Genetic monogamy despite social promiscuity in
populations of
H. abdominalis
Despite the direct observation of promiscuous courtship
behaviour in
Hippocampus abdominalis
, genetic assessment
of male broods indicates that all males had all mated
monogamously. This was true for both low- and highdensity
wild populations as well as a captive population of
seahorses held at densities 2–3 orders of magnitude higher
than is typical in the wild. Clearly, neither water temperature
nor low encounter probability in wild populations can
explain the absence of multiple mating in seahorse species.