Trade in Pegasid Fishes (Sea Moths), Primarily for Traditional Chinese Medicine

ORYX VOL 31 NO 3 JULY 1997 Trade in pegasid fishes (sea moths), primarily for traditional Chinese medicine

Amanda C. J. Vincent

Pegasid fishes (sea moths) have only entered the arsenal of traditional Chinese medicine within the past few decades, but are now used in southern China and Hong Kong to treat respiratory ailments and cancers. Brief trade surveys suggest that millions of individuals of two pegasid species are used each year, and that they cost relatively little compared with other ingredients. Most pegasids are apparently a bycatch of trawl fishing, which has recently intensified near China. Trade and use of these fishes is expanding — they have been sought in the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam - and should be monitored, particularly because the biology of pegasids makes these fishes vulnerable to exploitation.

Introduction PRC). Pegasus volitans (Cuvier) is also referred to as fei hai'e. The pegasids' highly distinctive Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) depends morphology includes a body enclosed in a heavily on animal and plant products, with rigid carapace formed of fused plates, ventral ever more resources consumed by the flattening, huge pectoral fins (hence their People's Republic of China (PRC) in response name reminiscent of winged horses), rolled to its great economic growth since the mid- pelvic fins and a small protruding mouth. This 1980s. This dependency poses well-publicized latter feature is one reason why pegasids are threats to rhinoceroses, tigers and bears but classified in a sister group (Pegasoidea) to the we still know little about the conservation seahorses and pipefishes (Syngnathoidea; status of most other species embraced by the Pietsch, 1978). TCM pharmacopaeia. Fishes are particularly Pegasids inhabit temperate and tropical seas neglected, even though a preliminary and in- of the Indo-Pacific region, from South Africa complete list cites use of 58 species (Tang, to Hawaii. The family is currently thought to 1987). Recent work points out that growing consist of five species in two genera, Pegasus TCM demand threatens seahorses and and Eurypegasus (Palsson and Pietsch, 1989; pipefishes (Vincent, 1995, 1996). I here discuss see Figures 3 and 4 for occurrence). Other the TCM trade in fishes of the marine family generic names, now discredited, include Pegasidae, and comment on the conservation Acanthopegasus and Parapegasus. Pegasids live concerns raised thereby. This trade has not on open sand or mud substrate in calm areas, previously been documented and the fishes such as bays and estuaries, and prefer coarser themselves remain virtually unstudied. sediments or the presence of seagrass (Kuiter, 1985). Although pegasids have been collected to maximum depths of at least 291 m, they are Study species more commonly found in relatively shallow coastal waters in as little as 1 m of water (al- Pegasids (sea moths, sea birds, sea swallows though this varies by species; Palsson and or sea sparrows) are small marine fishes, sel- Pietsch, 1989). Larvae and juveniles to 30 mm dom exceeding 100 mm long (Figures 1 and 2). may be found planktonically (Palsson and They go by Chinese names of hai'e, hai yan or Pietsch, 1989). Pegasids are usually diurnal hai ma que (pinyin romanization as used in the but juveniles and adults can be attracted by

Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.35.234, on 02 Oct 2021 at 03:18:36, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-3008.1997.d01-12.x A. C. J. VINCENT

