Seahorse Development

Introduction

Hippocampus (Greek, ippos = horse; kampe = curvature)

Actinopterygii (ray-finned fishes) > Syngnathiformes (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Syngnathidae (Pipefishes and seahorses) > Hippocampinae

Seahorse Development

Some Recent Findings

Standardised classification of pre-release development in male-brooding pipefish, seahorses, and seadragons (Family Syngnathidae) "We propose a standardised classification of early syngnathid development that extends from the activation of the egg to the release of newborn. The classification consists of four developmental periods - early embryogenesis, eye development, snout formation, and juvenile - which are further divided into 11 stages. Stages are characterised by morphological traits that are easily visible in live and preserved specimens using incident-light microscopy."

Standardised classification of pre-release development in male-brooding pipefish, seahorses, and seadragons (Family Syngnathidae)

BMC Dev Biol. 2012 Dec 29;12:39. doi: 10.1186/1471-213X-12-39.

Sommer S, Whittington CM, Wilson AB. Source Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich, CH-8057, Switzerland. stefan.sommer@ieu.uzh.ch.

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Members of the family Syngnathidae share a unique reproductive mode termed male pregnancy. Males carry eggs in specialised brooding structures for several weeks and release free-swimming offspring. Here we describe a systematic investigation of pre-release development in syngnathid fishes, reviewing available data for 17 species distributed across the family. This work is complemented by in-depth examinations of the straight-nosed pipefish Nerophis ophidion, the black-striped pipefish Syngnathus abaster, and the potbellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis.

RESULTS: We propose a standardised classification of early syngnathid development that extends from the activation of the egg to the release of newborn. The classification consists of four developmental periods - early embryogenesis, eye development, snout formation, and juvenile - which are further divided into 11 stages. Stages are characterised by morphological traits that are easily visible in live and preserved specimens using incident-light microscopy.

CONCLUSIONS: Our classification is derived from examinations of species representing the full range of brooding-structure complexity found in the Syngnathidae, including tail-brooding as well as trunk-brooding species, which represent independent evolutionary lineages. We chose conspicuous common traits as diagnostic features of stages to allow for rapid and consistent staging of embryos and larvae across the entire family. In view of the growing interest in the biology of the Syngnathidae, we believe that the classification proposed here will prove useful for a wide range of studies on the unique reproductive biology of these male-brooding fish.

Common Name - Seahorse

Country	Species
Cuba	Hippocampus erectus
Malaysia	Hippocampus erectus
Malaysia	Hippocampus histrix
Malaysia	Hippocampus kuda
Malaysia	Hippocampus spinosissimus
Malaysia	Hippocampus barbouri
Malaysia	Hippocampus comes
Azores Islands	Hippocampus histrix
Puerto Rico	Hippocampus reidi
St Helena	Hippocampus erectus
United Kingdom	Hippocampus guttulatus

Table data from Fishbase.

References

Articles

<pubmed></pubmed> <pubmed></pubmed> <pubmed></pubmed> <pubmed></pubmed> <pubmed></pubmed> <pubmed>17691105</pubmed>

Search Pubmed

Search Pubmed: Syngnathidae development | seahorse development

10 Most Recent

Note - This sub-heading shows an automated computer PubMed search using the listed sub-heading term. References appear in this list based upon the date of the actual page viewing. Therefore the list of references do not reflect any editorial selection of material based on content or relevance. In comparison, references listed on the content page and discussion page (under the publication year sub-headings) do include editorial selection based upon relevance and availability. (More? Pubmed Most Recent)

Syngnathidae Development

<pubmed limit=5>Syngnathidae Development</pubmed>

Seahorse Development

<pubmed limit=5>Seahorse Development</pubmed>

Pipefish Development

<pubmed limit=5>Pipefish Development</pubmed>

Seadragon Development

<pubmed limit=5>Seadragon Development</pubmed>

External Links

External Links Notice - The dynamic nature of the internet may mean that some of these listed links may no longer function. If the link no longer works search the web with the link text or name. Links to any external commercial sites are provided for information purposes only and should never be considered an endorsement. UNSW Embryology is provided as an educational resource with no clinical information or commercial affiliation.

• FishBase | Hippocampus erectus Perry, 1810 - Lined seahorse

---

Glossary Links

Glossary: A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | Numbers | Symbols | Term Link

---

Cite this page: Hill, M.A. (2024, April 18) Embryology Seahorse Development. Retrieved from https://embryology.med.unsw.edu.au/embryology/index.php/Seahorse_Development

What Links Here?

© Dr Mark Hill 2024, UNSW Embryology ISBN: 978 0 7334 2609 4 - UNSW CRICOS Provider Code No. 00098G