著者

Kotaro OZAKI Kanto NISHIKAWA

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.42, no.2, pp.162-170, 2023 (Released:2023-08-30)

参考文献数

18

---

The Japanese fire-belly newt, Cynops pyrrhogaster, is a near threatened species that is conservation dependent. Here, we examine feeding habits across the year within a genetically divergent intraspecific lineages of this species (the Central Lineage) to provide information to support future in-situ and ex-situ conservation activities. Stomach contents from newts were collected in a paddy field habitat, Kyoto City, central Honshu, Japan for two consecutive years. Throughout the year, dipteran aquatic larvae were the most important food source both for males and females, although terrestrial invertebrates were also important prey for the newts. During periods of low prey availability shed skin could also be a relatively valuable source of food. Sympatric frogs and newts appear to target different prey and this may facilitate their co-existence. Our study provides new information on suitable prey items for the Central Lineage of C. pyrrhogaster both in its natural habitat and in captivity.

著者

Shintaro TANABE Eiiti KASUYA Takahisa MIYATAKE

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.38, no.1, pp.14-22, 2019 (Released:2019-02-28)

参考文献数

29

被引用文献数

1

---

The traits of many animal species exhibit individual and sexual differences. Individuals repeatedly receiving a stimulus without harm become habituated to it. However, few studies have been conducted on individual and sexual differences in the process of habituation to unfamiliar food stimuli. Therefore, we hypothesized that individual differences or sexual differences would be observed in reaction to an in-lab food-stimuli presentation of potential prey items (after that “food stimuli”). We tested the hypothesis using the Japanese tree frog Hyla japonica, and conducted statistical analyses of these results. A generalized linear model (GLM) showed individual and sexual differences in time to get used to the food stimuli. Females habituated more rapidly to food stimuli than males. The difference between sexes is discussed in view of two ultimate and one proximate reasons.

著者

Masafumi MATSUI Yasuchika MISAWA Kanto NISHIKAWA Tomohiko SHIMADA

出版者

日本爬虫両棲類学会

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.36, no.2, pp.116-126, 2017 (Released:2017-08-25)

参考文献数

27

被引用文献数

9

---

A new species of salamander, Hynobius mikawaensis, is described from the eastern part of Aichi Prefecture, central Japan. It is a lentic breeder of the so-called H. lichenatus species group, and is phylogenetically closest to H. nigrescens and H. takedai. Morphologically, it differs greatly from H. nigrescens, but is very similar to H. takedai, from which it could be differentiated by some morphological traits such as shorter forelimbs and hindlimbs, but longer axilla-groin length, all relative to snout-vent length. The new species from the southern Pacific side of central Japan is completely separated geographically from H. nigrescens and H. takedai, both from the northern, Japan Sea side, by the intervening high mountains. This north/south disjunctive distributional pattern is highly unique among Japanese fauna. The range of the species is so small that immediate measure of conservation is necessary.

著者

Masafumi MATSUI Hiroshi OKAWA Kanto NISHIKAWA Gen AOKI Koshiro ETO Natsuhiko YOSHIKAWA Shingo TANABE Yasuchika MISAWA Atsushi TOMINAGA

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.38, no.1, pp.32-90, 2019 (Released:2019-02-28)

参考文献数

81

被引用文献数

23

---

The abundant clouded salamander from western Japan, Hynobius nebulosus, has long been considered a single widespread species, although some authors have suggested the inclusion of several cryptic species. This led to a molecular and morphological analysis of populations from all parts of the known range. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred from complete sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, and nuclear genome differentiations were estimated by multiplexed inter simple sequence repeat genotyping by sequencing (MIG-seq). The results suggest that H. nebulosus hitherto recognized consists of at least nine species. We applied existing names to two of them, H. nebulosus (Temminck et Schlegel) and H. vandenburghi Dunn, and described seven others as new species.

