Preliminary report on fish diversity in the tidal pools of Jeju Island, Korea

Abstract

The species composition of tidal pool fish on the coasts of Jeju Island was preliminarily investigated for the first time, looking at tidal pool fish diversity by sampling relatively large tidal pools (n = 7, 28.3–326.9 m2 in area) in four regions. Fifty species belonging to 23 families (20–37 species per region) were collected, including a single unrecorded species. The most speciose family was Gobiidae (eight species) followed by Pomacentridae (seven species) and Blenniidae (six species). Yerae (southern coast) exhibited the most diverse composition with 37 species, whereas Oedo (northern coast) had the least with 20 species. Ten species were collected across all four regions. In spite of the short study period, the species richness of Jeju Island is high, and thus we can now better understand the biodiversity and ecological importance of the intertidal zone, particularly in tidal pools. However, direct comparisons of fish diversity between similar studies would not be proper considering the differences in environments. Therefore, comprehensive and intensive research is required into the rocky marine biodiversity of this island, including tidal pools, to better understand the fish diversity.