What is a Hippocampus sp. ???

[rykna]

I've seent his species for sale on varies sights, but have not been able to find a discription of the seahorse itself. It's also called the Black Seahorse, but so is the H. Kuda????? So what is Hippocampus sp.????

 

[reef_dart21]

i know i may not nko for sue since i am new to seahorses but if im not mistaken isnt a kuda a dwarf black seahorse? maybye a hippocampus one is a full size black seahorse

 

[matt b]

i hope its ok that i posted this..
http://www.robertosozzani.it/Pygmywalea/contEn.html

 

[ophiura]

It simply means it is a species of Hippocampus and they have not positively identified it. This is taxonomic shorthand. They know the genus, but have not identified it to species. It definitely does not mean that anything you find listed as "Hippocampus sp." is the same. It is like calling a SPS an Acropora sp. when it can't be specifically identified.

 

[dogstar]

It can mean any species in the genus Hippocampus. Or if its a scientific listing of a specific species as ophiura said, not yet identified. And that could mean that it could later be IDed as an already known species or a new one. Or some may list it like that because they just dont know or wish to specify the species.
A site like the 2doctors list one like this and give it a common name of Black Seahorse. Yet they dont give a species name and I cant say why....but on that site they show a photo of, IMO, a Hippocampus kuda. SWF.com list their Red like this as well and IMO, thats Hippocampus erectus. But even I cant say for sure. And why they want say, IDK.
Fishbase list 45 valid names of Hippocampus spp.. With 12 new ones being listed in this decade alone.
You would have to post a quality photo of the species in question and perhaps then someone might could ID it.

 

[rykna]

Okay...that's silly of me~Hippocampus sp.=Hippocampus species....but Which species??? from the picture it looks like a kuda....
ok found the answer..it's a Kuda.
Thanks
Rykna

 

[zeke92]

when they say sp., or spp. or my fav, sp. sp. wich doesn't even make sence, it just means it's a seahorse and they have no idea what it is and they don't really care