Zoology.-] NATURAL HISTORY OF VICTORIA. [Fishes. 



Plate 65, Fig. 2. 

 HIPPOCAMPUS BREVICEPS (Peters). 



Short-headed Sea-Horse. 



[Genus HIPPOCAMPUS (Leach). (Sub-kingd. Vertebrata. Class Pisces. Order Lopho- 

 branchiata. Earn. Syngnathidae.) 



Gen. Char. — Head and body shaped like head and neck of a horse ; tail abruptly narrowed, 

 slender, spirally inrolled at tip, prehensile and without caudal fin. Head compressed, broad 

 behind, the upper posterior angle raised with a spinose knob or coronet ; orbits large, spiny ; 

 snout abruptly narrowed beyond the orbit, with very small, terminal, nearly vertical jaws ; body 

 heptagonal, of 10 to 12 bony shields, with spinose tubercles. Pectoral and dorsal fins moderate, 

 anal fin present in female, very small. Males carry the eggs in a pouch at base of tail. All 

 temperate and tropical seas.] 



Description. — Head short, snout 1^ times diameter of orbit, or from tip to front 

 edge of orbit equal in length to space from posterior edge of orbit to the hind edge 

 of operculum, or from tip to hind edge of orbit equal to from same point to base of 

 pectoral ; spine over each orbit large, triangular, nearly vertical, inclining slightly 

 outward, with a short filament at apex ; a filament in front of base of coronet ; 

 height of coronet equal depth of middle of snout, or two-thirds the diameter of 

 orbit, having 5 conical tubercles at apex, with small filaments ; one large tri- 

 angular spine on middle of throat vertically under hind edge of orbit, with a 

 smaller one on each side on ridges diverging backwards from it, on lower edge of 

 gill-cover, a little in front of hind edge of operculum ; operculum radiatingly ridged. 

 Body rings, 11, the upper tubercles of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th larger and with a fila- 

 ment on each side, the three last elevated into a convex base for dorsal fin ; midline 

 of body tubercles (1st, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th, most prominent) continuous 

 with lower ridge of tail ; tail quadrangular, of about 39 rings, the 4tb, 7th, and 

 10th more prominent above than the others. Dorsal fin on three last rings of body 

 and between one and two first of tail, of 20 rays; pectoral rounded, of 14 rays, 

 anal in female of 4 rays. Color: ashy yellowish-grey, with bluish reflections, minutely 

 dotted with dark-red ; body with numerous, minute, dark-edged, round, white spots ; 

 operculum and snout spotted with brown, and rays of same color round eye; iris 

 yellow ; tail ringed with brown and yellow. Height at penultimate body rings 

 equalling the length of the nine last body rings together. Length, about 2\ inches, 

 of which the tail is one-half. 



Reference. — Monatsbericht Akad. Wissensch., Berlin, 1869, p. 710. 



The extraordinary resemblance to a horse's head and neck has 

 suggested the popular name of Sea-horse for these beautiful little 

 fishes in all European countries ; the common South of Europe 

 species being the 'linroKafiTros of iElian. 



They are the most lovely and interesting objects in an aquarium. 

 In swimming they maintain an erect position, very unlike other 

 fish. Fixing themselves to a stem of swaying seaweed by 



[21 ] 



