776 Bulletin 47, United States National Museum. 



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. Physiognomy 

 remarkably horse-like, 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 of the tail with 4. Pec- 

 toral fins present, short and broad; anal minute, usually present; dorsal 

 fin 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 sub- 

 stances, and are often carried to great distances by currents. (/TrTr&Ka/rrof , 

 the ancient name, from tTTTrof, horse ; /ca/z7rof , a wriggling sea monster, 

 or a caterpillar. ) 



a. Dorsal fin large, with 19 rays. 



b. Kings 10 + 38 ; slender, the tail longer than head and body ; body unicolor or sparsely 



dotted with white. INGENS, 1140. 



bb. Kings 11 + 32 to 35 ; depth of body equals length of head ; snout 2% in head ; dorsal 



fin on 3% + rings ; body mottled, not dotted. HUDSONIUS, 1141. 



<za. Dorsal fin smaller, with 16 to 18 rays. 



c. Dorsal fin with 17 or 18 rays, on 2 caudal rings ; snout short, less than half length 

 of head ; light-blue spots on head and snout ; head usually without filaments; 

 size large. PUNCTTLATUS, 1142. 



cc. Dorsal fin with 16 rays, on 4 + rings ; rings 12 -f- 31 ; snout longer than post- 

 ocular distance ; body unspotted ; size moderate. STYLIFER, 1143. 

 aoa. Dorsal fin very small, with 12 rays, on 2 -f 1 rings ; rings 11 + 30 ; snout very short ; 

 body without white spots. ZOSTERS, 1144. 



1140. HIPPOCAMPUS INGENS, Girard. 

 (CABALLITO DEL MAR.) 



D. 19, on 3 + 2 rings ; A. 4. Rings 11 + 36 to 38 ; eye moderate, 2i in 

 snout, which is 2 to 2 in head, rather than opercle. Body in male 

 rather slender, its greatest depth in males 1 in head, or about e^ual to 

 the distance from snout to posterior margin of orbit ; tail longer than 

 head and body together. Spines on head and body high, with large 

 fringed flaps ; supraorbital spine nearly half diameter of eye ; coronet 

 well developed, with five spines ; surface of plates with many small 

 papillae, each third to fifth tubercle of dorsal series enlarged; shoulder 

 girdle with 3 tubercles; anterior spine of frontal triangle much lower 

 than the others; female more slender, the depth If in head, the snout 

 equal to rest of head. Color blackish, usually plain, faintly barred with 

 darker ; papillae on body pale, giving an appearance of scattered whitish 



Hippocampus antiquorum, LEACH, Zool. Misc., 1814, 104 ; GUNTHER, Cat., vin, 200, 1870. 

 Hippocampus brevirostris, CUVIER, Regne Anim., Ed. n, 1829, Venice ; after WILLUGHBY ; figure 



of a fresh specimen. 

 Hippocampus gutiatus, CUVIER, Z.c.; also after WILLUQHBY, the type apparently from Venice, a 



specimen dried and straightened out. 

 Hippocampus antiqu.ua of authors. 



