Feeding Strategy of the Wild Korean Seahorse (<i>Hippocampus haema</i>)

oleh: Myung-Joon Kim, Hyun-Woo Kim, Soo-Rin Lee, Na-Yeong Kim, Yoon-Ji Lee, Hui-Tae Joo, Seok-Nam Kwak, Sang-Heon Lee

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: MDPI AG 2022-03-01

Deskripsi

The feeding and spawning grounds for seahorses have been lost due to nationwide coastal developments in South Korea. However, little information on the feeding ecology of the Korean seahorse (<i>Hippocampus haema</i>) is currently available. The main objective in this study was to understand the feeding strategy of <i>H. haema</i> on the basis of DNA analysis of the contents of the guts. This is the first study on the feeding ecology of <i>H. haema</i>. Crustaceans were found to be major prey for <i>H. haema</i> in this study. Among the 12 identified species, arthropods were predominantly observed as potential prey of <i>H. haema</i> in this study. The <i>Caprella</i> sp. Was detected in all summer specimens followed by the <i>Ianiropsis</i> sp., whereas isopods were dominant, and amphipods accounted for a small proportion in winter specimens. According to the results in this study, there appears to be a seasonal shift in the major prey of <i>H. haema</i>. Moreover, a potential change in the habitats for adults was further discussed. Since this is a pilot study, further studies should be conducted for a better understanding of the feeding ecology of <i>H. haema</i>.