著者

KOJI TANAKA AKIRA MORI

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.19, no.2, pp.97-111, 2000 (Released:2009-03-27)

参考文献数

234

被引用文献数

13

---

Characteristic defensive behaviors of snakes and their ecological and morphological correlates have been well documented. Biological interpretations of these characteristics, however, often suffer from a paucity of information on actual predators of snakes. Concerning natural predators of Japanese snakes, neither quantitative data nor a systematic review are available. Here, we review and synthesize the published accounts of predators of snakes in Japan. We confirmed 59 species/subspecies of predators and 21 species of prey snakes. We hope that this review will stimulate biologists and naturalists to record further predatory events on snakes and help clarify the defensive mechanisms of snakes.

著者

Yukio ICHIOKA Naoki HIJII

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.40, no.2, pp.129-136, 2021 (Released:2021-08-30)

参考文献数

25

---

We examined predation of the forest green tree frog, Zhangixalus arboreus, as part of a two-year monitoring study of the frog’s reproductive processes at four ponds in central Japan, performed by using field censuses and sensor cameras. During the period, we confirmed predation against arboreal foam nests by the common raccoon, Procyon lotor. We also found a carcass of a female adult frog with eggs and bitten ground foam nests, the signs of which were strongly suspected to indicate predation by raccoons. These results imply that invasion of Japanese forest areas by alien raccoons is becoming an increasingly serious threat to Z. arboreus through predation at various life stages of the frog. At this study site, however, the demographics of both the raccoon and Z. arboreus have not yet been examined. We need more field data to assess the long-term effects of predation pressure on the frog.

著者

Dai SUZUKI Toshiaki KAWASE Takashi HOSHINA Tatsuhiro TOKUDA

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.39, no.1, pp.47-54, 2020 (Released:2020-02-26)

参考文献数

18

被引用文献数

2

---

The Eastern-Japanese common toad, Bufo japonicus formosus, is distributed from southern Hokkaido to Kinki district of northeastern Honshu, Japan. However, Hokkaido populations are suspected to be nonnative and derived from relatively recent artificial introduction from Honshu. To clarify the origin of Hokkaido populations, we analyzed sequence variations of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in the toads from Hokkaido and compared the sequence data from previous studies. We obtained ten haplotypes from six sites on Hokkaido. Samples from the sites located along Ishikari river system, Asahikawa, Ebetsu, and Ishikari cities, had six haplotypes. Only one haplotype was obtained in Sapporo city and it was genetically far from Ishikari river’s ones. Hakodate and Muroran cities samples had one and two haplotypes, respectively. All ten haplotypes from Hokkaido were genetically identical or close to haplotype data from Kanto district or Shizuoka Prefecture, mid-eastern Honshu, far from Hokkaido. Therefore, the toad populations of Hokkaido were considered to be nonnative and multiple introductions from eastern Honshu to Hokkaido were implied.

著者

MORIYA FUKASHI MORIYA KATORI

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.30, no.2, pp.173-176, 2011

---

The seacoast of Isumi City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, is one of the northernmost nesting sites of loggerhead sea turtle <i>Carettta caretta</i> in the North Pacific. We observed nesting and hatching events of this species and investigated for asynchronous emergence of hatchlings from 2008 to 2010. In 2008, hatchlings emerged from all nests from July to September, but in 2009 and 2010, most clutches laid in August failed to hatch probably due to low ambient temperature resulting from low atmospheric temperature with insufficient sunshine. In one nest constructed in early July of 2010, hatchling emergence started in early September and completed in late September, 18 days after initial emergence. This extends the previous maximum records of duration of emergence from a single nest by 13 days.<br>

著者

LOVICH JEFFREY E. PUFFER SHELLIE R. AGHA MICKEY ENNEN JOSHUA R. MEYER-WILKINS KATHIE TENNANT LAURA A. SMITH AMANDA L. ARUNDEL TERENCE R. BRUNDIGE KATHLEEN D. VAMSTAD MICHAEL S.

