Big-belly seahorse
| Big-belly seahorse | |
|---|---|
| Hippocampus abdominalis, from the Sketchbook of fishes by William Buelow Gould, 1832 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Actinopterygii |
| Order: | Syngnathiformes |
| Family: | Syngnathidae |
| Genus: | Hippocampus |
| Species: | H. abdominalis |
| Binomial name | |
| Hippocampus abdominalis Lesson, 1827 | |
| Synonyms | |
The big-belly seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis) or pot-bellied seahorse is one of the largest seahorse species in the world, with a length of up to 35 cm (14 in), and is the largest in Australia. Seahorses are members of the family Syngnathidae, and are teleost fishes. They are found in southeast Australia and New Zealand, and are listed on Appendix II of CITES. They are the only species of seahorse found in New Zealand, with a habitat range spanning from the Three Kings Island in the north all the way to the Snares Island in the south.