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Unread 05/15/2016, 02:42 PM   #1
italcool
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ID Seahorse??

Hello everyone,

i just bought by first seahorses and I'm very excited, i always wanted to rise them but i have a doubt about the species. My lfs said they are H. Kuda.. but are we sure? They are still young, I just hope they are not seahorses from the Mediterranean, like h.Hippocampus. Can you help me out?


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Unread 05/16/2016, 05:35 AM   #2
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anyone?


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Unread 05/16/2016, 08:16 AM   #3
rayjay
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Very well could be H. kuda as the coronet is turned back. I find it difficult at any time to ID seahorses but especially ones that are not mature.
Unfortunately, many seahorses get shipped as H. kuda when they are in fact a different species.
https://cites.unia.es/cites/file.php...-seahorses.pdf


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Unread 05/16/2016, 02:16 PM   #4
italcool
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Thank you


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Unread 05/17/2016, 07:44 AM   #5
BlueCat1949
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Looks like kuda to me.


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Unread 06/21/2016, 04:17 AM   #6
italcool
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They are growing, is this a female?Image1466504233.596218.jpg


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Unread 06/21/2016, 09:40 AM   #7
rayjay
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Picture isn't very good for ID, and, I don't think the seahorse i mature enough yet to definitively say that it's a female as many males are very late developing. It does have the basic outline of a female but then again, the males have that look too until they develop.
Do you know how old they are?


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Unread 06/21/2016, 09:44 AM   #8
italcool
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Unfortunately I don't know how old are they, I have had it for more than a month where they double sized. I try to repost the pic in higher quality. When do the males usually develop the pouch?


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Unread 06/21/2016, 10:29 AM   #9
rayjay
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In my experience, the earliest males start at about 4 months of age, but the majority would happen at 5 to 6 months, with some taking 8 months or even much longer for a very small percentage of a batch.
The best I could do for determination before the change happens is to look at the anal fin placement. For a future male development, the anal fin would be located slightly forward of the tail more than that of what would be a female.
The pouch always develops behind the anal fin.
It helped though that I had a batches to look at and compare different ones to know what the difference in location is, as it's not a lot of difference.


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Unread 06/21/2016, 04:09 PM   #10
italcool
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Thank You! I guess mine are still too young to sex them. I just hope it's a pair. by the way can we confirm its a Kuda right?


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Unread 06/21/2016, 05:53 PM   #11
rayjay
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I can't but maybe someone else can.


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Unread 06/21/2016, 07:45 PM   #12
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Since you posted such a great picture of the tail I was able to count the rings. With 36 tail rings and the body shape and coronet I am pretty sure this is a female H. kuda.


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Unread 06/22/2016, 09:10 AM   #13
italcool
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Thank you! How many a male should have?


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Unread 06/22/2016, 11:06 AM   #14
rayjay
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How many what should a male have? Tail rings?
There is no difference between males and females regarding tail rings. The only difference will be that the male pouch develops behind the anal fin.
Tail rings I find are fairly consistent within a batch from specific parentage, but can be different from other parentage lines, especially if sourced from a different location originally.
From the above link I gave you, for H. kuda:
Maximum recorded adult height: 17 cm2
Trunk rings: 11
Tail rings: 36 (34–38)
HL/SnL: 2.3 (2.0–2.6)
Rings supporting dorsal fin: 2 trunk rings and 1 tail ring
Dorsal fin rays: 17 (17–18)
Pectoral fin rays: 16 (15–18)
Coronet: Low to medium-height, rounded, overhanging at the back, often with a cup-like depression in
the top; sometimes with broad flanges; not spiny
Spines: Low, rounded bumps only
Other distinctive characteristics: Deep head; deep body; thick snout
Colour/pattern: Often totally black with a grainy texture; alternatively pale yellow or cream with fairly
large, dark spots (especially females); may be sandy coloured, blending in with surroundings
Now, as tail rings are not definitive because they can have varying numbers that also are in the range of other seahorses, you have to go by all the other characteristics that may be different than other seahorses such as the coronet size, height, shape, direction, and, when mature enough, to compare the head, snout and body size, shaping and depth.


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Unread 06/23/2016, 05:12 PM   #15
BlueCat1949
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Quote:
Originally Posted by italcool View Post
Thank you! How many a male should have?
They both have 36 but the body shape looks female to me.


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Unread 06/23/2016, 08:57 PM   #16
rayjay
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Body shape of an immature male also looks like a female, but the anal fin is very slightly forward than that of the females. Most people would find it impossible to determine the difference without being able to compare a male with a female at that stage, and even then you could have arguments about it.
Without knowing the real age of this seahorse, we really don't know if it is still immature or not.


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Unread 07/01/2016, 02:01 AM   #17
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Thank you guys for the a accurate explanations!


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Unread 11/17/2016, 04:56 PM   #18
nutbar29
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So by now you should know if it's a male or female. I can bet it's a male.


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Unread 11/18/2016, 04:11 PM   #19
italcool
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Oh yeah, I do definitely know... two beautiful females!


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Unread 11/18/2016, 05:47 PM   #20
btreyes
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Beautiful horses, +1 to H. kuda


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