Species of the Day: Tiger Tail Seahorse

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

© Antidio Rossi, Guylian Seahorses of the World 2005 Antidio Rossi, Guylian Seahorses of the World © Species of the Day: Tiger Tail Seahorse The Tiger Tail Seahorse, Hippocampus comes, is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. This elegant fish is known from the central and southern regions of the Philippines, and westward through Viet Nam, Singapore, Malaysia and northern Indonesia to the Andaman Islands (India). The Tiger Tail Seahorse is fished heavily for use in the aquarium trade and as ’traditional Geographical range medicine’. Individuals are extracted from their habitats of coral reefs, seagrass beds and www.iucnredlist.org mangroves, through the use of nets and more harmful methods such as dynamite and cyanide seahorsefisheries.ubc.ca poisoning. It is estimated that populations have diminished by almost 50%, and in some areas Help Save Species in the Philippines by as much as 85%. Their slow movement and limited larval dispersal make www.arkive.org this species very vulnerable to localized exterminations. The Tiger Tail Seahorse is listed on CITES Appendix II, which makes it an offense to trade this species internationally without a permit. However, this has done little to deter collection in its native range. Ongoing research and local protective initiatives from foundations such as Project Seahorse© are needed in order to prevent the loss of this graceful species. The production of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™ is made possible through the IUCN Red List Partnership: Species of the Day IUCN (including the Species Survival Commission), BirdLife is sponsored by International, Conservation International, NatureServe and Zoological Society of London..

Copy Link

Recommended publications

The Seahorse Genome and the Evolution of Its Specialized
OPEN ARTICLE doi:10.1038/nature20595 The seahorse genome and the evolution of its specialized morphology Qiang Lin1*§, Shaohua Fan2†*, Yanhong Zhang1*, Meng Xu3*, Huixian Zhang1,4*, Yulan Yang3*, Alison P. Lee4†, Joost M. Woltering2, Vydianathan Ravi4, Helen M. Gunter2†, Wei Luo1, Zexia Gao5, Zhi Wei Lim4†, Geng Qin1,6, Ralf F. Schneider2, Xin Wang1,6, Peiwen Xiong2, Gang Li1, Kai Wang7, Jiumeng Min3, Chi Zhang3, Ying Qiu8, Jie Bai8, Weiming He3, Chao Bian8, Xinhui Zhang8, Dai Shan3, Hongyue Qu1,6, Ying Sun8, Qiang Gao3, Liangmin Huang1,6, Qiong Shi1,8§, Axel Meyer2§ & Byrappa Venkatesh4,9§ Seahorses have a specialized morphology that includes a toothless tubular mouth, a body covered with bony plates, a male brood pouch, and the absence of caudal and pelvic fins. Here we report the sequencing and de novo assembly of the genome of the tiger tail seahorse, Hippocampus comes. Comparative genomic analysis identifies higher protein and nucleotide evolutionary rates in H. comes compared with other teleost fish genomes. We identified an astacin metalloprotease gene family that has undergone expansion and is highly expressed in the male brood pouch. We also find that the H. comes genome lacks enamel matrix protein-coding proline/glutamine-rich secretory calcium-binding phosphoprotein genes, which might have led to the loss of mineralized teeth. tbx4, a regulator of hindlimb development, is also not found in H. comes genome. Knockout of tbx4 in zebrafish showed a ‘pelvic fin-loss’ phenotype similar to that of seahorses. Members of the teleost family Syngnathidae (seahorses, pipefishes de novo. The H. comes genome assembly is of high quality, as > 99% and seadragons) (Extended Data Fig.
