The fish species known as the crowned seahorse, Hippocampus coronatus, belongs to the Syngnathidae family. Japan is home to it. Subtidal watery beds are its native environment. Only 1 or 2 of them can be discovered under coral glows, and they are almost always seen alongside other animals. In Endless Ocean, for example, a threadfin butterflyfish is usually their closest companion.
The tall, backward-curving crown on top of its head and the peculiar, uneven spines that sprout from its body are what give this Japanese seahorse its common name. Along the back, the skin is yellowish, dark brown, and black. Like other seahorses, it has a prehensile tail, eyes that can move independently of one another, and a head that is held at a right angle to the body. Unlike most fish, seahorses don’t have scales; instead, a layer of skin is stretched over their bone plates, which resemble rings around the stem. The dorsal fin rapidly oscillates, propelling the animal forward, while the pectoral fins on either side of the body function as rudders.
The total number of crowned seahorses, their population patterns, and their main dangers are all poorly understood. As a result, it is listed on the IUCN Red List 2006 as Data Deficient. Project Seahorse’s trade surveys from 2000 and 2001 show that commerce in this species is not very large. Furthermore, although it may be accidentally taken as bycatch, no fishery in Japanese seas has the crowned seahorse as a target species.
Description
These strange fish have extraordinarily long tails and long, narrow bodies. Their skulls have a noticeable protuberance, and their snouts are cylindrical. Crowned seahorses are year-round residents of Manoa Lai and come in a wide range of colors.
These creatures have “body rings” on their bodies, which are hard, rough bones. They lack pelvic or tail fins and have short pectoral and dorsal fins. They can’t swim very well because of this, thus they prefer to reside in locations with calm currents.
Habitat
The family Syngnathidae includes this fish species popularly known as the high-crowned seahorse or the crowned seahorse. It can only be found living side by side with Zostera seagrasses on the shallow coastal waters of Japan’s Pacific coast, between Tokyo Bay and Sagami Bay. It can grow as long as 10.8 centimeters (4.3 in), despite usually reaching a maximum length of 6 centimeters (2.4 in). Smaller individuals might like copepods, but larger individuals might prefer amphipods and mysids, depending on their size.
Food
Individuals primarily eat small crustaceans like gammarid amphipods and copepods.
Reproduction
Because they raise eggs in a brood pouch before giving birth to live young, this species’ males are ovoviviparous. Males and females achieve sexual maturity at 6.9 centimeters (2.7 in) and 7.3 centimeters (2.9 in), respectively, during the breeding season, which lasts from June to November. Male brood sizes can range from 12 to 46. Specimens that are traded must be at least 10 centimeters long (3.9 inches).
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