Ecological Characteristics of the New Recorded Seahorse (Hippocampus haema) in Geoje-Hansan Bay, Korea

Feeding Strategy of the Wild Korean Seahorse (Hippocampus haema)

“…To compare the seasonal feeding habits of H. haema during summer and winter, 14 specimens were collected from Geoje Hansan Bay in July (seven) and January (seven), when the seasonal characteristics were distinct. All the specimens were found in Sargassum piluliferum [8] and identified as the same species by DNA analysis [18]. There was no significant difference in mean SL and Wt by the two different seasons, but there was a relatively wider range in the mean SL and Wt in the July specimens.…”

“…The sampling area was Geoje-Hansan Bay, Republic of Korea (34 • 48 40 N; 128 • 31 03 E; Figure 1). The mean water depth of the sampling site was approximately 3 m. The two specimens taken from the samples reported in [8] were analyzed to confirm the possibility of feeding differences between each sampling group even in the summer season (Table 1). The body length and wet weight were measured at the home laboratory using a caliper (Mitutoyo, 0.01 mm, Kawasaki, Japan) and a scale (Mettler Toledo, 1 mg, Columbus, OH, USA) according to [46].…”

“…Until now, there is no record of seahorse overfishing along the Republic of Korea coastal area; however, the Korean coastal ecosystem, due to ongoing nationwide coastal development, has been losing its natural shelter abilities as a safe habitat and spawning ground for various fishes, including seahorses [2,7]. Despite these crises, very little ecological information on seahorses is currently available in the Republic of Korea [8,9]; thus, we do not know what ecological roles they play in coastal ecosystems.…”

“…Seahorses lead a sedentary life in coastal areas where the environment can be changed dynamically compared to the open ocean [10][11][12][13]. Five seahorse species have been reported in South Korean waters, mainly in the seaweed and seagrass beds throughout the southern coast [8,9,[14][15][16][17]. Recently, H. haema, previously known as H. coronatus, was newly identified as a Korean species [18].…”

“…Recently, H. haema, previously known as H. coronatus, was newly identified as a Korean species [18]. The first study on the morphometric characteristics and basic ecological data for the newly recorded Korean seahorse (H. haema) populations was conducted in Geoje-Hansan Bay [8]. However, no study has been conducted on their feeding ecology to date.…”