Short Graham, Harasti David, Hamilton Healy
California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, USA California Academy of Sciences San Francisco United States of America.
Fisheries Research, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute, New South Wales, Australia Fisheries Research, Port Stephens Fisheries Institute Port Stephens Australia.
Zookeys. 2019 Feb 14(824):109-133. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.824.30921. eCollection 2019.
The taxonomic status of the seahorse Kuiter, 2001, type locality Hervey Bay, QLD, Australia, was re-examined based on its strong morphological similarity and geographical proximity to its congener Bleeker, 1855, a species recorded in ten estuaries of New South Wales, Australia. Kuiter (2001) distinguished from by a taller coronet, marginally lower meristics, and spinier physiognomy. Meristic, morphometric, and key diagnostic morphological character comparisons from vouchered specimens of the two purported species collected from Sydney Harbour, Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, NSW and Hervey Bay, Bundaberg, and Moreton Bay, QLD did not show diagnostic differences to support species-level classification of . Furthermore, partial mitochondrial COI sequence data from specimens sampled from known geographical distributions in NSW and Southport, QLD failed to discriminate between populations as a result of shared haplotypes, and revealed an average intraspecific divergence of 0.002%. is hereby placed in the synonymy of ; a redescription is provided, with a revised record of its range across eastern Australia.
基于海马Kuiter, 2001（模式产地为澳大利亚昆士兰州赫维湾）与同属的Bleeker, 1855在形态上的高度相似性以及地理上的相近性，对其分类地位进行了重新审视。Bleeker, 1855是一种记录于澳大利亚新南威尔士州十个河口的物种。Kuiter（2001）通过更高的冠状物、略低的可数性状以及更具棘状的外形将其与区分开来。对从新南威尔士州悉尼港、尼尔森湾、斯蒂芬斯港以及昆士兰州赫维湾、班达伯格和莫顿湾采集的两个所谓物种的凭证标本进行可数性状、形态测量和关键诊断形态特征比较，未发现支持物种水平分类的诊断差异。此外，从新南威尔士州和昆士兰州南港已知地理分布区域采集的标本的部分线粒体COI序列数据，由于共享单倍型，未能区分种群，且种内平均差异为0.002%。特此将置于的同物异名中；提供了重新描述，并修订了其在澳大利亚东部分布范围的记录。
