📸 PhotoPhoto: Han S-Y, Kim J-K, Kai Y, Senou H (2017) Seahorses of the Hippocampus coronatus complex: taxonomic revision, and description of Hippocampus haema, a new species · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Korean seahorse
Hippocampus haema (Korean seahorse · Korean seahorse)
🇰🇷 Marine Protected Species (Korea)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 Its maximum body length of 11.4 cm is shorter than a ballpoint pen (about 14 cm) and slightly longer than the long side of a credit card (about 8.56 cm) (Comparison).
- 💡 The specific epithet haema is taken from the Korean word “haema” (seahorse). The 2017 paper gave it this name to reflect that it is the most commonly seen seahorse in Korea.
- 💡 FishBase notes that international trade in this species is monitored under CITES Appendix II.
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
📖 1. Overview
The Korean seahorse is a small seahorse living in shallow coastal waters of Korea and Japan, described as a new species in 2017 based on Korean specimens.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its body is encased in hard bony rings, the gill openings are separate on each side, and the coronet on top of the head is moderately high and tilted backward.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
It lives among drifting sargassum and aquatic vegetation on shallow soft bottoms, in waters influenced by the Tsushima Warm Current. Its body length has been recorded up to 11.4 cm (SL).
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
In Korea, it is recorded along the southern and southeastern coasts (from Soando Island to Ulsan); the Korean name “Haema” was given because it is the most commonly seen seahorse in Korea. It is also listed as “Haema” in the National List of Species of Korea.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List VU (2024) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/250584055/250593104
- • 해양보호생물 — 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000224111 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000224111
- • IUCN Red List category VU — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • Korean protection status: Marine Protected Species (Korea)
- • catalogueoflife.org — D55WZ
- • iucnredlist.org — 250593104
- • 국가생물종목록(국립생물자원관) ktsn 120000224111 — https://species.nibr.go.kr/home/mainHome.do?cont_link=009&subMenu=009002&contCd=009002&ktsn=120000224111
- • wikidata.org — Q47457282
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Hippocampus haema (10.3897-zookeys.712.14955) Figure 4
- • fishbase.se — Hippocampus-haema.html
- • pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — PMC5704180
- • doi.org — zookeys.712.14955
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Kelly · Public Domain Mark 1.0 (Congeneric silhouette — Hippocampus)
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.