出版者

日本爬虫両棲類学会

雑誌

Current herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.37, no.1, pp.40-57, 2018

被引用文献数

3

---

<p>Agassiz's desert tortoise (<i>Gopherus agassizii</i>) reaches the southern edge of its range in the Sonoran Desert of California. The reproductive ecology of this wide-ranging species is understudied here compared to populations in the adjacent Mojave Desert. Understanding potential geographic variation in reproductive ecology is important for effective management of conservation-reliant species like <i>G. agassizii</i>. We studied the fecundity and clutch phenology of female <i>G. agassizii</i> at two study sites in the Sonoran Desert region of Joshua Tree National Park over five years (1997–1999–2015–2016) spanning two of the strongest El Niño events on record and an epic drought. Across all years, mean clutch size was 4.3±1.5 eggs, mean clutch frequency was 1.78 clutches/female/year, and mean X-ray egg width was 36.51±1.56 mm, all of which are comparable to other published studies both in the Sonoran and Mojave deserts of California. Our results generally support earlier published findings that <i>G. agassizii</i> utilize a bet-hedging strategy of consistently producing small clutches almost every year, even during times of low annual primary productivity. A regionally warmer climate in the Sonoran Desert of California appears to have an effect on the timing of egg production, as the earliest dates of egg visibility in our study (April 6) were approximately two weeks earlier than the earliest dates reported for <i>G. agassizii</i> in the Mojave Desert. Shelled eggs were no longer visible in tortoises after mid-June in all years but the El Niño year 1998, when eggs were visible until mid-July.</p>

著者

Natsuhiko YOSHIKAWA

出版者

日本爬虫両棲類学会

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.35, no.1, pp.69-72, 2016 (Released:2016-02-26)

参考文献数

8

被引用文献数

1

---

Antipredator behavior of Cynops pyrrhogaster was observed in the field. A male, found in a temporal pool (11.7C), tightly coiled his body around the observer’s finger (putative model of predator) when he was touched from lateral side. The body-coiling was formed both dextrally and sinistrally, depending on direction from which the newt’s body was touched. Undulation of tail and noxious secretion accompanied the behavior. The coiling-around behavior was aborted immediately when the newt lost physical contact with finger. Apart from this, pushing on the head with a finger caused Unken reflex, which is commonly known as defensive behavior of newts. It is suggested that C. pyrrhogaster varies their defensive behavior depending on the situation of encounter with the predator.

著者

Atsushi TOMINAGA V. Benno MEYER-ROCHOW Taku OKAMOTO Takeo KURIYAMA Kanto NISHIKAWA Masafumi MATSUI

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.35, no.1, pp.64-68, 2016 (Released:2016-02-26)

参考文献数

17

被引用文献数

2

---

Using mitochondrial DNA sequences, we surveyed genetic features of 12 individuals of Cynops pyrrhogaster introduced into Hachijojima Island, in order to estimate their possible origin in the main islands of Japan. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the 12 examined newts of the introduced population display no genetic diversity and share characteristics with the conspecific population of Shikoku and thus belong to the WESTERN Clade proposed by earlier studies. Our results suggest that the Hachijojima population, having experienced a drastic founder effect, stems from very few individuals from the Shikoku District approximately 650 km to the west.

著者

Yuki OKADA Takashi YABE Sen-Ichi ODA

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.30, no.1, pp.53-61, 2011 (Released:2011-07-01)

参考文献数

27

被引用文献数

3

---

We investigated sex ratio in seven populations of the Japanese pond turtle, Mauremys japonica, inhabiting ponds in the central region of Aichi Prefecture, Japan. The sex ratio, calculated as a numerical proportion (%) of males to total individuals sexed, was highly variable among the populations, ranging from no more than 20.0% to no less than 92.9%. Since M. japonica shows a temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) with eggs producing more males under a relatively low incubation temperature and more females under a higher temperature, we hypothesized that the observed remarkable inter-population variation in sex ratio reflects that in the nest temperature. Our field observations indicated that the nesting sites of male-biased populations were largely shaded by wood, thus supposedly under a relatively low ambient temperature, while those of female-biased populations were located in open environments with direct exposure to solar heat. These results offer a circumstantial support to the above hypothesis. Remarkably skewed sex ratios observed in some populations might reflect the effect of substantial habitat fragmentation and severe nesting site limitation caused by recent artificial land development and changes in agricultural land use. If this is actually the case and the effect continues to operate, many of the M. japonica populations may eventually disappear.

