Aquatic organisms of the paddy biotope, Kinki University

記事区分：調査Aquatic organisms in a paddy biotope were periodically observed from June to October in 2007 as an action of the "Satoyama Restoration Project", which has been implemented by the Faculty of Agriculture, Kinki University. Faunal composition and seasonal changes in the number of aquatic organisms were investigated in the biotope, which was classified into three different types of paddies and ditches. A total of 41 species belonging to 24 families, including fishes, amphibians, reptiles, shellfishes, carapaces and aquatic insects, were observed. Among them, Oryzias latipes and Mauremys japonica are listed as endangered species in the red data book of Nara Prefecture (2006) . Some species, such as Sternolophus rufipes, Coelostoma stultum, Misgurnus anguillicaudatus and Monopterus albus, used paddies as reproductive and growing places, depending for almost their whole life history on paddies. The observations also clarified that Mauremys japonica and Chinemys reevesii appeared in the paddy biotope temporally for overwintering. The present study results, revealed that the paddy biotope provides favorable habitats to those aquatic organisms