著者

川井 唯史 大高 明史

出版者

弘前大学教育学部

雑誌

弘前大学教育学部紀要 (ISSN:04391713)

巻号頁・発行日

no.101, pp.31-40, 2009-03-30

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The known distributional range of the Japanese crayfish, Cambaroides japonicus( De Haan, 1841()Crustacea,Decapoda, Cambaridae) is restricted to north part of Japan including Hokkaido, Aomori and northern parts of Akitaand Iwate Prefectures. Recently a new population of this species was discovered from natural habitat in Tamozawa,Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, Centaral Honshu, Japan. Present study examined origin of the Nikko population based on thecomposition of symbiotic crayfish worms( Annelida, Clitellata, Branchiobdellida) as well as the crayfish morphologies(rostrum, telson and annulus ventralis). Three species of crayfish worms, Cirrdrilus cirratus Pierantni, 1905, C. inukaii(Yamaguchi, 1934), and C. ezensis( Yamaguchi, 1934) were detected from the Nikko crayfishes, all of which are knownto endemic to Hokkaido. Morphological characteristics in the crayfishe corresponded to those in Hokkaido population. Some documents and old archives (ca. 1900) in the Archivs and Mausolea Department, Imperial HouseholdAgency, Japan suggest that many individuals of C. japonicus had been transported to the Nikko Tamozawa Imperial Villafrom Hokkaido, and they were used as foods for the royal family. A map in an old archive indicates that there was anaquarium near the kitchen of the Imperial Villa. Consequently, it is highly probable that the present Nikko population ofC. japonicus is derived from introduced individuals for foods from Hokkaido.