Common Seahorse vs St. James' shell

Hippocampus kuda compared with Pecten maximus

Key Differences

Common Seahorse is Vulnerable while St. James' shell is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Common Seahorse	St. James' shell
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum	Chordata (Chordates)	Mollusca (Mollusks)
Class	Actinopterygii (Ray-finned Fish)	Bivalvia (Bivalvia)
Order	Perciformes (Perch-like Fish)	Pectinida (Pectinida)
Family	Pomacentridae (Clownfish & Damselfish)	Pectinidae
Genus	Amphiprion (Clownfish)	Pecten
Species	Hippocampus kuda	Pecten maximus

Evolutionary Relationship

Common Seahorse and St. James' shell share a common ancestor at the Kingdom level: Animalia. (Animals)

View Kingdom: Animalia

Conservation Status

Common Seahorse

VU — Vulnerable

Trend: Decreasing ↓

St. James' shell

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Common Seahorse	St. James' shell
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	5 years	—
Average Length	17 cm	—
Average Weight	10 g	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Common Seahorse

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 7 distinct biome types. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Australia, India, Indonesia, Japan, and Philippines. Currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

St. James' shell

Habitat

Native to Asia and Europe and South America, inhabiting ecosystems characteristic of the region.

Range

Widely distributed across Asia (China), Europe (8 countries), and South America (Chile).

Common Seahorse

The common seahorse is found in tropical and temperate waters. Males carry and deliver the babies.

St. James' shell

St. James' shell (Pecten maximus) is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List. Widespread and abundant across its range, with stable populations and no immediate conservation concerns.