Figure 2. P. volitans SL 89.4 mm (A) Dorsal view (B) Lateral view. Drawn by Lana J. Koepke. From Palsson and Pietsch (1989), reproduced with the permission of Wayne A. Palsson. Figure 1. P. laternarius SL 60.9 mm (A) Dorsal view (B) Lateral view. Drawn by Lana J. Koepke. From Palsson and Pietsch (1989), reproduced with the permission of Wayne A. Palsson. that they are trawled with prawns only during certain periods of the year (Kuiter, 1985). Sexes of E. draconis do not differ in total lights at night, and rise to the surface (Kuiter, length or colour but the female has a larger 1985). carapace volume while the male has a signifi- The few brief studies of pegasid biology in- cantly longer tail and rostrum (Herold and dicate that the same pairs of one male and one Clark, 1993). P. lancifer's colours are usually female mate repeatedly - perhaps because of beige/brown/green but both sexes are highly their low density and low mobility - but show cryptic, capable of rapid colour change to neither parental care nor site fidelity (Pegasus match the substrate (Kuiter, 1985). In both lancifer; Kuiter, 1985; Eurypegasus draconis; species, males' snouts are more slender and Herold and Clark, 1993). Pegasids walk or proportionally longer than those of females. crawl along the bottom on their pelvic fins, Pegasids shed their skin in one complete piece only occasionally using their large pectorals to every 1-5 days, presumably to rid themselves 'fly'. Many P. lancifer congregate in estuarine of accumulated epibiotic growths of algae, hy- shallows on a seasonal basis (Kuiter, 1985). droids and other organisms (Kuiter, 1985; Seasonal migrations are suggested by the fact Herold and Clark, 1993). Strict carnivores,

Figure 3. Occurrence map of the genus Pegasus in the Indo-Pacific, based on the origins of specimens available for inspection by Palsson and Pietsch (1989). No trade is yet known in P. lancifer. Drawn by Lana J. Koepke and reproduced with the permission of Wayne A. Palsson. 200 © 1997 FFI, Oryx, 31 (3), 199-208

Figure 4. Occurrence map of the genus Eurypegasus in the Indo- Pacific, based on the origins of specimens available for inspection by Palsson and Pietsch (1989). No trade is yet known in this genus. Drawn by Lana J. Koepke and reproduced with the permission of Wayne A. Palsson.

they feed by sucking small epifaunal and in- Haikou, Zhejiang, Guangzhou, Shantou, terstitial invertebrates from the sediment/ Xiamen and Fuzhou; Figure 5). Discussions water interface (Herold and Clark, 1993). They lasted from 30 minutes to several hours, de- have been known to fall prey to larger pelagic pending on willingness to talk to us. All inter- fish such as tuna (Palsson and Pietsch, 1989) views were in Mandarin or Cantonese, and to birds such as penguins (Kuiter, 1985). through a Hong Kong Chinese biologist, with One of the species noted for sale for TCM, notes made during the interview. We also Pegasus laternarius, occurs from Indian and visited TCM retail outlets and market stalls in Western Pacific Oceans, and has been trawled each of these cities, and in Quanzhou; these up from mud bottoms at depths of 27 to 91 m, were discovered haphazardly by wandering with most found at about 50 m (Palsson and the streets and/or through talking with local Pietsch, 1989). Larvae are planktonic. people. The total number of retail outlets The second species noted for sale in TCM, visited or people formally interviewed in Pegasus volitans, occurs in the Indian and Hong Kong and the PRC during these two Western Pacific Oceans, at depths of 1 to 73 m, trips was 87, not including brief discussions with most between 9 and 27 m (Palsson and with TCM consumers and casual meetings. Pietsch, 1989). It is brought up from muddy The Philippines' information comes from and sandy bottoms by seine-, trawl-, dredge- conversations with fishers, found by asking a and shrimp-nets. One report claims that cap- wide range of people for advice as to who tured P. volitans emit a foul smell (Babu, 1966). might know about pegasids. Palsson and Pietsch (1979) dismiss two recorded catches of P. volitans off North America as being releases from marine aquaria. Sales Pegasids are sold whole and dried. Their sales currently appear to be restricted to Hong Trade surveys Kong and the southern PRC provinces of Guangxi, Guangdong and Hainan (Figure 5). Most information in this paper was collected According to TCM merchants interviewed, through field work in China and Hong Kong there is no tradition of local use in Fujian, the during May 1993 and April and May 1995. next coastal province north. Nor are pegasids Interviews and surveys focused on seahorses, commonly used in Taiwan or other parts of only secondarily considering the pegasid Asia. For example, TCM retailers in Surabaya, trade. The approach was to seek out the direc- Indonesia (which has a large ethnic Chinese tor of the major government TCM products community), did not know this fish. importer(s) in the larger coastal cities of At least two pegasid species are sold in southern and south-eastern China (Beihai, southern China: P. laternarius (Figure 1) and

