New to Nature No.3: The world's smallest sea horse

Little bigger than a pea, the smallest known sea horse, Hippocampus satomiae , was discovered at a depth of about 15 metres on reefs in Indonesia, from Derawan island to northern Sulawesi and Borneo. Like other pygmy sea horses, its size and camouflage make it difficult to spot. This species resembles, in texture and colour, the sea fans with which it lives. It has a pouch in which it carries its young, which are only 3mm in length. Animal names ending in -ae honour women, in this case Satomi Onishi, a diving guide who collected the first specimen. Quentin Wheeler International Institute for Species Exploration, Arizona State University, www.species.asu.edu/