Pygmy Seahorse

Photo: terence zahner · CC BY-NC

Bargibant's pygmy seahorses reach just 2 centimetres in length and match their host Muricella gorgonian fans so precisely — mimicking both colour and surface texture — that they were not formally described until a specimen was accidentally collected on a fan sent to a laboratory. Pairs and trios inhabit single sea fan colonies indefinitely, rarely moving more than a few centimetres across their host. Locating them requires patience and a sharp eye for the tiny brood pouch of the male, which is the surest visual cue at Kapalai's depth range.