Okinawa
No.494 Shiira-gawa, Aira-gawa and Maira-gawa Criteria for selection:1,2,3 Shiira-gawa Aira-gawa Maira-gawa City:C/Town:T/ Village:V Wetland type Biota Habitat Reason for selection Taketomi T Mangrove forests, Rivers Mangrove forests Shiira-gawa Habitat of Kandelia candel, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Rhizophora mucronata, Avicennia marina, Lunmitzrea racemosa and Sonneratia alba. Rare distribution site of mangrove tree species. Geographically rare distribution site of mangrove forests. Representative and endemic distribution site of mangrove forest ecosystems. High diversity of mangrove forest ecosystems. Mangrove forests Aira-gawa Habitat of Kandelia candel, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Rhizophora mucronata, Avicennia marina, Lunmitzrea racemosa and Sonneratia alba. Rare distribution site of mangrove tree species. Geographically rare distribution site of mangrove forests. Representative and endemic distribution site of mangrove forest ecosystems. High diversity of mangrove forest ecosystems. Mangrove forests Maira-gawa Habitat of Kandelia candel, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, Rhizophora mucronata, Avicennia marina, Lunmitzrea racemosa and Sonneratia alba. Rare distribution site of mangrove tree species. Geographically rare distribution site of mangrove forests. Representative and endemic distribution site of mangrove forest ecosystems. High diversity of mangrove forest ecosystems. Crustaceans Mangrove forests and estuaries of Shiira-gawa and Maira-gawa The mangrove areas of both estuaries are inhabited by most species of brackish crabs including Uca spp., Scopimera spp., Mictyris spp., grapsids, portunids, xanthids, as well as diogenids and upogebiids. Especially, in the outer tidal flat of the estuary, a large group of Uca vocans vocans and Mictyris brevidactylus are observed at low tide. These mangrove wetlands are the birthplace of "Yakujama-bushi," a folk song of Komi community about Uca spp., Baptozius vinosus and Scylla spp. The inflowing rivers support rare caridean shrimps (Neocaridina brevirostris, Atyopsis pilipes and Macrobrachium shokitai) and crabs of the family Potamonidae (Geothelphusa minei, and Ryukyum yaeyamense), listed in the RDB. Benthos Estuaries of Nakama-gawa, Shiira-gawa and Maira-gawa These areas encompass some of the largest mangrove wetlands in Japan. They have a rich species diversity in benthos, specific to mangrove wetlands. [ Back ]
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