additional source Froese, R. & D. Pauly (Editors). (2026). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. version (04/2025)., available online at https://www.fishbase.org [details]
additional source Iftime, A. (2023). Is Hippocampus hippocampus (Osteichthyes, Syngnathiformes, Syngnathidae) a member of the Romanian ichthyological fauna?. <em>Travaux du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa”.</em> 66(1): 179-184., available online at https://travaux.pensoft.net/article/104882/ [details]
context source (BeRMS 2020) Bio-environmental research group; Institute of Agricultural and Fisheries research (ILVO), Belgium; (2015): Epibenthos and demersal fish monitoring at long-term monitoring stations in the Belgian part of the North Sea. [details]
additional source Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. <em>Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France.</em> 307 pp., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/145561.pdf [details]
additional source Fricke, R., Eschmeyer, W. N. & Van der Laan, R. (eds). (2026). ECoF. Eschmeyer's Catalog of Fishes: Genera, Species, References. <em>California Academy of Sciences. San Francisco.</em> Electronic version accessed dd mmm 2026., available online at http://researcharchive.calacademy.org/research/Ichthyology/catalog/fishcatmain.asp [details]
additional source Froese, R. & D. Pauly (Editors). (2026). FishBase. World Wide Web electronic publication. version (04/2025)., available online at https://www.fishbase.org [details]
additional source Iftime, A. (2023). Is Hippocampus hippocampus (Osteichthyes, Syngnathiformes, Syngnathidae) a member of the Romanian ichthyological fauna?. <em>Travaux du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle “Grigore Antipa”.</em> 66(1): 179-184., available online at https://travaux.pensoft.net/article/104882/ [details]
Present Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio Inaccurate Introduced: alien Containing type locality
From regional or thematic species database
Introduced species vector dispersal Chinese Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) Pathway/vector Other (Ornamental Trade) [details]
| Language | Name | |
|---|---|---|
| Albanian | kali i detit turishkurtër | [details] |
| Basque | itsas zaldi muturmotza | [details] |
| Breton | marc'h vormarc'h hegour | [details] |
| Catalan | cavall de mar xato | [details] |
| Danish | kortsnudet søhest | [details] |
| Dutch | kortsnuitzeepaardje | [details] |
| English | short-snouted seahorseseahorse | [details] |
| French | hippocampe commumhippocampe à nez courthippocampe à museau courthippocampecheval marin | [details] |
| German | Seepferdchen | [details] |
| Hebrew | סוסון-ים ים-תיכוני | [details] |
| Italian | cavalluccio marino | [details] |
| Lithuanian | europinis jūrų arkliukas | [details] |
| Modern Greek (1453-) | Ιππόκαμπος | [details] |
| Portuguese | cavalo-marinho | [details] |
| Romanian | căluţ de mare | [details] |
| Russian | Морской конек длиннорылыйдлиннорылый европейский морской конек | [details] |
| Slovenian | kratkonosi morski konjiček | [details] |
| Spanish | caballito de mar común | [details] |
| Turkish | deniz atı deniz ati | [details] |
| Ukrainian | Морський коник короткорилийМорський коник довгорилий Морський коник | [details] |
BIOTIC
Marine Life Information Network - UK
To Barcode of Life (7 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (155 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (17 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus antiquus Risso, 1827)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (17 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus vulgaris Cloquet, 1821)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (187 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (3 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus pentagonus Rafinesque, 1810)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (32 publications)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (54 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus heptagonus Rafinesque, 1810)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (7 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus europaeus Ginsburg, 1933)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (83 publications) (from synonym Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Hippocampus hippocampus)
To FishBase
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus europaeus Ginsburg, 1933)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus heptagonus Rafinesque, 1810)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus antiquus Risso, 1827)
To FishBase (from synonym Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822)
To FishBase (from synonym Gasterosteus equus Cabrera, Pérez & Haenseler, 1817)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus vulgaris Cloquet, 1821)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus pentagonus Rafinesque, 1810)
To Fishipedia
To FishSounds
To GenBank (224 nucleotides; 162 proteins)
To GenBank (224 nucleotides; 162 proteins) (from synonym Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758)
To IUCN Red List (Data Deficient)
To NHMUK collection (Hippocampus antiquorum Leach in Leach & Nodder, 1814; NHMUK:ecatalogue:3125804) (from synonym Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814)
To NHMUK collection (Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz & Cuvier, 1822; NHMUK:ecatalogue:2506099) (from synonym Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822)
To PESI
To ITIS
Marine Life Information Network - UK
To Barcode of Life (7 barcodes)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (155 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (17 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus antiquus Risso, 1827)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (17 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus vulgaris Cloquet, 1821)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (187 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (3 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus pentagonus Rafinesque, 1810)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (32 publications)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (54 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus heptagonus Rafinesque, 1810)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (7 publications) (from synonym Hippocampus europaeus Ginsburg, 1933)
To Biodiversity Heritage Library (83 publications) (from synonym Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758)
To European Nucleotide Archive, ENA (Hippocampus hippocampus)
To FishBase
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus europaeus Ginsburg, 1933)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus heptagonus Rafinesque, 1810)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus antiquus Risso, 1827)
To FishBase (from synonym Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822)
To FishBase (from synonym Gasterosteus equus Cabrera, Pérez & Haenseler, 1817)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus vulgaris Cloquet, 1821)
To FishBase (from synonym Hippocampus pentagonus Rafinesque, 1810)
To Fishipedia
To FishSounds
To GenBank (224 nucleotides; 162 proteins)
To GenBank (224 nucleotides; 162 proteins) (from synonym Syngnathus hippocampus Linnaeus, 1758)
To IUCN Red List (Data Deficient)
To NHMUK collection (Hippocampus antiquorum Leach in Leach & Nodder, 1814; NHMUK:ecatalogue:3125804) (from synonym Hippocampus antiquorum Leach, 1814)
To NHMUK collection (Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz & Cuvier, 1822; NHMUK:ecatalogue:2506099) (from synonym Hippocampus brevirostris Schinz, 1822)
To PESI
To ITIS
