Hippocampus+comes

 ** Tiger tail seahorse **
 * //Hippocampus comes// (Cantor, 1849) **

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//“It’s the only fish that holds your hand,” says Dr Amanda Vincent, seahorse expert and co-founder of Project Seahorse. A member of these extremely charismatic and intriguing creatures, Hippocampus comes, more commonly known as the Tiger tail seahorse by virtue of its alternately-striped tail, is the most ideal mate and dad an individual (seahorse) could ever wish for, and could be found close to home on Singapore’s shores. Read on to find out more!//

=ETYMOLOGY =

The genus epithet 'Hippocampus' stems from greek mythology referring to a mythical creature with the head and forequarters of a horse and the tail of dolphin or a fish, on which sea gods rode 1]. In greek, 'hippos' means horse while 'campus' means sea-monster 2] .

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=**INTERESTING FACTS** =

#2: It has no stomach or teeth, and feeds on prey through suction-feeding 3]. #3: It is traded in both live and dried forms, and commonly used in traditional Chinese medicine 4]. **__In Singapore...__** according to the Singapore Red Data Book, the Tiger tail seahorse is usually found in coral reefs, mainly around the Southern Islands 5]. //H. comes// is listed among the threatened animals of Singapore. *Pictures displayed show //H.comes// found in its natural habitat on Singapore's shores. || ||
 * [[image:hcomes(pulau_hantu).jpg width="278" height="278" align="center" caption="Location: Pulau Hantu. Photograph courtesy of Ria Tan, 2004."]] || [[image:hippocampus_comes.jpg width="351" height="276" align="center" caption="Location: Tanah Merah. Photograph courtesy of Ria Tan, 2010."]] || [[image:hcomes(beting_bemban_basar).jpg width="279" height="279" align="center" caption="Location: Beting Bemban Besar. Photograph courtesy of Ria Tan, 2011."]] ||
 * [[image:hcomes_(hantu).jpg width="273" height="279" caption="Location: Pulau Hantu. Photograph courtesy of Debby Ng, 2008."]] || #1: The male seahorse carries the eggs during pregnancy and gives birth to live young 3] !
 * [[image:hcomes(labrador).jpg width="281" height="281" align="center" caption="Location: Labrador. Photograph courtesy of Ria Tan, 2005."]] || [[image:female_hcomes.jpg width="361" height="284" align="center" caption="Location: Pulau Semakau. Photograph courtesy of Ron Yeo @ tidechaser.blogspot.com."]] || [[image:hcomes_(sisters_island).jpg width="282" height="282" align="center" caption="Location: Sisters' Island. Photograph courtesy of Ria Tan, 2010."]] ||

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=**BIOLOGY** =

__**Diet and feeding habits**__
The fry feed on zooplankton, mainly copepods, while adults prefer to catch benthic organisms (Amphipoda, Palaemonidae) 6]. //H. comes// ambushes prey by suction-feeding <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7]. media type="youtube" key="8jxs4LWSNFU" height="315" width="420" align="center"

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> *Video above by torvaanser, showing the Tigertail seahorse at Singapore's southern islands. At 0:17, suction-feeding by the seahorse can be observed.

==<span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**Reproduction**__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> == <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Mating behaviour includes promenading and partnered revolution around holdfast structure <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7]. The male seahorse exhibits specialized paternal care of young after the female seahorse deposits her eggs into the male’s brood pouch to be fertilized 8]. The male protects and nourishes the young in the pouch, provides oxygen through a capillary network and osmoregulates the developing embryos<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;"> 8]. After about 2 to 3 weeks,the male actively forces the young out of its pouch, that are thereafter entirely independent of the adults <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">8], 9]. The male seahorse goes through more than one pregnancy in a breeding season.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> In its natural environment, //H. comes// spawns throughout the year but the peak spawning season varies according to their distribution - in Viet Nam, peak spawning lasts from August to November, but in Philippines it is later - from September to December<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;"> 6].

<span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**Life History**__
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The gestation duration spans a period of 2 to 3 weeks, producing a brood size of approximately 200 to 300 eggs with diameter averaging 1.4mm 6], 10]. The length of //H. comes// at birth averages 9 mm and it is planktonic immediately after birth 10]. The first maturing size of // H. comes //is 119 mm in Viet Nam and 102 mm in Philippines <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">6]. Its breeding season has been observed to be year round in central Philippines but the peak spawning season varies according to their distribution. The life expectancy of //H. comes// is approximately 2.6 - 3.7 years <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7].

