生物多样性 ›› 2024, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (1): 23282.  DOI: 10.17520/biods.2023282

• 综述 • 上一篇    下一篇

中国海域海马的物种多样性、生态特征及保护建议

刘彩莲1(), 张雄2, 樊恩源3, 王松林4, 姜艳1, 林柏岸1(), 房璐4, 李玉强4, 刘乐彬4, 刘敏1,*()()   

  1. 1.厦门大学海洋与地球学院, 福建厦门 361102
    2.中山大学生态学院, 广东深圳 518107
    3.中国水产科学研究院资源与环境研究中心, 北京 100071
    4.青岛市海洋生态研究会, 山东青岛 266600
  • 收稿日期:2023-08-04 接受日期:2023-12-05 出版日期:2024-01-20 发布日期:2024-01-10
  • 通讯作者: *E-mail: minliuxm@xmu.edu.cn
  • 基金资助:
    广东省自然科学基金(2022A1515010640);北京市企业家环保基金会(SEE-BC-0429);深圳市质兰公益基金会(2021070701C)

Species diversity, ecological characteristics and conservation measures of seahorses (Hippocampus) in China’s waters

Cailian Liu1(), Xiong Zhang2, Enyuan Fan3, Songlin Wang4, Yan Jiang1, Baian Lin1(), Lu Fang4, Yuqiang Li4, Lebin Liu4, Min Liu1,*()()   

  1. 1 College of Ocean & Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian 361102
    2 School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Shenzhen, Guangdong 518107
    3 Natural Resource and Environmental Research Center, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Beijing 100071
    4 Qingdao Marine Conservation Society, Qingdao, Shandong 266600
  • Received:2023-08-04 Accepted:2023-12-05 Online:2024-01-20 Published:2024-01-10
  • Contact: *E-mail: minliuxm@xmu.edu.cn

摘要:

濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约(CITES)于2002年将海马属(Hippocampus)所有物种列入附录II进行国际贸易监管。2021年2月, 农业农村部和国家林业和草原局联合公布了调整后的《国家重点保护野生动物名录》, 明确将中国海域海马属所有物种(野外种群)列为国家二级重点保护动物。尽管我国高度重视海马保护工作, 但目前仍缺乏对各海区海马物种多样性以及重要生态学信息的汇总。本文通过文献资料整理, 提供了最新的中国海域分布的16种海马名录, 总结了其分布区域、栖息生境、繁殖特征等生态信息, 并归纳了不同物种的濒危等级和主要威胁因素。在16种海马中, 莫氏海马(H. mohnikei, 又名日本海马)分布范围最为广泛, 从渤海至南海均有出现。台湾、海南、广东、福建及广西沿岸海域的海马物种多样性较高。海马营底层生活, 其栖息生境十分多样化, 包括珊瑚礁、海草床、海藻场、红树林、碎石及砂泥质海床等。目前, 海马野外种群所面临的主要威胁来自于渔业兼捕及栖息地破坏。为更好地保护海马野外种群, 建议管理部门关注海马作为旗舰物种在海洋生态环境保护工作中的影响力, 建立以海马及其栖息生境为主要保护目标的国家级自然保护区或采取其他有效的区域保护措施; 加强海马保护公众宣传, 着力解决海马兼捕问题; 尽快启动全国范围的海马栖息地调查及种群数量评估工作, 识别海马关键栖息地; 提升贸易监管能力, 规范海马利用管理, 建立鉴别野生和养殖海马群体的关键技术, 以期促进对我国海马野外种群的有效保护。

关键词: 海马, 物种多样性, 保护动物, 分布, 生境

Abstract

Background & Aims: Seahorses (Hippocampus spp.) are well-known fishes from the family Syngnathidae, mainly due to their unique external morphology and reproductive strategy of male pregnancy. All Hippocampus species, listed in CITES Appendix II in 2002, are under trade regulations internationally. All Hippocampus species (wild populations only) inhabiting in China’s waters were listed as Category II of the National Key Protected Wild Animals in 2021. Through literature review, we (i) updated the species list of seahorses occurring in China’s waters, (ii) summarized their distribution regions, habitat and breeding features, and (iii) presented their threatened categories and threats. Our goal is to inform effective conservation measures for seahorse wild populations in China.

Review findings: In this paper, we reviewed and summarized seahorse species diversity, distributions, habitat uses, reproductive features, threatened categories, and threat factors from various reference sources, including online databases (Fishbase, The Fish Database of Taiwan, GBIF, WoRMS, IUCN), peer-reviewed papers, reports, theses, as well as informative Chinese ichthyographies. A total of 16 seahorse species were recorded in China’s waters, including 5 pygmy seahorses that are no more than 30 mm in body height. Among these, Japanese seahorses (H. mohnikei) were distributed most widely, across China’s all four seas. Crowned seahorses (H. coronatus) were only found in the Bo Hai, while Barbour’s seahorses (H. barbouri), Beibu Bay seahorses (H. casscsio, a new species found in 2016), and Tiger tail seahorses (H. comes) were only found in the South China Sea. Six species were only found in the coastal waters of Taiwan Province. Southern China, including Taiwan, Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, and Guangxi, has high seahorse species diversity. The habitat uses of seahorses in China’s waters are very diverse, including coral and rocky reefs, seagrass and seaweed beds, muddy and sandy bottoms, gravels, and mangrove meadows. Some species have special requirements for their habitats. According to IUCN, 8 seahorse species were listed as Vulnerable (VU), 2 species were listed as Least Concern (LC), 5 species were listed as Data Deficient (DD), and 1 species was Not Evaluated (NE). The main threats to seahorses are bycatch and habitat destruction.

Recommendations: Seahorses are a special taxonomic group of fishes with high vulnerability, and we propose five recommendations for urgent conservations of seahorses in China. First, the significance of seahorses as flagship species in marine biodiversity conservation should be realized and we need to use them to raise marine-conservation awareness of the general public. Establishing marine protected areas for seahorses and their habitats, and applying other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) might also be taken into account. Second, it is known that non-selective fishing gears such as bottom trawling have high seahorse bycatch volume, and the dredge net operations can damage seaweed beds where seahorses inhabit. Therefore, any solution for reducing bycatch, increasing survival rates of seahorses after releasing, protecting habitats and innovating fishing gears are welcome. Third, identifying the key habitats of different seahorse species in China’s waters is very important for establishing protected areas and fisheries spatial management. Currently, such data are very limited. Some key areas we synthesized in this study require national-wide surveys to validate before planning for marine reserves and OECMs of seahorses in China. Fourth, seahorse trade regulation and enforcement should be strengthened, and the management of seahorse utilization should be regulated properly. To this end, techniques to distinguishing wild populations from farmed seahorses should be established as soon as possible before the expansion of seahorse aquaculture.

Key words: seahorse, species diversity, protected animals, distribution, habitat