What is Hippocampus or sea horse?
Classification:
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Osteichthyes
Order: Gasterosteiformes
Genus: Hippocampus.
Habitat: It is a marine fish found all over the world in tropical and temperate seas, particularly in Indian and Atlantic seas. It is commonly called sea horse.
Habits:
(1) It swims upright swaying its tail and gyrating its trunk in graceful manner, holding a weed with its tail.
(ii) It is herbivorous feeding upon sea weeds and
(iii) It shows branchial respiration. (iv) It shows protective colouration.
(iv) It is ring like structure.
(v) Though sexes are separate but it shows sexual.
dimorphism.
(vi) Male has a brood pouch on the ventral side of
abdomen.
Fertilization is internal. Male shows parental care and carries eggs until young ones hatch out. Development is direct.
External Characters :
(i) Body is divisible into head, trunk and tail.
(i) Head bears snout with terminal and toothless mouth.
(iii) Eyes are situated on the upper side of head.
(iv) Body is covered by a rigid exoskeletal armour of ring-like bony plates.
Prehensile tail
(v) Gill clefts are reduced to a small opening.
(vi) Dorsal fin is single, ventral and caudal fins are absent. Pectoral fin is found on either side of head.
an ornament.
Economic Importance: Its dried skeleton is used as.
