A global systematic review on ecological distribution of European seahorses Hippocampus guttulatus and Hippocampus hippocampus

Definition of conservation programs in marine fishes requires comprehensive knowledge on ecological and environmental drivers underlining community dynamics. The ecological distribution of fishes should consider patterns of local distribution and abundance in relation to key environmental variables affecting local populations. Two European seahorse species, Hippocampus guttulatus and Hippocampus hippocampus have often been marginalized, resulting in a lack of data on ecological distribution. In this study, weperformed a systematic review using published and unpublished sources concerning the species distribution and environmental data, useful to propose conservation strategies. H guttulatus resulted widely reported in lagoons while H.hippocampus in open sea. The two species showed deep segregation in all habitats, while seagrass and algae resulted as the most used holdfasts in all habitats.