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= ECOLOGY =

<span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**Habitat**__
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Tiger tail seahorses are mainly found in coral reefs, sponges and seagrasses, at a depth of 10-20 m <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">6], 11]. Juveniles prefer to live amongst macroalgal habitats such as Sargassum and move to corals and sponges upon maturation <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">8], 12]. Seahorse fry are pelagic and settle to the bottom when they are 35-40 mm <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">6]. Such ontogenic changes in habitat association suggest that //H. comes// experiences fitness trade-offs that vary with size; juveniles may associate with habitat that reduces predation (it may be difficult to distinguish the spiny, generally brown and mottled juvenile from Sargassum spp. fronds), while larger individuals may use distinct microhabitat in reef zones to optimize reproductive success (the distinct striped colouration of the adult contrasts with the appearance and form of holdfasts that include sponges and coral heads and hence increases its prominence to potential mates) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">12].
 * [[image:h.comes5.jpg width="305" height="234" align="left" caption="On coral reef edge. Location: Pulau Semakau. Photograph courtesy of Ron Yeo @ tidechaser.blogspot.com"]] || [[image:hcomes.jpg width="306" height="237" align="left" caption="Amongst sponges. Location: Pulau Semakau. Photograph courtesy of Ron Yeo @ tidechaser.blogspot.com"]] || [[image:hcomes(seagrass2).jpg width="310" height="237" align="left" caption="Amongst seagrasses. Location: Pulau Semakau. Photograph courtesy of Ron Yeo @ tidechaser.blogspot.com"]] ||

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Behaviour** __
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">// H. comes //form partnerships that are sexually monogamous, accepting eggs only from one female <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">8]. Female //H. comes// may have remained faithful to the same partner because finding a new mate would be time-consuming in a population with widespread pairing, and would also be energetically costly and dangerous in terms of predation and physical damage<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;"> 8]. Male and female partners perform an early morning dance together which may help in maintaining their monogamous relationship <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">13]. <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Pairs apparently come together at dusk and separate at dawn <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7].

<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> This species also exhibits fidelity to a small home range, which could probably be associated with their limited swimming speed or attributed to advantages provided such as increased feeding success and survival as a result of familiarity with their surroundings, easier relocation of their mate, and facilitating crypsis <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">8]. It has also been proposed that finding a mate may be a precursor to site fidelity as seahorses have been observed to relocate when single and become site-faithful when in a pair 8].

<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> In the Philippines//, H. comes// has been observed to be nocturnal in activity – staying within or under structure by day and rising up to grasp holdfasts at night, which could be the result of direct fishing pressure in the day selecting for a nocturnal behavioural shift in //H. comes//, <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">8].

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Like other seahorses, //H. comes// is better suited to maneuverability than speed, with only the dorsal fin on its back providing the propulsion for its movement while its pectoral fins below the gill opening are used for stability and steering <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">1].

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<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> *Video above by PhuketPRN, showing the Tigertail seahorse swimming at Richlieu Rock, Thailand.

__<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">**Ecological roles** __

 * Preyed upon by crabs, large pelagic fish and humans 1].
 * Important predators on bottom-dwelling organisms; therefore removing them may disrupt ecosystems.

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=<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**DISTRIBUTION** =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Wild //H. comes// have been confirmed in Indonesia (south Sumatra, south Kalimantan), Malaysia (Johor, Penang), Singapore, Thailand (west coast) and Viet Nam (Khan Hoa) and the Philippines <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7].



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 * =<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**THREATS** = || =<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**CONSERVATION** = ||
 * * __**Overfishing:**__ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> In the Philippines, populations are targeted by breath-hold fishers and compressor divers for medicinal and aquarium trade uses <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7]. 14].
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**Incidental Catch:**__ //H. comes// is taken incidentally in illegal gears such as Danish seines and small trawls that target shrimp, prawn and pelagic fishes. Legal gears such as push nets, crab traps, gill nets and enclosure pens also take //H. comes// <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7].
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**Habitat Damage:**__ Destructive blast- and cyanide-fishing occur throughout the species’ range, as does coral damage, siltation and sewage pollution <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7].
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**Management Capacity:**__ Minimal resources for management and considerable human dependence on marine resources presently hinder effective stewardship <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">7].

|| **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__Current status__ ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">// H. comes // is listed as Vulnerable [VU A2cd (2001)] in IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a precautionary listing inferring overall numerical declines of 30 - 50% 7]. It has also been listed on CITES Appendix II in May 2004 7].

**__Conservation action__** //H. comes// has been listed with all seahorse species(genus Hippocampus on CITES Appendix II, implemented on 15 May 2004.The 167 signatory Parties (countries) must certify, at the national level, that seahorse exports are not detrimental to wild populations and were legally acquired 7].

In the Philippines, the domestic Fisheries Code has been interpreted as banning collection of species listed on all CITES Appendices, despite the intended sustainable use provisions of Appendix II. In Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand, no policy identifies species-level protection for //H. comes// although de facto security may be offered through fisheries and marine park legislation 7].