[Show full text]
Revlined Seahorse Dad Copy
Diligent Dads In the wild animal world, there are a number of nurturing males, including the seahorse The lined seahorse gets its name from its vertical stripes. They can change colors to provide camouflage or denote mood. Photo credit: Linda De Volder By J. Morton Galetto, CU Maurice River When it comes to fathering, the animal world exhibits a spectrum from love ‘em and leave ‘em to champion surveillance. In honor of Father’s Day let’s discuss some superior dads. In the animal kingdom the emperor penguin male takes sole responsibility for incubating an egg. It is balanced on his feet which he shuffles along the ice of Antarctica for two months, enduring 125 mph winds and – 40 temperatures. Hundreds of huddling fathers bear this responsibility while their mates are at sea fattening-up. This story of dedication and endurance is powerful and heart-warming. Emperor penguins’ dedication leads them to be described as the #1 exemplary father in a multitude of articles. I highly recommend the 2005 film “March of the Penguins,” that documents this challenging fatherly devotion. In fact every dead-beat dad should be required to watch “March of the Penguins,” repeatedly, even if it doesn’t help. But our story is not about parental neglect; it is about celebrating great dads. Let’s bring it home a bit, since most of us will never visit Antarctica and certainly not in 125 mph winds. We’ll explore some local creatures and focus on one unexpected twist in fathering. In past articles we have discussed some dutiful parents of the avian variety.
[Show full text]
Courtship Behavior in the Dwarf Seahorse, Hippocampuszosterae
Copeia, 1996(3), pp. 634-640 Courtship Behavior in the Dwarf Seahorse, Hippocampuszosterae HEATHER D. MASONJONESAND SARA M. LEWIS The seahorse genus Hippocampus (Syngnathidae) exhibits extreme morpho- logical specialization for paternal care, with males incubating eggs within a highly vascularized brood pouch. Dwarf seahorses, H. zosterae, form monoga- mous pairs that court early each morning until copulation takes place. Daily behavioral observations of seahorse pairs (n = 15) were made from the day of introduction through the day of copulation. Four distinct phases of seahorse courtship are marked by prominent behavioral changes, as well as by differences in the intensity of courtship. The first courtship phase occurs for one or two mornings preceding the day of copulation and is characterized by reciprocal quivering, consisting of rapid side-to-side body vibrations displayed alternately by males and females. The remaining courtship phases are restricted to the day of copulation, with the second courtship phase distinguished by females pointing, during which the head is raised upward. In the third courtship phase, males begin to point in response to female pointing. During the final phase of courtship, seahorse pairs repeatedly rise together in the water column, eventually leading to females transferring their eggs directly into the male brood pouch during a brief midwater copulation. Courtship activity level (representing the percentage of time spent in courtship) increased from relatively low levels during the first courtship phase to highly active courtship on the day of copulation. Males more actively initiated courtship on the days preceding copulation, indicating that these seahorses are not courtship-role reversed, as has previously been assumed.
[Show full text]
Marine Protected Species Identification Guide
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Marine protected species identification guide June 2021 Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 129, June 2021. Prepared by K. Travaille and M. Hourston Cover: Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Photo: Matthew Pember. Illustrations © R.Swainston/www.anima.net.au Bird images donated by Important disclaimer The Chief Executive Officer of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development and the State of Western Australia accept no liability whatsoever by reason of negligence or otherwise arising from the use or release of this information or any part of it. Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Gordon Stephenson House 140 William Street PERTH WA 6000 Telephone: (08) 6551 4444 Website: dpird.wa.gov.au ABN: 18 951 343 745 ISSN: 1447 - 2058 (Print) ISBN: 978-1-877098-22-2 (Print) ISSN: 2206 - 0928 (Online) ISBN: 978-1-877098-23-9 (Online) Copyright © State of Western Australia (Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development), 2021. ii Marine protected species ID guide Contents About this guide ��1 Protected species legislation and international agreements 3 Reporting interactions ��4 Marine mammals ��5 Relative size of cetaceans ��5
[Show full text]
Multiple Mating and Its Relationship to Alternative Modes of Gestation in Male-Pregnant Versus Female-Pregnant fish Species
Multiple mating and its relationship to alternative modes of gestation in male-pregnant versus female-pregnant fish species John C. Avise1 and Jin-Xian Liu Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697 Contributed by John C. Avise, September 28, 2010 (sent for review August 20, 2010) We construct a verbal and graphical theory (the “fecundity-limitation within which he must incubate the embryos that he has sired with hypothesis”) about how constraints on the brooding space for em- one or more mates (14–17). This inversion from the familiar bryos probably truncate individual fecundity in male-pregnant and situation in female-pregnant animals apparently has translated in female-pregnant species in ways that should differentially influence some but not all syngnathid species into mating systems char- selection pressures for multiple mating by males or by females. We acterized by “sex-role reversal” (18, 19): a higher intensity of then review the empirical literature on genetically deduced rates of sexual selection on females than on males and an elaboration of fi multiple mating by the embryo-brooding parent in various fish spe- sexual secondary traits mostly in females. For one such pipe sh cies with three alternative categories of pregnancy: internal gesta- species, researchers also have documented that the sexual- tion by males, internal gestation by females, and external gestation selection gradient for females is steeper than that for males (20). More generally, fishes should be excellent subjects for as- (in nests) by males. Multiple mating by the brooding gender was fl common in all three forms of pregnancy.
