Vibrio harveyi causes disease in seahorse, Hippocampus sp.

A mass mortality among cultured seahorses, Hippocampus kuda and Hippocampus sp., occurred in spring 1998 in Tenerife, Spain. Seahorses were held together with tropical shrimps, Stenopus hispidus, in glass aquaria supplied with 1000 L of sea water at 25 °C. The water supply was conducted between different tanks that contained various marine species, such as octopus, Octopus vulgaris, star®sh, Asterias rubens, sea-urchin, Paracentrotus lividu, greater weever, Trachinus draco, grouper, Epinephelus guaz and Canarian shrimp, Lismata amboiens. None of these species was affected, including the shrimps that shared aquaria with the seahorses. Mortalities of seahorses were very high (more than 90%), …