^ \ han^ hai C H I N A VJ \7B g

\ j->^^—/zHEJIANG \ East \ s\ i ch'"c } 1 CC/" ) r ^^-v i \/ (Fuzhou^*I FUJPAN / Sea l \ f, \ f P /»Taipei 7 ) f^^ Quanzhouy I \ J V< ViW15"1/ /TAIWAN GUANGXI ^ ShantOU,>^ Penghu'lsl J s Guangzhou^/ KaohsiungV^ "jJ" HONG KONG 2TNAM ^Mong (^/^hanj an ,Hanoi« S South ^ LAOS Cai 2^ China Sea Figure 5. Map of southern ? ( 'Julf y^h likou of (HA1NA^/ China, showing places where Si ontln \ZS pegasids are traded, as l 0 100 200 300 400Km indicated in text.

0 100 200 300 400 500

SOUTH CHINA SEA

P. volitans (Figure 2). Both are sold in bulk in atory ailments (Zhongguo Yaoyong Dongwu Qingping market, Guangzhou. On Hong Kong Zhi Medicinal Fauna in China Committee, island (Western and Causeway Bay), four of 1983). Pegasids are also reputed to help with seven shops visited in May 1995 stocked peg- lymph node and thyroid disorders, and to re- asids, all P. laternarius. In an apparent dimor- move phlegm and abnormal secretions. phism, snouts can be long or short in either Rumours credit pegasids with curing throat species; of a collection of 29 P. laternarius, 16 and breast cancer; one TCM importer reported had long snouts, 11 had short snouts and two that researchers in Nanning, Guangxi region had broken snouts, that therefore appeared (Figure 5) are currently investigating the latter short. role. Preliminary results suggest that pegasid Retail outlets commonly keep most peg- extract may have significant effects on aden- asids in the refrigerator rather than on public osine and LTD4 receptors (P. But, pers. display, but displays of about 200 pegasids comm.) were noted in some Hong Kong pharmacies Pegasids are commonly consumed as tonic during this study. Apparently pegasids are foods, rather than prescription medicines. A kept refrigerated because their rigid and pocket manual for the general public claims closed carapace makes it difficult to dry them that pegasids function to reduce coughing and completely, so they continue to smell rather mucous production (associated with chil- fishy. dren's bronchial infections in particular), and Weights can vary considerably. A group of to improve sexual function and kidney func- dried P. laternarius that one Hong Kong shop tion (Li and Lin, 1992). They are also consid- poured out of a bag without exercising choice ered helpful in curing goitres and diarrhoea weighed a mean of 1.8 g each (n = 20). A following measles. For most treatments, the sample of dried pegasids that I manually patient buys a dried pegasid, boils it with selected (although not with any conscious other ingredients and then drinks the liquid. bias) from three other shops weighed a mean of For example, the cure for goitre requires the 2.5 g each (n = 8). The longest and widest P. la- patient to mix seven to eight dried pegasids ternarius noticed during the surveys (in with pork to make a soup. The liquid and the Qingping market, Guangzhou, PRC) had a dry constituent ingredients are ingested once daily weight of 6.4 g. A sample of dried P. volitans for 3-A days (Li and Lin, 1992). Some Hong for sale in China weighed a mean of 0.9 g each Kong residents boil seahorses with salt pork (n = 16). and sweet olives to cure sore throats (F. Wong, Dried specimens of P. laternarius have re- pers. comm.). portedly been collected and kept as curios in Most uses for pegasids (with the exception Chinese insect boxes (Giinther, 1870 in Palsson of cancer treatments) are the same as those for and Pietsch, 1989). seahorses, and the former are reportedly in- creasingly employed where the latter would have been preferred (but are unavailable or Medicinal use too expensive). In addition, pegasids (hai que) Pegasids are not mentioned in any of the are blended with seahorses (hai ma), pipefishes classical TCM pharmacopoeia nor in the (hai long) and sea snakes (hai shie) in a folk Encyclopaedia of Chinese Materia Medica medley called 'Sea Treasure' (hai bad). This is (Zhongyao Dacidian; Jiangsu New Medical claimed to act as a general tonic and aphro- College, 1977). They are, however, cited in disiac, increasing blood circulation, reducing some of the most recent works on medicinal wind, and cooling the body. animals (Zhongguo Yaoyong Dongwu Zhi Medicinal Fauna in China Committee, 1983; Wan and Wu, 1993). Volumes Use of pegasids varies among regions but Neither China nor Hong Kong publishes stat- they appear to be primarily applied to respir- istics on trade in pegasids, but field surveys © 1997 FFI, Oryx, 31 (3), 199-208 203

