Benthic mollusks and crustaceans recorded from the Honjou River estuary, Kusima, Japan
2005
Miura, T.(Miyazaki Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Agriculture) | Kawaguchi, H. | Kano, Y.
The faunal composition of benthic mollusks and crustaceans was investigated in the Honjo River Estuary, Kusima, Japan. In this estuary, muddy sediment was dominant rather than sandy sediment and the rocky bottom was also found on the river mouth, while pebble gravels were contained in the sediment of the upper stream. The estuary was divided into 12 subareas on the sediment type and the fresh water flow. The faunal composition of marine benthos was investigated from April to December 2004. An additional collection was made in April 2005. In total, 86 benthic animal species including 38 gastropods, 15 bivalves and 33 decapod crustaceans were recorded. Among them, 25 are known as endangered estuary species in Japan. Three endangered snails, such as Batillaria multiformis, Cerithidea (Cerithidea) rhizophorarum, and C. (Cerithideopsilla) djadjariensis, were very common in this estuary and their highest density was recorded as 1664 individuals/m2, 988 individuals/m2 and 36 individuals/m2, respectively. Two endangered fiddler crab species, Uca arcuata and U. lactea, were also common on the muddy tidal flat and on the reedy marsh within the central holm, respectively. All these evidences suggested that the Honjo River Estuary is an important wetland which should be conserved and need to monitor the environmental change and the rich fauna.
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