<i>Hynobius takedai</i>

Here are a couple of shots of a Hynobius takedai juvenile:





(Message edited by TJ on March 12, 2007)

Here's a related article from the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper:

ISHIKAWA MAN WORKS TO SAVE RARE SALAMANDER
A man in Hakui, Ishikawa Prefecture, has been working to protect the Hokuriku salamander, which exists only in Ishikawa and Toyama prefectures and is listed as being in danger of extinction by the Environment Ministry.
Toshio Takeda discovered the amphibian in April 1971, soon after being appointed as principal of a primary school in the city. He was cleaning the drains in the schoolyard when he found three adult Hokuriku salamanders lurking in the mud. He said he initially did not know what they were, but decided to keep them in an aquarium at home for his students to research during the summer.
The Hokuriku salamander was recognized as a new species in 1984, and was given the scientific name Hynobius takedai, after its discoverer. The honor led Takeda to devote the rest of his life to prevent the amphibian from becoming extinct, he said.
In 1988, Takeda created a group with about 20 friends specifically for this task, and became its president. The group studied the creature's habitat and ecology, and constructed a breeding pond in the city in 1990 for the Hokuriku salamander.
The pond initially leaked profusely because cement could not be used in its construction as it is harmful to the salamanders. The group solved the problem by using rice paddy partition boards around the pond.
The group is constantly on the lookout for frogs, which eat the amphibian, and is kept busy maintaining the pond. However, Takeda said he enjoys the work and becomes very emotional when he sees the eggs hatch in the spring.
Takeda has recently been busier than ever, as he has been asked to make environmental impact assessments at planned public works project sites in Ishikawa Prefecture and other areas. Nature preservation organizations have also been seeking his advice on building salamander ponds.
"My dream is to create an ecosystem for the Hokuriku salamander," Takeda said.
Three more ponds have been constructed, two in the planned grounds of Noto airport in Ishikawa Prefecture, which is scheduled to open in July, and one in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture. Takeda continues to vigorously work for the preservation of the Hokuriku salamander.

(Message edited by TJ on March 12, 2007)

Memorable work Tim all this information. It might just be the first ever breedings Tim, since this a rare salamander and I don't think it has ever been exported out of Japan... so ?

By the way I got most of my animals as eggsacs which I have raised myself .. I find this to be the most pleasant way of keeping the salamanders although it often takes about 4 to 5 years before you can set down breeding results . But at least when, you breed, you already have covered the whole cycle once before...
Anyway I'm certainly going to copy paste some parts of this. I knew about Takeda his devotion, but didn't know he came up to all this trouble and was not aware about his age...

Hi Henk. Yes, it sure must be nice to have a salamander named after oneself. No wonder he's so devoted!
Here's a pic of Takeda from the local Hokuriku Yomiuri newspaper, holding a report he compiled on the results of 11 years of studies at the Hokuriku salamander breeding pond.



Is it generally the case with hynobiids that juvies don't necessarily have the same coloration as adults? I'm beginning to suspect this as many juvies I've seen look similar to each other and quite different from adults of the same species, being dark bluish and sporting whitish/silvery spots.

This salamander is named the "Hokuriku Salamander" after the Hokuriku District of Honshu Island -- just like Hynobius lichenatus (the Tohoku Salamander) is named after the Tohoku District of northern Honshu.



This is Hokuriku, which includes (from left to right) the 4 coastal prefectures of Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama and Niigata. That island is Sado, which is part of Niigata.

(Message edited by TJ on March 12, 2007)

Hai Tim, I just wish to tell you that over these last 14 days I have learned quite alot about Japanese geography and hynobid background information and wish to thank you quite explicidly for thge effort and quality you have put up here. I'm sure I'm no the sole one reading your reports...

Overhere things are still quite cool and I rarely see some Hynobius being active. H. dunni is always one of the first active species out here. Currently my watertemperatures are about 5°C. Almost all the Hynobidae are installed in seperate species tanks.

Well Tim concerning the eggsacs of hynobidae: to my opnion they are quite fragile when it comes to installing them into fresh water. I just leave them in the original water as much as possible. Deplacing eggsacs of H. dunni in outdoor pools (escape proofe ones) an other tanks quite frequently led to the dying off of the larvae in the eggsacs. Whereas leaving some eggsacs in the original tank : these developped pretty well.
also the H. dunni larvae have never really shown any cannibalism out here, which kind of surprised me reading the report on H. retardatus and H. nebulosus / H. tokyoensis larvae.

So far all the juvenile Hynobius salamanders do have a different colorpattern then the adults : most are quite dark with thsoe falshy blueish dots. Keeping such animals on light substrate enhances the blue coloration : I have some magnificient blue juvenile H. dunni.
H. retardatus is totally different though : the larvae are mostly stratifying in the water (not bottomdwellers) and when on land they have different coloration and react quite differntly too : to me they are closer to plethodonts then hynobius (in behavior this is).

(Message edited by TJ on March 12, 2007)

Thanks Henk. Most of what I've been posting are things that I've only just learned myself

When you said the H. retardatus larvae are mostly stratifying in the water, this sounds like what John C. was saying about crested newt larvae. Do you mean they hang out in mid-water IF there is something to hang on to like plants?
Thanks for that info!

(Message edited by TJ on March 12, 2007)

Considering the H; retardatus larvae : yes they just hang and glide exactly like T. carnifex (that's what I compare it ot anyway) larvae, without plants to hang on. Mole salamander larvae do this also but only during the night to eat from the plancton that is attracted by the moonlight.

Well it looks like I will probalby get some Chinese hynobiids soon...

These ones are more speckled than the ones in the pics I initially posted: