There are currently around 35 recognized seahorse species. Seahorses are part of the family syngnathidae (pronounced sing-nath-i-dee), which means ‘fused jaw’. All seahorses belong to the genus ‘Hippocampus’.
Below are the scientific name and most commonly accepted common names. Because common names can be quite confusing and vary considerably, it is best to always use the scientific name of a species.
Here is a list of Seahorse species.
Scientific Name Seahorse Name
H. abdominalis Pot Bellied Seahorse H. algiricus West African Seahorse H. angustus Narrow Bellied Seahorse H. barbouri Barbour’s Seahorse H. bargibanti Pygmy Seahorse H. borboniensis Réunion Seahorse H. breviceps Short Snouted Seahorse H. camelopardalis Giraffe Seahorse H. capensis Knysna Seahorse H. comes Tiger Tail Seahorse H. coronatus Crowned Seahorse H. erectus Lined Seahorse H. fisheri Fisher’s Seahorse H. fuscus Sea Pony H. guttulatus Speckled Seahorse H. hippocampus European Seahorse H. histrix Thorny Seahorse H. ingens Pacific Seahorse H. jayakari Jayakar’s Seahorse H. kelloggi Great Seahorse H. kuda Spotted Seahorse H. lichtensteinii Lichtenstein’s Seahorse H. minotaur Bullneck Seahorse H. mohnikei Japanese Seahorse H. procerus Hippocampus procerus H. reidi Brazillian Seahorse H. sindonis Shiho’s seahorse H. spinosissimus Hedgehog Seahorse H. subelongatus West Australian Seahorse H. trimaculatus Three-Spot Seahorse H. tuberculatus Knobby Seahorse H. whitei White’s Seahorse H. zebra Zebra Seahorse H. zosterae Dwarf Seahorse