Two main groups of pygmy seahorses are known, those that live on gorgonian corals and those that live freely on the reef. The former group contains the well-known Bargibant’s and Denise’s pygmy seahorses and the latter the Coleman’s and Pontohi’s pygmies.
Walea Resort is luck enough to have another, unique species that is found living exclusively on the surface of soft corals. This species is in the process of being scientifically described. It was discovered on the house reef in 2001 by a dive guide at the resort and has since been consistently seen both on the house reef and other local dive sites.
The Walea pygmy lives on at least two species of soft coral, these are beige in colour due to the symbiotic algae that live within their cells.
As they require light to survive the soft corals tend to flourish in the shallows and it is usually between 10 and 20 meters that the pygmy is found. This is in contrast to the gorgonian associated pygmies, which usually live at greater depths since their gorgonian hosts do not need light to survive.
The Walea pygmy seahorse is similar in size to the other pygmies but the tail is much longer since the soft corals on which it lives have branches that vary quite dramatically in size and the long tail appears to be an adaptation that allows the animal to grasp these. This is an active species that moves freely around its soft coral host and frequently free-swims between fronds of the coral. When swimming between holdfasts the animal curls the tail around the body or holds it tightly coiled below the body. I have also witnessed the tail being used to wipe the body clean of detritus. Perfectly camouflaged in their soft coral home the Walea pygmy is pale pink or yellowish in colour with some similarly coloured dark patches that help to break up the outline. They are also covered in small white specks that also help with camouflaging the animal
Like other pygmy seahorses, the Walea species is very sensitive to overzealous photographers and divers; therefore care must be taken that the animal does not become stressed. Below are a few tips on how to take good pygmy seahorse photos:
• Do not touch the gorgonian or soft coral – the polyps will retract (which are beautiful in their own right) and the pygmy will immediately be defensive.
• Do not touch the seahorse, it will turn away from you in an effort to become more camouflaged, which is not a good picture.
• Spend a few minutes allowing them to become comfortable with your presence before you go in flash guns blazing.
• Limit the number of shots you take, only taking the shots that you think will be keepers. This limits stress on the animal and will give you better pictures in the long run.
• If the animal is not in a good position wait until next time, you’ll get another chance!
Two main groups of pygmy seahorses are known, those that live on gorgonian corals and those that live freely on the reef. The former group contains the well-known Bargibant’s and Denise’s pygmy seahorses and the latter the Coleman’s and Pontohi’s pygmies. 
