2017 Volume 23 Issue 1 Pages 27-34
Aquatic fauna found in 21 man-made biotopes that were established in agricultural and rural development projects in rural areas in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, were surveyed. A total of 117 species were captured or observed, including nine species of amphibians, 14 species of fish, 75 species of aquatic insects, ten species of crustaceans, and nine species of mussels and snails. Mostly aquatic insects made up the 38 species of odonates found. In addition, 24 coleopteran species and ten hemipteran species were discovered in the biotopes. The Red Data Book of Japan lists Rana nigromaculata, Cipangopaludina chinensis laeta, and Oryzias latipes latipes as endangered species, and these species were captured in 18, eight, and six out of 21 biotopes, respectively. In addition, two nonindigenous invasive species, Procambarus clarkii and Rana catesbeiana, were captured in 11 and six biotopes, respectively. The numbers of species varied greatly among biotopes, ranging from four to 59, suggesting that the effect of biotope on biodiversity was not uniform.
