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Coastal Area 15001 Adjacent waters of Miyako Island

Basic Information A separate window opensReferences

Relevant municipalities Miyakojima, Okinawa Prefecture
Area (km2) 513

Reason(s) for selection A separate window opensCriteria

Selected due to high levels for the criteria 2, 3, 4 and 8, and selected by MARXAN software.

Characteristics A separate window opensReferences

These are the waters in the vicinity of Miyako Island (including Miyako Island, Ikema Island, Irabu Island, Shimoji Island, Kurima Island, and others). To the north of Ikema Island lies Yabiji Reef, an expansive coral reef in a highly natural state. The gravelly tidal mud flats in the vicinity of Ikema Island are home to Uca tetragonon. The coast and waters are distinguished by bright white sandy beaches and coral reefs. Shimajiri Inlet in northern Miyako Island is home to mangrove forests, where Kandelia obovata, black mangrove, Rhizophora mucronata, and grey mangrove grow. The Shimajiri mangrove forest is the largest on Miyako Island, and in recent years the trees have been spreading as sedimentation of earth and sand advances. Numerous useful marine animals such as mud crab, Okinawa seabream and others live here. On the east coast of Miyako Island (Cape Agarihennazaki) are Sargassum fulvellum seaweed beds, important as large-scale subtropical Sargassum beds. At Kadekari Inlet in the south is another mangrove forest where Kandelia obovata, black mangrove, and grey mangrove grow. In Yonaha Bay and environs on the west side of the island unfold tidal mud flats and seagrass and seaweed beds, where eight species of sea grass including Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea serrulata and others are mixed. Also to be seen here are sea grape (northern limit) and, on reef shores, Emoia atrocostata atrocostata (a reptile). Snipe and plover visit here, with high numbers of species and populations visiting during the spring and fall migrations and wintering here. At least 1% of the minimum estimated population of Pacific golden plover and at least 0.25% of the minimum estimated population of lesser sand plover, Numenius phaeopus, Eurasian curlew, and grey-tailed tattler have been recorded here. Mangrove forests of Kandelia obovata, black mangrove, and Rhizophora mucronata are found in the inlets of Irabu Island as well (Ministry of the Environment, 2001). The vicinity of these waters also includes green turtle feeding waters (Kamezaki, personal communication).

Environment / Habitat infromation A separate window opensData source

Tidal mud flats (km2) 2.5
Moba (seaweed bed) (km2) 13.9
Coral reef coverage (km2) 20.9
Natural coast (km) 147.2
Rate of natural coast (%) 78.6
Sand bank / submerged sand bank
Other habitats Mangrove, submerged cave

Species information (*) A separate window opensData source

Criteria 1
<Crustacea>
Upogebia sakaii
Tmethypocoelis choreutes
<Bivalva, Gastropoda>
Cyclina sinensis
<Octocorallia>
Sarcophyton crassocaule
Criteria 2
<Aves>
Monticola solitarius (Blue Rock-thrush)[Br/Ne]
Sterna sumatrana (Black-naped Tern)
Sterna sumatrana (Black-naped Tern)[Br/Ne]
Anous stolidus (Brown Noddy)
Anous stolidus (Brown Noddy)[Br/Ne]
Egretta sacra (Pacific Reef-egret)[Br/Ne]
Chlidonias leucopterus (White-winged Tern)
Sterna dougallii (Roseate Tern)
Sterna dougallii (Roseate Tern)[Br/Ne]
Sterna anaethetus (Bridled Tern)
Sterna anaethetus (Bridled Tern)[Br/Ne]
Criteria 3
<Aves>
Sterna sumatrana (Black-naped Tern)
Sterna dougallii (Roseate Tern)
<Pisces>
Hypseleotris cyprinoides (Tropical carp-gudgeon)
<Crustacea>
Parasesarma plicatum
Upogebia sakaii
Uca boninensis
Thalassograpsus harpax
<Bivalva, Gastropoda>
Cyclina sinensis
Melampus sculptus
Stenomelania juncea
Geloina expansa
<Hexacorallia>
Acanthastrea ishigakiensis
Acropora abrolhosensis
Acropora aculeus
Acropora anthocercis
Acropora aspera
Acropora donei
Acropora echinata
Acropora horrida
Acropora listeri
Acropora microclados
Acropora solitaryensis
Acropora vaughani
Acropora verweyi
Alveopora excelsa
Caulastrea echinulata
Cyphastrea agassizi
Euphyllia ancora
Euphyllia cristata
Galaxea astreata
Goniopora burgosi
Goniopora cellulosa
Heliofungia actiniformis
Heliopora coerulea
Leptoria irregularis
Leptoseris yabei
Montipora caliculata
Pachyseris rugosa
Pavona cactus
Pavona venosa
Pectinia alcicornis
Pectinia lactuca
Platygyra yaeyamaensis
Porites horizontalata
Porites nigrescens
Turbinaria mesenterina
Turbinaria peltata
Turbinaria reniformis
Turbinaria stellulata
<Algae>
Sargassum polycystum
Criteria 4
<Aves>
Anous stolidus (Brown Noddy)
Sterna anaethetus (Bridled Tern)
<Octocorallia>
Carijoa riisei
Cladiella pachyclados
Eleutherobia grayi
Ellisella andamanensis
Klyxum simplex
Lobophytum crassum
Menella praelonga
Sarcophyton crassocaule
Sarcophyton ehrenbergi
Sarcophyton glaucum
Sinularia gravis
Sinularia leptoclados
Sinularia lochmodes
Sinularia mollis
Sinularia polydactyla
Subergorgia suberosa
Criteria 7
<Bivalva, Gastropoda>
Neritina pulligera
Neritina turrita
Clithon chlorostoma
Neritina variegata
Stenomelania juncea
<Vascular Plants>
Halophila ovalis
Cymodocea rotundata
Syringodium isoetifolium

* This is the species list of which meet the criteria. In that matter, this list does not include all species that inhabit the individual area.
Abbreviation in the information is as follows.
[Br/Ne] : Adjacent water of breeding area or nesting site
[Sp] : spawning area
[Ad] : species not used for analysis but add to the list because inhabit information was collected later
[Ex] : species used for analysis but considered to be possibly extinct in the EBSA region (area)
No mark : data of species distribution

 

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