New Japanese amphib guide

T

tj

Guest
There's been a new book out here in Japan since September entitled:

A Photographic Guide : Amphibians and Reptiles in Japan

That's the English name. It's published by Heibonsha, runs 337 pages and costs approximately US$25 for the paperback version. Just picked up my copy yesterday
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About 50 pages are dedicaded to Caudates and it's got some great, professional-quality photos, mostly of Hynobiidae.

Some really interesting pics here, including one of an albino Cynops pyrrhogaster, one of an adult C.p feeding on a worm practically it's own size, one of a C.p woofing down a frog, another of a red C.ensicauda variant, and one of a snake swimming by two C.ensicauda in pursuit of a frog.

Sadly for me, only 6 pages of the 337 pages are dedicated to Cynops. but if you are into Hynobiidae or frogs, snakes or turtles, this is the book for you!

It's short on words and long on pictures, so not understanding Japanese shouldn't be prob. I've just ordered German and Chinese amphibian atlases without knowing either language!

Possibly it'll be available through Amazon as they've got a Japanese operation. Other than that, maybe the bookstore giant Kinokuniya (where I bought mine) handles international orders...

Tim
 
Well, Aaron, I have some pretty good bibliographies of Japanese-language studies that I intend to eventually track down. Also the names of some Japanese specialists. Just a matter of finding time.

It's a common but neglected creature, doesn't stir up a lot of excitement and there are no books generally available on it at even the biggest bookstores, though one can find a number of books that briefly refer to it.

Lots of shops here cater to snake, turtle, gecko and frog enthusiasts. Fire salamanders do attract some attention, but plain ol' Cynops are pretty much deemed kid-stuff, and indeed they are sold mainly to kids in the same manner and price range as goldfish and Japanese beetles.

I'd say 90% of Japanese people regularly confuse imori (Cynops or newt) with yamori (gecko) -- "mori" meaning protect, with newts thought by the ancients to protect water wells (I guess if there are newts alive in there then the water can't be all THAT bad!) and geckos protecting houses.

There is some information available from time to time in pet magazines, like one called Vivarium Guide. Also a couple of websites, including the following one by "Dr. Grumman" that also lists (in Japanese, sorry) lots of sources of info along with the names of shops:

http://www.geocities.co.jp/HeartLand/3108/herpetarium.html

There are some magazine articles he lists that I am about to order from the publisher.

I'll gladly inform you of the Japanese stuff as it becomes available if you keep me abreast of whatever comes out in English!

By the way, there is a university here that is doing some interesting research involving Cynops (but maybe better to continue with that discussion in the species forum!)

Caleb, I actually stumbled upon that Max Sparreboom article just the other day
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Tim
 
OK, I can't resist. Not wanting to be accused of violating anybody's copyright or dampening sales, here is a picture of my newt which. by pure coincidence, just happens to be walking alongside a pic of that very same albino C.p I was talking about!
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once upon a time i knew french and latin, and was thinking of enrolling in some college classes to touch up my skills ( 4 years of french and 2 of latin and all i can do is pick my way through books..the latin does come in handy for binomial nomenclautre though) but now i am rethinking my languages of choice should be german and japanese. german since alot of caudate related stuff is published in that and of course the annual caudate convention! and japanese since it seems alot of data could be obtained through that route...and also im an anime fan....(ps..newts get a mention in the jap hit film (anime) SPIRITED AWAY.....although it is the roasted varitey....
 
TJ does the book have any info on pachytriton or paramesotriton, or do you know anywhere other than livingunderworld, amphibiaweb and caudata.org. Do you have any tips on raising pachytriton eggs/larvae/morphs?
chris
 
Roasted Cynops? Now there's a topic in which I can be of some assistance! One of these days I'll post some shocking pics...

Chris, sorry but no Pachytriton or Paramesotriton naturally occuring in Japan so they're not in the book -- the Chinese atlas I mentioned has nice pics, but I doubt it has info on how to care for them and breed them ;)

As for tips on raising pachys, well, I'm a relative beginner at all of this so I'm not the person to ask about anything other than Cynops maybe, but there are at least very several well-informed people on this site who might be of help.

Sites? Well, the other day I saw an article on Henk Wallay's site (sorry, can't find the link right now) on a new species of Pachytriton in which he talked aboutlarvae and morphs, and how the parents guard the eggs even...

I'd go to the species section of this site and look under Pachytriton. And also go to the www.kingsnake.com site, to the newt and salamander forum there, and then use the handy search function. I'm also very interested in Paramesotriton and hope to breed them in the future.

Cheers
Tim
 
I am extremely interested in any info you could provide on cynops, as I am trying to learn as much about them as possible and also collect every unprotected species. As of now, I don't have a means of getting to a university to find other information to exchange with you.

~Aaron
 
Did a search for Japanese-language books on Japanese newts and came up with a book written in 1985 called "Newts and Weather Forecasting" which sounds a bit far-fetched...but intriguing!

The idea being that newts, sensitive to changes in humidity, when kept in captivity will leave the water to seek higher ground before the weather worsens, and then when the weather gets better will return to the water.

"So if you pay close attention to your newt's behaviour, you'll be able to judge whether or not you should leave with your umbrella!"...the desciption of this book says.

It goes on to say that the book was based on the discovery made in 1983 by a Japanese 6th-grade elementary school student, who had won a scientific prize for compiling records of his month-long observations and experiments.

So place your orders now while there are still some left! ;P
 
In addition to the Chinese amphibian atlas, which I've had a chance to look through, I'm also after these two books:

"HERPETOLOGY OF JAPAN AND ADJACENT TERRITORY, by Leonard Stejneger (1907) A
1996 SSAR Facsimile Reprint 577 total pp. Hardcover/DJ ...$58.00"

"HERPETOLOGY OF CHINA, by Ermi Zhao and Kraig Adler (1993) 371 color photos, illustrating all 164 genera, 330 species and representative habitats. Includes keys, text figures, maps, bibliography, gazetteer and annotated appendix on collecting and preserving techniques. 522 pp. Hardcover ......$60.00"

This site has some selected prints in PDF format from the (slightly dated!) 1907 book, but sadly C.p is not included among them.

http://www.herper.com/ebooks/free/Japan.pdf

Would love to see the C.p/C.e section if somebody is able to e-mail it to me!
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Seems pyrrhogaster and ensicauda are covered on pages 16-23 -- eight whole pages!

By the way, turns out the book on newts & weather prediction
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(which is in Japanese, I should stress) is directed at a non-adult audience....

And finally, the caresheet by NN at Caudate Central lists four more Cynops info sources for you to track down!
 
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