NEW SEAHORSE SPECIES DISCOVERED IN SOUTH AFRICA! And is tiny!
This diminutive seahorse new species, who reach nearly 2 cm, it is confirmed to be the first record of a true pygmy seahorse from Africa, and the first known from the Indian Ocean. Named Sodwana Pygmy Seahorse (Hippocampus nalu), it was found triving in the reefs of Sodwana Bay.
-Sodwana Bay, where Sodwana Pygmy Seahorse it was discovered, in red
Seven new species of pygmy seahorses have been officially described and named within the first two decades of the 21st century, and this eighth species extends the range of pygmy seahorses by more than 8000 km, suggesting that more species may be waiting to be discovered.
Scientifically named as Hippocampus nalu, it refers to Savannah Nalu Olivier a local diver who discovered this new species in Sodwana bay, also, she brought this tiny fish to researchers who described officially this species. In the South African languages, Xhosa and Zulu, nalu refers to the expression ‘here it is’ and therefore. researches extend its meaning in this case to the simple fact that H. nalu was there all along until its discovery. Additionally, nalu is also the Hawaiian word that refers to the waves or surf of the moana (ocean). A powerful name for a tiny fish.
Photo: Sodwana Pygmy Seahorse in situ, juvenile (10 mm ), Sodwana Bay, South Africa at 14 m depth (photograph Richard Smith / oceanrealmimages.com).
Reference (Open access): Short et al., 2020. Hippocampus nalu, A New Species of Pygmy Seahorse from South Africa, and the First Record of A Pygmy Seahorse from the Indian Ocean (Teleostei, Syngnathidae). ZooKeys.
[Photo description: a dark small seahorses, using its tails to attach itself to some algae, is small and is possible to understand it as its sizes looks similar to grains of sands around]
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