N0.1241. CERTAIN FISHES OF JAPAN— JORDAN AND SNYDER. 13 
11. HIPPOCAMPUS Rafinesque. 
SEA-HORSES. 
Hi])pocatnpuH Rafinesque, Indice d'lttiologia Siciliana, 1810, \).'d1 {kippoaunpus) . 
Hippocampus \j^.\cii, Zool. Misc., 1814, ]>. 103 {hippocampus). 
Body strongly compressed, the belly gibbous, tapering abruptly to 
a long, quadrangular, prehensile tail. Head with a distinct curved 
neck, placed nearly at a right angle with the direction of the body, 
surmounted by a compressed occipital crest, on the. top of which is an 
angular, star-shaped coronet; top and sides of the head with spines. 
Ph3"siognomy remarkably horselike, like that of a conventional 
"knight" at chess. Body and tail covered with bony plates, forming 
rings, those on the body each with six spines or tubercles, those on 
the tail with four. Pectoral hns present, short and ])road; anal min- 
ute, usually present; dorsal tin moderate, opposite the vent. Egg 
pouch in the male a sac at the base of the tail, terminating near the 
vent. Species numerous in all warm seas. They attach themselves 
by their tails to seaweed and other floating substances, and are often 
carried to great distances by currents. 
{J7i7ioKa^i.7ioz^ the ancient name, from innoz^ horse; Ka^noz., a 
wriggling sea monster, or a caterpillar.) 
o. Dursal fin long, of 15 to 18 ra\'6. 
\i. Snout long, 2 to '2\ in head; coronet low. 
c. Spines of neck and body low, miu^h lower than coronet; vsize large. 
d. Spines on body not enlarged at intervals, the rings being each similar to its 
neighbor; rings 11+39; color brown, with white streaks and specks. 
kelloggi. 12 
dd. Spines on body enlarged at intervals, the rings l>eing not uniform; rings 
11+33 to 36. 
e. Snout equal to postorbital part of head; spines obtuse; color jet black, 
with grayish bands and spots aterriiims. 13 
ee. Snout longer than postorbital part of head; spines ratlier sharj); color 
brown, variously blotched and spotted kuda. 14 
cc Spines of neck and body very high, tlie longest as high as coronet; color 
brown, with wliite dots; snout with brown rings histrix. 15 
bb. Snout short, nearly 3 in head; size small. 
/. Coronet very low, compressed, without filaments; spines very low, 
blunt; tail very slim; color brown, plain or irregularly l)anded. 
japovicus. 16 
ff. Coronet high, compressed, first laterally then longitudinally, with fila- 
ments; spines all high, many <jf them filamentous; color greenish 
gray, with darker markings sindonis. 17 
aa. Dorsal fin short, of 10 to 13 rays; size small; coronet high; spines high, some of 
them filamentous. 
g. Snout short, nearly 3 in head; coronet compressed, notched, the an- 
terior part with long filaments. No small spine before each large 
supraorbital spine; body and tail banded with dark... mohnikei. 18 
gg. Snout long, slender, about 2^ in head, as long as postorbital part of 
head; coronet very high, pedunculate, not notched crosswise, its 
tip ending in about 6 lobes or spines; color various, usually with 
small light or dark dots or streaks coruitatus. 19 