著者

FRANCO ANDREONE DANTÉ B. FENOLIO MARK E. WALVOORD

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.22, no.2, pp.91-100, 2003 (Released:2009-03-27)

参考文献数

16

被引用文献数

4

---

Two new arboreal microhylid frogs are described from the rainforests of northeastern Madagascar. Platypelis tetra is a very small frog, reaching about 20mm SVL, and inhabits phytotelms in screw Pandanus pines. It was found in some low and mid-altitude rainforests, such as Anjanaharibe-Sud, Besariaka, Tsararano, and Masoala Peninsula. This species diverges from the other Platypelis by its small size and colouration, with a series of whitish spots on the back, of which four are more evident. Furthermore, its advertisement call is composed by a long series of discrete notes at about 3.5-4KHz of frequency, and a repetition rate of about 3.0 notes/s. The second species, Platypelis mavomavo, reaches a larger size (about 30mm SVL), and is characterized by a yellowish colouration of the ventral surface, and a dorsal surface with a network of dark spots on a beige-yellow background. It is currently known from Anjanaharibe-Sud and Ambolokopatrika, around the Andapa water-basin, but is expected to have a wider distribution.

著者

AKIRA MORI KOJI TANAKA

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.20, no.1, pp.39-49, 2001 (Released:2009-03-27)

参考文献数

48

被引用文献数

2

---

Innate responses to prey chemicals, antipredator responses, and prey-handling behavior of a Madagascan colubrid snake, Leioheterodon madagascariensis, were experimentally examined. In a chemical test, ingestively naive hatchlings flicked their tongues frequently to the chemicals prepared from the animal taxa included in their natural diets, suggesting the presence of innate chemical prey preference. In a second test, three different types of stimuli were presented to elicit antipredator responses of the hatchlings. In a nonmoving stimulus session, only a single snake struck and exhibited characteristic displays such as body flattening, neck flattening, head elevation, and jerk. In a moving stimulus session, either no specific responses or a simple flight response was exhibited. In a tactile stimulus session, the above characteristic displays were frequently exhibited. Among these, lateral neck tilting posture accompanying head elevation and neck flattening was unique to L. madagascariensis. In a third test, five types of prey animals were offered to juveniles to examine the effects of prey size and type on prey-handling behavior, but no such effects were detected. Direction of ingestion seemed to depend on initial bite position. Constricting behavior was observed only in a single trial. All but one prey were swallowed alive. This inflexibility of prey-handling methods in the juvenile snakes may reflect the characteristics of generalist feeders, which require ontogenetic experiences to handle prey efficiently. Although L. madagascariensis is considered to have well-developed Duvernoy's glands with enlarged, posterior maxillary teeth, the gland secretion did not seem to cause rapid death of prey.

著者

Makoto M. ITOH

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.36, no.2, pp.135-141, 2017 (Released:2017-08-25)

参考文献数

16

被引用文献数

1

---

In most frogs, males emit calls in the reproductive seasons, whereas females usually do not emit calls. Females of only several frog species have been known to vocalize. I here report female vocalization in two ranid species, Pelophylax nigromaculatus and P. porosus brevipodus in their overlapping reproductive season. Females of these species called in both intraspecific and interspecific interactions. There were no clear differences in acoustic characteristics of female calls between the two species or between interspecific and intraspecific interactions. Based on the situations in which females called, it is implied that functions of the female calls of P. nigromaculatus and P. p. brevipodus are quite different from those of female calls in frogs hitherto reported.