**__Project Seahorse__** This is a marine conservation group dedicated to ensuring the long-term persistence of wild seahorses and their habitats, while still respecting human rights and aspirations. Conservation-related activities thus far include managing fisheries and adjusting supplies, monitoring and adjusting consumption, policy development, biological research, education and dissemination of information 1].

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In this video, produced by Invasive Films, the leaders of Project Seahorse - Dr. Heather Koldewey and Dr. Amanda Vincent, talk about seahorses, the threats they face, and how Project Seahorse's work to protect them advances the broader cause of marine conservation.

To learn more about Project Seahorse, visit their main website at: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">[|Project Seahorse] ||

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=<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**TAXONAVIGATION** =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"><span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Kingdom: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Animalia <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Phylum:<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Chordata <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Subphylum: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Vertebrata <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Superclass: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Osteichthyes <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Class: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Actinopteygii <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Subclass: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Neopterygii <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Infraclass: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Teleostei <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Superorder: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Acanthopterygii <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Order: <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Gasterosteiformes <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Suborder: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Syngnathoidei <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Family: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Syngnathidae <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Subfamily: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Hippocampinae <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Genus: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Hippocampus (Rafinesque, 1810) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Species: <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> //Hippocampus comes// (Cantor, 1849)

<span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [Retrieved 9 November 2011, from: [|Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS),]]

The original name of //H. comes// is the same as its current name. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">//H. comes// has commonly been synonymised with //H. kuda// but this is not supported by genetic and morphometric data <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">10].

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=<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**DESCRIPTION** =

<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Commonly black or brown with yellow saddle shapes on their dorsal surface and yellow stripes on the tail.The snout length is about equal to the length of the rest of the head. The coronet is low with 5 rounded knob-like points, and all junctions of body ridges are surmounted by knob-like tubercles of approximately equal size. Double cheek spines border the throat at the base of the cleithral ring and double spines are usually present above the eye. <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">*The specific details below have been extracted from Lourie et al., 2004.
 * ==<span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">__**Adult**__ ==

<span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Maximum recorded adult height__: 18.7 cm <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Trunk rings__: 11 <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Tail rings__: 35–36 (34–37) <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Height Length/Snout Length__: 2.2 (1.9–2.5) <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Rings supporting dorsal fin__: 2 trunk rings and 1 tail ring <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Dorsal fin rays__: 18 (17–19) <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Pectoral fin rays__: 17 (16–19) <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Coronet__: Small and low, with five distinct rounded knobs or spines <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Spines__: Range from knob-like and blunt to well-developed and sharp; often with dark band near tip <span style="color: #231f20; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__Colour/pattern__: Commonly hues of yellow and black, sometimes alternating; striped tail (may not be visible in dark specimens); mottled or blotched pattern on body; may have fine white lines radiating from eye

<span style="color: #30689a; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">__**Juvenile**__
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">Resembles a miniature version of the adult seahorse <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">10], but possesses a reduced caudal fin that is subsequently lost in adults <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 80%; vertical-align: super;">9]. || ||

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">The original description of //H. comes// by Theodore Edward Cantor in 1849 can be found as follows:
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Original Name: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">//Hippocampus comes// 1849 ||
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal Acronym: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">JASB ||
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Journal and Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal ||
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Article: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Catalogue of Malayan fishes. ||
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Citation: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">v. 18 (pt 2) ||
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pages: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">i-xii + 983-1443 ||
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Drawings: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pls. 1-14 ||
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Text Page: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1371 [389] ||
 * <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Illustrations: || <span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pl. 11 (fig. 2) ||

*For a better view of the original illustration, click on the image on the right.

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=<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**DIAGNOSIS** =

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> //*H. comes// can be commonly confused with the similarly-sized //Hippocampus kuda// or //Hippocampus spinosissimus//, but information on its diagnosis can help to identify it correctly. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Distinctive characteristics of //H. comes// include the presence of double cheek spines, double spines below and sometimes above the eye, a prominent and sharp nose spine, and a long and slender snout 10]. On the other hand, //H. kuda// has a deep head and body, a single rounded cheek spine and a thick snout 10]. //H. kuda// also lacks the distinctive markings of //H. comes//. Another similar looking species to //H. comes// would be //H. spinosissimus//. However, compared to //H. comes//, //H. spinosissimus// has a thicker snout, more tail rings and a higher coronet with longer spines. Its spines are more pronounced and lack the dark band of //H. comes//, and its cheek spines are usually single 10].
 * = **Characteristic** ||= **//H. comes//** ||= **//H. kuda//** ||= **//H. spinosissimus//** ||
 * = Coronet ||= Low, with 5 knobs ||= <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Rounded, turned back, may have broad flanges ||= Raised, with 4 to 5 points ||
 * = Nose spine ||= <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Prominent ||= Low or none ||= Low or none ||
 * = <span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; text-align: center;">Cheek spines ||= 2 ||= 1, rounded ||= 1 or 2 ||
 * = Snout ||= Long and sender ||= Thicker ||= Thicker ||
 * = **Diagram** ||= [[image:hcomes_diagram.jpg width="276" height="223" caption="Morphology of male and female H. comes (Lourie et al., 2004) - Approval pending"]] ||= [[image:kuda_ps.jpg width="269" height="222" caption="Morphology of male and female H. kuda (Lourie et al., 2004) - Approval pending"]] ||= [[image:H._spinosissmus.jpg width="272" height="222" caption="Morphology of male and female H. spinosissimus (Lourie et al., 2004) - Approval pending"]] ||