[Show full text]
Seahorse Manual
Seahorse Manual 2010 Seahorse Manual ___________________________ David Garcia SEA LIFE Hanover, Germany Neil Garrick-Maidment The Seahorse Trust, England Seahorses are a very challenging species in husbandry and captive breeding terms and over the years there have been many attempts to keep them using a variety of methods. It is Sealife and The Seahorse Trust’s long term intention to be completely self-sufficient in seahorses and this manual has been put together to be used, to make this long term aim a reality. The manual covers all subjects necessary to keep seahorses from basic husbandry to indepth captive breeding. It is to be used throughout the Sealife group and is to act as a guide to aquarist’s intent on good husbandry of seahorses. This manual covers all aspects from basic set, up, water parameters, transportation, husbandry, to food types and preparation for all stages of seahorse life, from fry to adult. By including contact points it will allow for feedback, so that experience gained can be included in further editions, thus improving seahorse husbandry. Corresponding authors: David Garcia: [email protected] N. Garrick-Maidment email: [email protected] Keywords: Seahorses, Hippocampus species, Zostera marina, seagrass, home range, courtship, reproduction,, tagging, photoperiod, Phytoplankton, Zooplankton, Artemia, Rotifers, lighting, water, substrate, temperature, diseases, cultures, Zoe Marine, Selco, decapsulation, filtration, enrichment, gestation. Seahorse Manual 2010 David Garcia SEA LIFE Hanover,
[Show full text]
THE 7TH ANNUAL May 3, 2019 MAY 3, 2019
THE 7TH ANNUAL May 3, 2019 MAY 3, 2019 Schedule 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Keynote Speaker 3:00 - 3:55 p.m. Poster Session I 4:05 - 5:00 p.m. Poster Session II Awards for Best poster presentations will Be announced immediately following the poster sessions. Symposium Organizers: Dr. Eric Freundt, Dr. Simon Schuler, Olivia Crimbly, and Devon Grey. The CNHS Undergraduate Research Symposium provides an opportunity for students within the College of Natural and Health Sciences to present their current or recently completed research projects in a poster format. The research may have been performed as part of a course, an Honors Research Fellowship, or an independent project conducted with a faculty mentor. ABstracts for all poster presentations are included in this booklet and are listed in alphabetical order based on the presenting author’s last name. The Symposium was initiated in 2013 through a generous grant from the UT Board of Fellows. Further financial support from the Office of the Dean of CNHS, the Department of Biology and Department of Chemistry, Biochemistry and Physics is also acknowledged. Finally, the organizers would like to thank all presenters, faculty mentors, and faculty judges for their participation in this event. 1 Keynote Speaker Florida Red Tide: What's new, what's true, and what you should know. Dr. Cynthia Heil Director, Red Tide Institute Mote Marine LaBoratory 2 Poster Session I * Denotes authors presenting at symposium (1) Isolation of Marine Sediment-Derived Bacteria that (8) Does Response of Weekly Strength Training Volume on Produce Biologically Active Metabolites Muscular Hypertrophic Adaptations in Trained GaBriella AlBert*1and Dr.