著者

Dzung Trung LE Tao Thien NGUYEN Kanto NISHIKAWA Son Lan Hung NGUYEN Anh Van PHAM Masafumi MATSUI Marta BERNARDES Truong Quang NGUYEN

出版者

日本爬虫両棲類学会

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.34, no.1, pp.38-50, 2015 (Released:2015-02-27)

参考文献数

23

被引用文献数

12

---

We describe a new species of Tylototriton from northwestern Vietnam and northern Thailand based on morphological and molecular evidence. Tylototriton anguliceps sp. nov. is distinguishable from all the other congeners by the bright to dark orange markings on the head, body, and tail, prominent dorsal and dorsolateral ridges (crests) on the head, skeletal connection between maxillary and pterygoid, and unique mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Our molecular data show that the new species is nested within the clade comprising T. uyenoi, T. shanjing, T. verrucosus, and T. yangi. The new species is expected to be recorded from other countries in the Indochina region such as southern China, western Myanmar and northern Laos in the future.

著者

Kanto NISHIKAWA Ding-Qi RAO Masafumi MATSUI Koshiro ETO

出版者

日本爬虫両棲類学会

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.34, no.1, pp.67-74, 2015 (Released:2015-02-27)

参考文献数

24

被引用文献数

5

---

We assessed taxonomic relationship of Tylototriton daweishanensis Zhao, Rao, Liu, Li and Yuan, 2012 and T. yangi Hou, Li and Lu, 2012 using mitochondrial DNA sequence data and found them to be as closely related as to be regarded as conspecific. This result, together with available morphological information, strongly indicates that T. daweishanensis is a junior synonym of T. yangi.

著者

OKAMOTO KEI KAMEZAKI Naoki

出版者

The Herpetological Society of Japan

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.33, no.1, pp.46-56, 2014

被引用文献数

8 1

---

Morphological variations were analyzed for green turtles, <i>Chelonia mydas</i>, on the basis of 127 individuals captured in the coastal waters of Japan. They were explicitly divided into two groups by plastral coloration—the yellow type and the black type. To statistically assess the morphometric differences between these color types, analysis of covariance was performed for each of 28 external measurements using the standard straight-line carapace length (SCL) as the covariate. Results indicated that the yellow and black types significantly differ in ratios to SCL of distances from the nuchal notch to the outermost point of boundry between the 11th and the preceding (10th) marginals, and also to the boundary of the 11th marginal, last (fifth) vertebral, and last (fourth) pleural on both sides. Such morphometric covariations with plastral coloration in <i>C. mydas</i> sensu lato, as well as sympatric occurrences of the two color types in the Japanese waters, collectively support the validity of the black type as a distinct species, <i>Chelonia agassizii</i>.

著者

Natsuhiko YOSHIKAWA Masafumi MATSUI

出版者

日本爬虫両棲類学会

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.32, no.1, pp.9-25, 2013 (Released:2013-02-22)

参考文献数

25

被引用文献数

7

---

Recent phylogenetic studies using mtDNA and allozymes have revealed the presence of large genetic differentiation within a Japanese clawed salamander, Onychodactylus japonicus, suggesting the presence of several cryptic taxa in this species. Based on morphological analyses, we describe one of them from the Tsukuba Mountains of Ibaraki Prefecture, in the Kanto district of eastern Honshu, as a new species, Onychodactylus tsukubaensis. It is a member of the japonicus species complex of Onychodactylus, and differs from the other species of the complex by a relatively short tail, wide head, and large number of vomerine teeth.

著者

HIROYUKI SATO HIDETOSHI OTA

出版者

日本爬虫両棲類学会

雑誌

Current Herpetology (ISSN:13455834)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.20, no.1, pp.19-25, 2001 (Released:2009-03-27)

参考文献数

16

被引用文献数

7

---

The male and female karyotypes were examined for 10 specimens of the Chinese soft-shelled turtle, Pelodiscus sinensis, from the main islands of Japan and Taiwan by the bone marrow air-dry technique. One specimen of Dogania subplana was also examined karyologically. Although both P. sinensis and D. subplana had 2n=66 chromosomes, they showed an interspecific variation in chromosome morphology. No karyotypical differences were evident between the Japanese and Taiwanese samples of P. sinensis, or within either of them. Comparisons of the present results with previously reported trionychine karyotypes indicate that there are some interspecific and intraspecific variations in centromeric positions of several macrochromosome pairs in this subfamily.