and interviews indicate that millions of peg- Guangzhou (see Vincent, 1996), total local asids are sold each year. Examples of the sur- sales might amount to about 300,000 pegasids vey findings are given below. annually. 1 Qingping market in Guangzhou, PRC, is 3 A man with a senior rank in a large TCM well known for the volume and variety of ani- business in Guangzhou, PRC, reported selling mal products sold, with two species of peg- 'twice as many pegasids as seahorses by asid among them. As with other goods, weight'. His wholesale company sells perhaps pegasids are sold in stalls clustered together 600 kg of seahorses annually (Vincent, 1996) rather than evenly distributed throughout the so might sell about 1200 kg of pegasids market. Four stalls in one quarter of the med- (666,000 individuals if the estimate of 1.8 g is icinal products section displayed three bags of accurate) each year in the Guangzhou area. dried P. laternarius, each with a volume of This estimate is twice as high as that of the about 15 L. Given that 20 dried P. laternarius shop owner questioned (see above) but could fill a volume of approximately 360 mL, each be more representative because wholesalers bag probably held an estimated 860 pegasids. supply a wide range of retail outlets. Stalls also displayed two 15-L bags of dried P. 4 One TCM merchant in Hong Kong, with volitans, each estimated to contain about 2400 many years experience, stated that he sold individual pegasids (20 dried P. volitans fill a about 200 catty (120 kg) of P. laternarius annu- volume of approximately 125 mL). This mar- ally from his shop (retail and wholesale). If the ket may thus have been displaying about 2500 mean weight were about 1.8 g (see above), P. laternarius and 4800 P. volitans. All pegasids then his total sales would be in the order of were said to have been caught in the Hainan 67,000 pegasids annually. He estimates that area. importers and distributors sell in 1 month 2 A sales clerk in a Guangzhou, PRC retail what he sells in 1 year (1440 kg) and that there shop reported selling about 25 pegasids are approximately 10 large importers in Hong monthly or 300 annually. Given that there are Kong, for a possible 14,400 kg (8 million pe- approximately 1000 retail outlets for TCM in gasids). Even if this figure is a severe

Table 1. Sample prices for Pegasus laternarius and P. volitans in Hong Kong and the PRC in 1993 and 1995

Prices per kg ($HK, RMB and $US equivalents) P. laternarius P. volitans Outlet May 1993 May 1995 May 1993 May 1995

Hong Kong $HK570-1028 $HK400-800 (private, retail outlet) ($US76-137) ($US52-104) Tourist price, $US166

Guangzhou, PRC RMB308 RMB400 (government, retail outlet) ($US54) ($US48)

Guangzhou, PRC RMB600-747 RMB2274 (private, market stall) ($US72-90) ($US274) (= tourist price ?)

Beihai, PRC RMB350 (private, market stall) ($US42)

Currency exchange for the PRC is at $US = RMB5.7 in 1993 and $US = RMB8.3 in 1995. Inflation has run at over 10 per cent in the PRC during this period (South China Morning Post - Business Briefing, 15 January 1996).

