Short Graham, Smith Richard, Motomura Hiroyuki, Harasti David, Hamilton Healy
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, United States of America California Academy of Sciences San Francisco United States of America.
iSeahorse, IUCN Seahorse, Pipefish Stickleback Specialist Group, London U.K. Pipefish Stickleback Specialist Group London United Kingdom.
Zookeys. 2018 Aug 2(779):27-49. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.779.24799. eCollection 2018.
The pygmy seahorse is described based on three specimens, 13.9-16.3 mm SL, collected from a mixed soft coral and algae reef at 11 m depth at Hachijo-jima Island, Izu Islands, Japan. The new taxon shares morphological synapomorphies with the previously described central Indo-Pacific pygmy seahorses, , , and , including extremely small size, 12 trunk rings, strongly raised continuous cleithral ring, snout spine, large spine on the eighth lateral and fifth and 12 superior trunk ridges, respectively, and unusual wing-like-protrusions immediately posterior to the head. can be distinguished from all congeners by the following combination of features in the anterodorsal area of the trunk: bilaterally paired wing-like protrusions formed by a single pair of large, truncate spines projecting dorsolaterad on the first superior trunk ridge, followed by a unique elevated dorsal ridge formed by triangular bony mounds dorsally on the second to fourth superior trunk ridges. In contrast, possesses a pair of large truncate spines projecting strongly laterad on both the first and second superior trunk ridges followed by flat surfaces dorsally on the third and fourth superior trunk rings. The new species can be further differentiated by genetic divergence from (an uncorrected p-distance of 10.1% in the mitochondrial COI gene) and a striking reticulated white and brown lattice pattern on the head, trunk, and tail. represents the fifth species of pygmy seahorse recorded in Japan.
侏儒海马是根据三个体长为13.9 - 16.3毫米的标本描述的，这些标本采自日本伊豆诸岛八丈岛水深11米处的软珊瑚和藻类混合礁。这个新分类单元与先前描述的中印度洋 - 太平洋侏儒海马、、和具有形态学共衍征，包括体型极小、12个躯干环、强烈隆起的连续腹环、吻棘、第八侧躯干嵴以及第五和第十二上躯干嵴上分别有大的棘，以及头部后方紧邻处有不寻常的翼状突出物。可以通过躯干前背区域的以下特征组合与所有同属物种区分开来：由一对大的截形棘向背外侧突出形成双侧成对的翼状突出物，位于第一上躯干嵴上，接着是由第二至第四上躯干嵴上的三角形骨丘在背侧形成的独特隆起的背嵴。相比之下，在第一和第二上躯干嵴上都有一对强烈向外侧突出的大截形棘，接着是第三和第四上躯干环背侧的平坦表面。这个新物种还可以通过与（线粒体COI基因中未校正的p距离为10.1%）的遗传差异以及头部、躯干和尾部显著的网状白色和棕色格子图案进一步区分。代表了在日本记录的第五种侏儒海马。
