Kuroshio Current and fish fauna around Yaku-shima Island: unveiling the invisible barrier in the sea

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 24370041
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Partial Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biodiversity/Systematics
• Research Institution: National Museum of Nature and Science, Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: MATSUURA Keiichi 独立行政法人国立科学博物館, その他部局等, 名誉研究員 (70141984)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): ENDO Hiromitsu 高知大学, 自然科学系, 教授 (50284427) ; SENOU Hiroshi 神奈川県立生命の星・地球博物館, 学芸部, 企画課長 (80202141) ; MOTOMURA Hiroyuki 鹿児島大学, 総合研究博物館, 教授 (90433086)
• Project Period (FY): 2012-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 黒潮 / 魚類相 / 流路 / 動物地理 / 障壁 / 運搬 / 分類 / サンゴ礁

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Fishes of Yaku-shima Island and the adjacent areas were studied on the basis of specimens collected by SCUBA and underwater photographs of fishes. The study resulted in finding many new species and new records of fishes from Japan. Based on this study, a large field guide to fishes of Yoron-jima Island, the southern most island in the Amami-oshima island group, was published. Comparisons of fish faunas in Yaku-shima Island and the adjacent areas showed that the fish fauna of Yaku-shima Island is more similar to that of the Ryukyu Islands than to that of Kyushu Island. This study showed that the southern distribution limit of temperate fishes is found in Tanega-shima Island. Comparisons of fish faunas in the study sites also showed that the Kuroshio Current makes an invisible barrier in the sea for shallow water fishes in the temperate Japanese sea when they try to move southward.

Free Research Field

魚類学