Coexisting Fish Fauna in the Seahorse Habitats

Seahorse is an interesting organism for the study of its conservation as well as development as an marine ornament fish. To investigate the ecological characteristics and fish fauna around the habitat of such an endangered species, fishes were collected from the seahorse habitat. A total of 161 fishes were classified into 8 families and 11 species including two species of seahorse, Hippocampus mohnikei and H. coronatus representing 1.9% and 1.2%, respectively, of the population. The most dominant fish species in the area was Takifugu niphobles accounting for 30.4% of the population. The predators of the seahorse such as Acanthopagrus schlegeli, Lateolabrax japonicus and Lateolabrax maculatus were found in the relative abundance of 0.6%, 5.6%, and 11.8%, respectively. The relative abundance of H. coronatus ($0.96\;ind./1,000\;m^2$), H. mohnikei ($0.97\;ind./1,000\;m^2$) and the other coexisting fishes are similar in all the areas investigated (P>0.05).

해마 서식지 혼재 어류상

2004년 9월 해마가 서식하는 자연수역에서는 왕관해마 Hippocampus coronatus (1.2%)와 산호해마 H. mohnikei (1.9%) 2종의 해마를 포함하여 모두 4목 8과 11종 161마리의 어류가 함께 서식하고 있는 것을 알 수 있었다. 그 중에서 우점종은 복섬(Takifugu niphobles)으로 전체의 30.4%를 차지하였고, 해마의 포식자로 알려진 감성돔(Acanthopagrus schlegeli)과 농어(Lateolabrax japonicus), 점농어(Lateolabrax maculatus)의 비율은 각각 0.6, 5.6, 11.8%를 차지하였다. 그리고 각 조사 정점에서 출현한 왕관해마와 산호해마의 평균밀도는 $1,000\;m^2$당 0.96개체 그리고 0.97개체였으며 각 정점별 밀도에 차이를 관찰할 수 없었다(P>0.05).