[Show full text]
Guide to Theecological Systemsof Puerto Rico
United States Department of Agriculture Guide to the Forest Service Ecological Systems International Institute of Tropical Forestry of Puerto Rico General Technical Report IITF-GTR-35 June 2009 Gary L. Miller and Ariel E. Lugo The Forest Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the principle of multiple use management of the Nation’s forest resources for sustained yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry research, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and management of the National Forests and national grasslands, it strives—as directed by Congress—to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W. Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. Authors Gary L. Miller is a professor, University of North Carolina, Environmental Studies, One University Heights, Asheville, NC 28804-3299.
[Show full text]
Biology, Aquaculture and Medical Use of Seahorse, Hippocampus Spp
Annual Research & Review in Biology 14(5): 1-12, 2017; Article no.ARRB.34152 ISSN: 2347-565X, NLM ID: 101632869 A Review - Biology, Aquaculture and Medical Use of Seahorse, Hippocampus spp Yuan Yuan Zhang1, Bo-Mi Ryu2 and Zhong-Ji Qian1* 1Key Laboratory of Advanced Processing of Aquatic Products of Guangdong Higher Education Institution, College of Food Science and Technology, Guangdong Ocean University, Zhanjiang 524088, P. R. China. 2School of Pharmacy, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld 4072, Australia. Authors’ contributions This work was carried out in collaboration between all authors. Authors YYZ and ZJQ conceived and designed the study. Author YYZ wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Author BMR managed the literature searches. Authors BMR and ZJQ reviewed the first manuscript and wrote the final manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Article Information DOI: 10.9734/ARRB/2017/34152 Editor(s): (1) Eugene A. Silow, Institute of Biology, Chair of invertebrate zoology and aquatic ecology, Sukhe-Baator str., 5, Irkutsk, 664003, Russia. (2) George Perry, Dean and Professor of Biology, University of Texas at San Antonio, USA. Reviewers: (1) Weiting Wang, Tianjin Institute of Pharmaceutical Research, China. (2) Jonatas R. de Oliveira, Sao Paulo State University, Brazil. (3) Marina Quartu, University of Cagliari, Italy. Complete Peer review History: http://www.sciencedomain.org/review-history/20049 Received 16th May 2017 Accepted 11th July 2017 Review Article Published 14th July 2017 ABSTRACT Seahorse has been used as medicine in Asian countries such as China, Korea, Japan and Vietnam for thousands of years. However, in western countries, the ecology of seahorse has been a focus of attention of many researchers for years.
[Show full text]
Male Seahorse and Human Pregnancies Remarkably Alike 1 September 2015
Male seahorse and human pregnancies remarkably alike 1 September 2015 hasn't been known until now is the degree to which male seahorses nourish and protect their embryos in their brood pouch during the 24-day gestation period. Findings co-authored by Dr Camilla Whittington from the University's School of Biological Sciences, published today in Molecular Biology and Evolution, show male seahorses play as much a part in nurturing embryos during pregnancy as female mammals. Previously their role, other than as pouch provider, was largely a mystery. "Surprisingly, seahorse dads do a lot of the same things human mums do," said Dr Whittington. "Seahorse babies get a lot of nutrients via the egg yolk provided by their mothers but the pouch of the fathers has also evolved to meet the complex challenges of providing additional nutrients and immunological protection, and ensuring gas exchange and waste removal. " Dr. Whittington and colleagues found male seahorses are able to deliver nutrients to their developing embryos, particularly energy-rich lipids, and calcium to allow them to build their tiny skeletons. It is likely these nutrients are secreted in the brood pouch and then absorbed by embryos. A newborn Australian pot-bellied seahorse emerges from its fathers pouch. Credit: Rudie Kuiter, Aquatic They also found male seahorses' gene expression Photographics during pregnancy was similar to that of humans. Their research involved taking samples from brood pouches and assessing how gene expression changed during the course of the pregnancy. It is Their pregnancies are carried by the males but, the first RNA sequencing study - monitoring how when it comes to breeding, seahorses have more much genes switch on and off - across the full in common with humans than previously thought, course of pregnancy in any animal.
