Nagaura

Nagaura

Organization

Aitsu Marine Station, Center for Marine Environment Studies, Kumamoto University

Research Theme

Long-term change in the species composition of the benthos in the subtidal zone

Site Outline

Nagaura Island is a small island (0.79km2) in Matsushima, Kami-Amakusa, Kumamoto, Kyushu, Japan, which locates the northern end of the Amakusa Islands and faces a strait between the Ariake Sea and the Yatsushiro Sea. It belongs to a warm temperate region and temperature of surface seawater fluctuates from 11 to 28oC. Most shores are natural and have various environments; rocky, pebble and mud-sandy bottoms, so the diversity of benthos is very high. In the subtidal zone, there are some seagrass beds of Zostera marina and Z. japonica. In muddy areas, dominant benthic animals are Macrophthalmus japonicus and Protankyra bidentata; in mud-sand areas, Batillaria cumingi, Pagurus dubius and Uca lactea; in sandy areas, Scopimera globosa. Aquaculture of the pearl clam Pinctada martensii and the prawn Marsupenaeus japonisus occupies some parts of the shore. The fauna and sea condition around the island have been studied since 1960’s by the staff of Center for Marine Environment Studies, Kumamoto University and many reports have been published.

Contact

  • Address : Aitsu Marine Station, Center for Marine Environment Studies, Kumamoto University, Aitsu, Matsushima, Kami-Amakusa, Kumamoto, 861-6102, Japan
  • Name : Yasuhisa Henmi
  • Phone : 0969-56-0277
  • Fax : 0969-56-3740
  • E-mail : henmi@gpo.kumamoto-u.ac.jp

WWW site URL

Center for Marine Environment Studies, Kumamoto University : http://engan.kumamoto-u.ac.jp/english/index.html

Aitsu Marine Station : http://www.geocities.jp/henmiy21/