Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Hippocampus ingens
Caballito de mar, caballito del Pacifico, caballito de mar del Pacifico, Pacific seahorse
Colors highly variable, including shades of gray, brown, yellow and gold. Size: Up to 24.7cm
Habitat: Most often seen with their tails entwined around sea grasses or ahermatypic corals. Natural History: Small crustaceans and zooplankton are siphoned into the tubelike mouth.
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Teleostei
Order
Syngnathiformes
Family
Syngnathidae
Genus
Hippocampus
Species
ingens
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Hippocampus ecuadorensis Fowler, 1922, Hippocampus gracilis Gill, 1862, Hippocampus hildebrandi Ginsburg, 1933, fide Appeltans et al. (2010)
Origin: Native
Distribution: Eastern Pacific, from California to Chile including the Gulf of California and offshore islands and Ecuador in the Galapagos Islands, Peru, Cocos and Malpelo.
- Grove, J.S. Lavenberg, R.J. (1997) The Fishes of the Galapagos Islands. Stanford University Press, Stanford California. 862 pp.
- Humann, P. Deloach, N. (2003) Reef Fish Identification - Galapagos. New World Publication, Inc. Florida USA & Libri Mundi, Quito, Ecuador, 226 pp.
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- IUCN (2010) IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 26 April 2010.
- Project Seahorse (2003) Hippocampus ingens. www.iucnredlist.org
- McCosker, J.E. Rosenblatt, R.H. (2010) The fishes of the Galápagos Archipelago: an update. Proc. Calif. Acad. Sc., Ser. 4, vol. 61, Suppl. II, no. 11: 167-195.
- Edgar, G.J. Fariña, J.M., Calvopiña, M., Martínez, C. & Banks, S. (2002) Comunidades submareales rocosas II: Peces y macroinvertebrados móviles. In: Danulat, E. & Edgar, G.J. (eds.) (2002): Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea Base de la Biodiversidad. Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador, p. 68-97.
- Constant, P. (2007) Marine Life of the Galapagos. The Diver's guide to Fishes, Whales, Dolphins and marine Invertebrates, 307 pp.
- IUCN (2023) The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2022-2 Https://www.iucnredlist.org
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Hippocampus ingens", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7658. Accessed 12 June 2025.