[Show full text]
Downloaded from Bioscientifica.Com at 10/01/2021 07:31:19PM Via Free Access
158 5 REPRODUCTIONRESEARCH Melatonin rescues impaired penetration ability of human spermatozoa induced by mitochondrial dysfunction Xue-Ying Zhang1,*, Yi-Meng Xiong1,*, Ya-Jing Tan2, Li Wang2, Rong Li2, Yong Zhang2, Xin-Mei Liu2, Xian-Hua Lin2, Li Jin2, Yu-Ting Hu2, Zhen-Hua Tang2, Zheng-Mu Wu2, Feng-Hua Yin2, Zheng-Quan Wang2, Ye Xiao2, Jian-Zhong Sheng1,3 and He-Feng Huang1,2,4 1The Key Laboratory of Reproductive Genetics (Zhejiang University), Ministry of Education, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, 2The International Peace Maternity and Child Health Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, 3Department of Pathology and Pathophysiology, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China and 4Shanghai Key Laboratory of Embryo Original Diseases, Shanghai, China Correspondence should be addressed to H-F Huang; Email: [email protected] *(X-Y Zhang and Y-M Xiong contributed equally to this work) Abstract Fertilization failure often occurs during in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycles despite apparently normal sperm and oocytes. Accumulating evidence suggests that mitochondria play crucial roles in the regulation of sperm function and male fertility. 3-Nitrophthalic acid (3-NPA) can induce oxidative stress in mitochondria, and melatonin, as an antioxidant, can improve mitochondrial function by reducing mitochondrial oxidative stress. The role of sperm mitochondrial dysfunction in fertilization failure during IVF is unclear. The present study revealed that spermatozoa with low, or poor, fertilization rates had swollen mitochondria, increased mitochondria- derived ROS, and attenuated mitochondrial respiratory capacity. 3-NPA treatment enhanced mitochondrial dysfunction in sperm. Spermatozoa with poor fertilization rates, and spermatozoa treated with 3-NPA, had reduced penetration ability.
[Show full text]
Diversity of Seahorse Species (Hippocampus Spp.) in the International Aquarium Trade
diversity Review Diversity of Seahorse Species (Hippocampus spp.) in the International Aquarium Trade Sasha Koning 1 and Bert W. Hoeksema 1,2,* 1 Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 Groningen, The Netherlands; [email protected] 2 Taxonomy, Systematics and Geodiversity Group, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 Leiden, The Netherlands * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) are threatened as a result of habitat degradation and over- fishing. They have commercial value as traditional medicine, curio objects, and pets in the aquarium industry. There are 48 valid species, 27 of which are represented in the international aquarium trade. Most species in the aquarium industry are relatively large and were described early in the history of seahorse taxonomy. In 2002, seahorses became the first marine fishes for which the international trade became regulated by CITES (Convention for the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), with implementation in 2004. Since then, aquaculture has been developed to improve the sustainability of the seahorse trade. This review provides analyses of the roles of wild-caught and cultured individuals in the international aquarium trade of various Hippocampus species for the period 1997–2018. For all species, trade numbers declined after 2011. The proportion of cultured seahorses in the aquarium trade increased rapidly after their listing in CITES, although the industry is still struggling to produce large numbers of young in a cost-effective way, and its economic viability is technically challenging in terms of diet and disease. Whether seahorse aqua- Citation: Koning, S.; Hoeksema, B.W.
[Show full text]