photo by Larry Winnik

YELLOW SEAHORSE
Hippocampus kuda Bleeker, 1852
     Despite its common name, this large seahorse is usually black or brown—but the word "usually" is misleading because this fish is very rarely seen in Hawai`i. It is a "smooth" seahorse, without pointed spines. Larry Winnik found and photographed this specimen in Hanauma Bay in about 4 ft. of water right inside the reef on March 15, 2003. It is the first seahorse anyone can remember ever seeing at Hanauma. The few seahorses of this species reported in Hawai`i have generally come from Kane`ohe Bay, O`ahu. This seahorse is found throughout the Indo-Pacific and attains about 12 in. outstretched.
      In early printings of Hawaii's Fishes the seahorse photo on p. 98 was mistakenly identified as a Yellow Seahorse. Actually, it is a Fisher's Seahorse (H. fisheri), a pelagic (open ocean) seahorse found in Hawaiian waters and possessing many small pointed spines. Although seldom seen because of its habitat, Fisher's Seahorse seems to be more abundant in the Islands than the Yellow Seahorse .