Abstract
Population characteristics of two seahorse species, Hippocampus coronatus and Hippocampus mohnikei, in seagrass beds in the southern coastal waters of Korea were determined based on field observations. In Zostera beds in the Yeosu area, there was a mean density of 2.9 seahorses per 1,000 m2 for H. coronatus and 1.4 seahorses per 1,000 m2 for H. mohnikei. The greatest numbers of young individuals of both species were observed in July, with numbers decreasing through November. The male:female sex ratio was 1:1.6 for H. mohnikei and 1:1.7 for H. coronatus. Breeding males of H. coronatus and H. mohnikei were observed from July to November and from July to September, respectively. Within the study site, the populations of the two seahorse species exhibited low density and patchy distributions, with variation in temporal abundance being significantly correlated with water temperature. The findings of this study provide the basis for future research on the population status of H. coronatus and H. mohnikei in seagrass beds.
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Acknowledgments
We are also grateful to the Yeosu Government for our research license. This study was supported by the fund of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, by research grants from the Korea Ocean Research & Development Institute (PE98785), by research grants from the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs (PM56560, PM56600, and PM56642), and by Ministry for Food, Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (PM56720), Republic of Korea. The fieldwork in this study complied with the current laws of the Republic of Korea.
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Choi, YU., Rho, S., Park, HS. et al. Population characteristics of two seahorses, Hippocampus coronatus and Hippocampus mohnikei, around seagrass beds in the southern coastal waters of Korea. Ichthyol Res 59, 235–241 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-012-0285-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-012-0285-z