204 11997 FFI, Oryx, 31 (3), 199-208

overestimate, the numbers are clearly substan- tial. Sales are seasonal, partly reflecting the occurrence of ailments that pegasids reputedly

Prices Pegasids were offered for sale at about the same price ($US equivalent) in Hong Kong and the PRC (Table 1). Hong Kong retail prices for P. latemarius appeared to drop somewhat between May 1993 ($US76-137 per kg) and May 1995 ($US52-104 per kg), but shops varied greatly in their prices (Table 1). Within the PRC in May 1995, pegasids were offered for sale at lower prices in government outlets than in private retailers (Table 1). Based on the estimated weights in small Hong Kong samples (see above), each kilogramme of P. latemarius would consist of perhaps 555 individuals while each kg of P. volitans would include about 1110 pegasids. In $US equivalents, prices for P. latemarius at the retail outlet of the government-owned Guangzhou drug import company were roughly the same Figure 7. Dried pegasids and a pair of dried in May 1993 ($US54 per kg) and April 1995 seahorses hanging for sale in Beihai market ($US48 per kg). During this period, prices in (A. Vincent). local currency rose about 30 per cent between May 1993 (RMB308 per kg) and April 1995 (RMB400 per kg), but this approximately them to buyers of dried marine products. equalled the rate of inflation. By comparison, From interviews with traders, it appears that prices for mixed brown seahorses increased 55 most pegasids currently on the market in per cent (from RMB2000 to 3100 per kg), and southern China and Hong Kong are probably large Solegnathus hardwickii pipefishes (com- caught in the Gulf of Tonkin (Bei Bu Wan; be- monly known as seadragons) increased 52 per tween Hainan, Guangxi and Vietnam; Figure cent (from RMB3771 to 5740 per kg) in the 5), although a TCM importer reported that same shop over the same time period. A some pegasids for sale in Guangzhou may senior official in the government Chinese come from other areas in South East Asia. trade in TCM ingredients recounted that P. lat- The Gulf of Tonkin is a large sea with a emarius cost only RMBO.66-1.00 per kg 30 mean depth of only about 40 m; a senior fish- years ago, suggesting that absolute prices eries official in Guangxi reported that most might have increased 400-600 per cent over 30 trawling focuses on the shallower central area years, before adjustment for inflation. (20 m deep), where there is much Sargassum algae (Luo Ji-Zhang, pers. comm.). Beihai is the leading Guangxi port on the Gulf of Catching pegasids Tonkin, and hundreds of dried pegasids are No target fishery for pegasids is known from displayed in the Beihai dried fish market (e.g. the PRC. Trawlers seeking food fishes in the Figure 7). Stalls with pegasids also sold sea- South China Sea catch pegasids incidentally horses, pipefishes (seadragons), and sea (Luo Ji-Zhang, pers. comm.) and then sell snakes. P. latemarius hung singly from strings

with pairs of seahorses while pairs of P. voli- the northern island of Luzon (Batangas and tans lay in baskets, tied together with ribbons. Zambales; Figure 6) report occasionally seeing Stall holders in Beihai market told us that pegasids (apparently P. volitans) on sandy or their pegasids come from local fishers. The muddy bottoms at 17-30 m, sometimes associ- larger demand for the wholesale medicine ated with soft corals. These divers seldom trade may be met by imports from Vietnam, bother to collect the pegasids because they are probably arriving through Dongxing in difficult to keep and are only worth about Guangxi province (Luo Ji-Zhang, pers. comm.; $US0.28 each. Figure 5). International sales of live pegasids appear Despite the large market displays of peg- to be quite low. The largest marine aquarium asids, the government medicine agency in fish importer in Britain recorded imports of Beihai claimed not to be interested in these only about 20 P. volitans (they called it fishes stating that, 'While the demand is cer- Parapegasus natans) in 1996, from the tainly there, the trade volume is low because Philippines. They also imported two E. draco- they are not much prescribed by doctors'. nis (they called it P. volitans) in 1995; these However, they said they will start stocking came from Sri Lanka but the same species is pegasids if current research confirms a role in on offer from the Philippines. curing breast cancer (see above).

