Abstract
The occurrence of pipefishes and seahorses (family Syngnathidae) was studied in Urado Estuary, Kochi Prefecture, from April to October 2004. A total of 28 specimens of five species in three genera were collected from intertidal sandy-mud flats in the southern region of Urado Estuary. The occurrence of two species, which are endangered in Kochi Prefecture, Syngnathus schlegeli and Hippichthys (Hippichtlys) spicifer, was confirmed. The former was discovered in Urado Estuary for the first time in over 20 years. Twelve specimens of Hippocampus kuda, a species known from the Ryukyu Islands southward in Japan, were collected from April to October. A single, male H.(H.) spicifer carried eggs in its blood pouch, whilst female of other species had fully developed ovaries. These facts strongly suggest that spawning and nurturing of syngnathid fishes occur in Urado Estuary.
