Location: Romblon Island
Depth: deeper water
Cover Photo: Lida Sol Alcazar
Original Name: Hippocampus bargibanti, Whitley, 1970
Type: Romblon Fish
Group: Pygmy Seahorses | Seahorses
Family: Syngnathidae
Bargibant’s pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) has the impressive ability to adapt its color to blend in completely with its host fan. It was a dedicated scientist named George Bargibant, who discovered the first pygmy seahorse during the time he was examining a sample of a Gorgonian sea fan when he noticed a miniature pair of seahorses. The seahorses were officially named after the said scientist in the year 1970. Hippocampus bargibanti’s maximum size is only 27 mm, which makes it one of the tiniest seahorse species known in the world.