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=<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**TYPE INFORMATION** =

<span style="color: #008080; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">*A holotype is the original specimen which the formal description of a new species is based on and is useful for validation purposes in future taxonomic work, such as in the identification of a newly-collected specimen. Type information on //H. comes// will allow other researchers to know where to look for it should the need arises.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Type locality: Sea of Pinang [Penang], Malaysia. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Holotype (unique): BMNH 1982.6.17.9 [ex 1860.3.19.532]

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The holotype of //H. comes// can be found in The Natural History Museum, London, England, located at Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, UK.

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=<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**LITERATURE CITED** =

> []
 * 1) Lourie, S. A., Vincent, A. C. J. & Hall, H. J., 1999. Seahorses: an identification guide to the world's species and their conservation. Project Seahorse, London. 214 p.
 * 2) Borror, D. J., 1960. Dictionary of word roots and combining forms. Mayfield Publishing Company, Palo Alto, California. Retrieved 11 November 2011, from[| http://www.turuz.info/Sozluk/0271-Dictionary%20of%20word%20roots%20and%20combining%20forms%281960%29%283.659KB%29.pdf]
 * 3) Project Seahorse, 2011. Why Seahorses? - Essential facts about seahorses. Retrieved 15 November 2011, from []
 * 4) Foster, S. J. (2008) Making non-detriment findings for seahorses, //Hippocampus// spp. Case study for International Expert Workshop on CITES Non-Detriment Findings. Cancun, Mexico. Retrieved 15 November 2011, from
 * 1) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Davidson, G.W.H. and P. K. L. Ng and Ho Hua Chew, 2008. //The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened plants and animals of Singapore//. Nature Society (Singapore). 285 pp.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, 2010. //Hippocampus comes// (Cantor, 1849) . Retrieved 9 November 2011, from<span class="wiki_link_ext"> []
 * 3) Morgan, S. K. & Lourie, S. A., 2006. Threatened Fishes of the World: //Hippocampus comes// Cantor 1850 (Syngnathidae). Environmental Biology of Fishes, 75:311-313.
 * 4) Perante, N. C., M.G. Pajaro, Meeuwig, J. J. & Vincent, A. C. J., 2002. Biology of a seahorse species //Hippocampus comes// in the central Philippines. Journal of Fish Biology, 60: 821–837.
 * 5) <span class="wiki_link_ext" style="font-size: 110%;">Foster, S. J. & Vincent, A. C. J., 2004. Life history and ecology of seahorses: Implications for conservation and management. Journal of Fish Biology, 65:1-61.
 * 6) Lourie, S. A., Foster S.J., Cooper, E.W.T., & Vincent, A.C.J., 2004. //A Guide to the Identification of Seahorses.// Project Seahorse and TRAFFIC North America, Washington D.C.: University of British Columbia and World Wildlife Fund.
 * 7) Project Seahorse 2002. //Hippocampus comes//. In: IUCN 2011. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2011.2. Retrieved 15 November 2011, from [|www.iucnredlist.org]
 * 8) Morgan, S. K. & Vincent, A. C. J. (2007), The ontogeny of habitat associations in the tropical tiger tail seahorse //Hippocampus comes// Cantor, 1850. Journal of Fish Biology, 71: 701–724.
 * 9) Vincent, A. C. J., 1995. A role for daily greetings in maintaining seahorse pair bonds. Animal Behaviour, 49:258-260.
 * 10) <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Vincent, A.C.J. 1996. The International Trade in Seahorses. TRAFFIC International, Cambridge, UK. 163 pp.

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=<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**RELATED LINKS** =

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|ARKive] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [|Catalogue of Life] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [|Encyclopedia of Life] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [|FAO] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [|FishBase] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [|FISHWISE Species Detail Page] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [|GenBank] <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [|The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species] <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> [|Wild Singapore]

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=<span style="color: #ce1f50; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 120%;">**COMMENTS** =

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