The yellow seahorse inhabits waters from the Persian Gulf to Southeast Asia, Australia, Japan, and several Pacific islands including Hawaii, and is also found the eastern coast of Africa from Tanzania to South Africa [REF].
It inhabits both benthic habitat in coastal waters with soft or rocky bottom, sheltered waters of estuaries, harbors or mangroves, and open pelagic waters, where it clings to drifting Sargassum seaweed [REF].