Tag Archives: Honshu

Canis hodophilax Temminck

Japanese wolf (Canis hodophilax)

The Japanese wolf, the smallest form of wolf, lived on the Japanese islands of Honshu, Kyushu, and Shikoku. Some of the native names were Nihon OkamiOkami and Yamainu.

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The end of the Japanese wolf began with the ever-increasing deforestation for agriculture and livestock breeding but came to a head with the introduction of rabies to Japan in 1732, which killed countless individuals. But there were also targeted extermination programs against the alleged ‘cattle killer’ using poisoned bait. The last known Japanese Wolf was killed in the Nara Prefecture on the island of Honshu in 1905.

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The Japanese island of Hokkaido was home to a different form of wolf, which is genetically closer to the common Wolf (Canis lupus L.) which can therefore be assigned to it as a subspecies. 

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syn. Canis japonicus Nehring, Canis lupus ssp. hodophilax Temminck, Canis lupus ssp. japonicus Nehring

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Depiction from: ‘S. F. Harmer; A. E. Shipley: The Cambridge Natural History. London, Macmillan and Co., Limited 1895-1909’ 

(public domain)

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References: 

[1] Alexandra van der Geer; George Lyras; John de Vos; Michael Dermitzakis: Evolution of Island Mammals: Adaptation and Extinction of Placental Mammals on Islands. John Wiley & Sons 2010 
[2] N. Ishiguro; Y. Inoshima; N. Shigehara; H. Ichikawa; M. Kato: Osteological and genetic analysis of the extinct Ezo wolf (Canis lupus hattai) from Hokkaido Island, Japan. Zoological Science 27(4): 320-324. 2010 

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edited: 16.03.2012

Craspedacusta iseana (Oka & Hara)

Tsu Freshwater Medusa (Craspedacusta iseana)

This species of freshwater medusa is known from three specimens that were collected in 1921 in a spring in the city of Tsu in the Mie Prefecture on the island of Honshu, Japan.

The species was closely related to the widespread Sowerbi’s Freshwater Medusa (Craspedacusta sowerbiiLankester) (see photo below) but differed from that species by its smaller umbrella and in having less tentacles.

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Sowerbi’s Freshwater Medusa (Craspedacusta sowerbii)

Photo: Alexander Mrkcicka
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

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References:

[1] Cheryl Lewis; Masao Migita; Hiroshi Hashimoto; Allen G. Collins: On the occurrence of freshwater jellyfish in Japan 1928-2011: eighty-three years of records of mamizu kurage (Limnomedusae, Olindiidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 125(2): 165-179. 2012

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edited: 05.02.2024

Satsuma fausta (Pilsbry)

Mikuriya Satsuma Snail (Satsuma fausta)

The Mikuriya Satsuma Snail, described in 1902, was found in the Shizuoka Prefecture on the island of Honshu, Japan.

The species is officially considered endangered or vulnerable but is apparently already extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Robert H. Cowie; Claire Régnier; Benoît Fontaine; Philippe Bouchet. Measuring the Sixth Extinction: what do mollusks tell us? The Nautilus 131(1): 3-41. 2017

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edited: 21.04.2022

Chara globularis var. hakonensis H. Kasaki

Hakone Stonewort (Chara globularis var. hakonensis)

The Hakone Stonewort was described in 1965, originally as a full species, this freshwater alga was endemic to Lake Ashi, also known as Ashi-no-ko, a crater lake in the Hakone area of the Kanagawa Prefecture on the island of Honshu, Japan.

This alga apparently disappeared due to water pollution which lead to a decrease of sunlight, which again lead to the dieback of the algae meadows. 

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The species was apparently locally known as Hakone-syazikumo.

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edited: 14.09.2019

Lentinus lamelliporus Har. & Pat.

Tokyo Lentinus Fungus (Lentinus lamelliporus)

This species was described in 1902; it is apparently known only from a small area within Tokyo, the Japanese capital on the island of Honshu.

The species could not be traced during recent searches and might well be extinct. [1]

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References:

[1] Kentaro Hosaka; Takahito Kobayashi; Michael A. Castellano; Takamichi Orihara: The status of voucher specimens of mushroom spwcies thought to be extinct from Japan. Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science Ser. B 44(2): 53-66. 2018

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edited: 26.04.2022

Lutra nippon Imaizumi & Yoshiyuki

Japanese River Otter (Lutra nippon)

The Japanese River Otter inhabited the rivers on the islands of Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku in Japan; it was formerly thought to be a subspecies of the Eurasian River Otter (Lutra lutra (L.)).

The species was last seen in 1979 and is now considered extinct.

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edited: 01.08.2022