Discussion Pegasid trade in the Philippines Fishers in the western province of Palawan A lack of data on population sizes, geographic (Busuanga) know P. laternarius well, and catch ranges or actual trade volumes makes it im- them in trawls on sandy bottoms at 30^10 m possible to assess the impact of the demand deep. Pegasids are also part of trawl by- for pegasids. We can, however, guess that catches - the target is food fishes - in the cen- their biology (Kuiter, 1985; Palsson and tral provinces of Leyte and Bohol, and the Pietsch, 1989) will make pegasids susceptible southern province of Mindanao (Zamboanga). to fishing pressure because of the reasons They are reported as appearing either in water listed below. of less than 5 m or in 30-60 m depth, over 1 The only quantitative study of pegasid bi- sand or mud bottoms. Ongoing research in the ology found that E. draconis lives at very low Philippines has not found support for the densities, with just one pair per 325-477 sq m statement that P. volitans is often found in the of suitable habitat. country's fish markets (cf. Palsson and Pietsch, 2 Pegasids are slow and live in open habitats, 1989) but some of the trawl bycatch is now making them easy to catch with a handnet. being sold to dealers who supply TCM needs. 3 Low levels of activity imply slow recolon- In 1995, Chinese marine exporters in Cebu ization of depleted areas by adults; they spend specifically asked fishers off Bohol to deliver most of the day crawling over the sea bottom pegasids, for the first time. But fishers caught and then become inactive at night. mostly P. volitans, which is currently of rela- 4 Their mating pattern restricts reproductive tively low value in TCM. Prices were not high rate. E. draconis and P. lancifer, at least, are enough to cover the fishers' costs, especially thought to be monogamous, with the same given the small volumes they obtained. The pairs mating repeatedly. Single animals ap- offer to buy pegasids was rescinded but could parently take a long time to find a partner, forseeably be restored as prices rise. A target which is expected if they are pair faithful and fishery could also develop if another (larger) live at low densities. Thus disrupting pairs locally available species, E. draconis, were could delay breeding. sought for TCM. 5 Although fecundity may be relatively high - A small number of pegasids are traded as some pairs can spawn several hundred small aquarium fishes. Aquarium fish gatherers in eggs daily and eggs hatch within about 1 day 206 © 1997 FFI, Oryx, 31 (3), 199-208

- low adult densities suggest poor juvenile While it is currently impossible to provide a survival. definitive assessment of the conservation Pegasids are likely to be extracted from wild status of pegasids, we can be certain of large populations at increasing rates. As by-products takes from the Gulf of Tonkin. This should be of the food fishery, they will suffer from enough to alert us to a potential problem and drives by the PRC and Vietnam (and other to encourage further monitoring; the global nations) to increase fishing yields, particularly nature of the seahorse fishery only became in the Gulf of Tonkin. After years of low ex- evident after focused investigation (Vincent, ploitation because of armed conflict in the 1995,1996). area, the Gulf of Tonkin is now the focus of an The parallels with the seahorse trade are intensive trawl fishery, with greatly increased evident. China once obtained most of its sea- numbers of more powerful boats. Officials in horses from domestic waters where they, too, China and Vietnam are urging greater yields were primarily a bycatch of food fishing. of food fishes each year, despite evidence that Now, perhaps 10 years later, China has virtu- stocks of many fishes in the region are already ally no domestic production and traders declining markedly (Luo Ji-Zhang, pers. acknowledge that seahorses have been suf- comm.). Pegasids are among the vulnerable ficiently overexploited to depress numbers non-target species, here and elsewhere in the and sizes dramatically (Vincent, 1996). China Indo-Pacific. must now import large volumes of seahorses Direct demand for pegasids will probably to meet increasing demand for their use in increase. The current rapid economic growth TCM. Apparently, as a consequence, seahorse in China is favouring greater sales of many populations in many countries are showing medicinal animal and plant products; for evidence of overfishing (Vincent, 1995,1996). example, TCM importers in China reported Pegasids should certainly be watched as yet that demand for seahorses - near-relatives to another group of vulnerable species. Neither pegasids - is increasing by 8-10 per cent per of the pegasid species currently traded for year, with one TCM importer claiming a ten- TCM has yet been studied biologically. Nor fold increase in sales in 10 years (Vincent, are there any reports of pegasid culturing. It 1995, 1996). Pegasids are commonly used as a will be important to respond quickly to hints cheap alternative to seahorses or pipefishes in of declining pegasid numbers. One problem is treating the same maladies. As the latter be- that by-catches of trawl fisheries - including come ever more difficult to obtain (Vincent, pegasids - are seldom even monitored, let 1995, 1996), we may see a shift to pegasids, alone managed. with a consequent increase in demand. The increasing prices for seahorses in some regions (Vincent, 1996) could also potentially enhance Acknowledgements demand for pegasids. I am most grateful to the many people who kindly provided information, especially those in China and There is already some evidence of geo- Hong Kong. I particularly thank Fox Wong, my re- graphic expansion in the trade outside the search assistant and interpreter in China, and Paul Gulf of Tonkin region, apart from the aborted But of the Chinese University of Hong Kong for his attempt at pegasid trading in the central help in researching their medical uses. Marivic Philippines. In 1995, the author found no Pajaro collected the Philippines information as part awareness of market value for pegasids in of an ongoing study into pegasids funded by Fauna Vietnam or Indonesia. However, by 1996, & Flora International through its 100% Fund. I thank Sara Lourie for help with figures. This re- dried pegasid sales were reported in southern search into pegasid trade was further facilitated by Vietnam (Kien Giang province) and north- support for related seahorse studies from National western Sulawesi in Indonesia (where there Geographic, Darwin Initiative for the Survival of had previously been none). Some pegasids Species (UK Department of the Environment), also enter the British aquarium trade from Sri Whitley Award (Royal Geographical Society and the Lanka and Kenya (R. Sankey, pers. comm.). Whitley Animal Preservation Trust) and British

Airways Assisting Conservation. WWF Hong Kong, the acanthopterygian fish family Pegasidae (order TRAFFIC East Asia, and the Swire Institute of Gasterosteiformes). Indo-Pacific Fishes, 18,1-38. Marine Sciences (University of Hong Kong) pro- Pietsch, T.W. 1978. Evolutionary relationships of the vided logistic and other support, for which I thank sea moths (Teleostei: Pegasidae) with a classifi- them. cation of gasterosteiform families. Copeia, 1978, 517-529. Tang, W.-C. 1987. Chinese medicinal materials from References the sea. Abstracts in Chinese Medicine, 1,571-600. Babu, S.J. 1966. Occurrence of the bat-fish, Pegasus Vincent, A.C.J. 1995. Trade in seahorses for volitans (Pegasiformes; Pegasidae), from the Traditional Chinese Medicines, aquarium fishes coastal waters of India. /. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 63, and curios. TRAFFIC Bulletin, 15,125-128. 210-211. Vincent, A.C.J. 1996. The International Trade in Seahorses. TRAFFIC International, Cambridge, Giinther, A.C.L.G. 1870. Catalogue of Fishes in the UK. British Museum. Trustees of the Brit. Mus., London, Vol. 8. xxv + 549 pp. Wan, D.K. and Wu,J.R. 1993. Medical Zoology. Herold, D. and Clark, E. 1993. Monogamy, spawn- Shanghai Science and Technology Press, ing and skin-shedding of the sea moth, Shanghai. Eurypegasus draconis (Pisces: Pegasidae). Env. Biol. Zhongguo Yaoyong Dongwu Zhi. Medicinal Fauna Fish. 37, 219-236. in China Committee. 1983. Medicinal Fauna of China 2. Tianjin Science and Technology Press, Jiangsu New Medical College. 1977. Encyclopaedia of PRC. Chinese Materia Medica. Shanghai Science and Technology Press, Shanghai. Kuiter, R. 1985. The remarkable seamoth. Scuba Amanda Vincent, Department of Zoology, Diver, 3,16-18. University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford Li Pei and Lin Jian Ye. 1992. Curing Disease by Eating OX1 3PS, UK. Current address: Department of Seafood. Nanjing University Press, Nanjing, PRC. Biology, McGill University, 1205 Ave. Dr. Penfield, Palsson, W.A. and Pietsch, T.W. 1989. Revision of Montreal, Quebec H3A 1B1 Canada.