Species information Scientific name: Cardiodactylus guttulus Japanese name: キマダラマツムシChinese name: 黃斑鐘蟋English name: Cardiodactylus cricket (Forest cricket)Origin: Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, Southeast Asia Ecology and description The Cardiodactylus cricket is the most common cricket in Okinawa. On Okinawa Island, adults can be found starting around mid-August. They are extremely abundant and serve as a primary food source… Continue reading Cardiodactylus cricket (Forest cricket)
Tag: Ryukyu arc
Blueberry Hermit Crab
Species information Scientific name: Coenobita purpureusJapanese name: ムラサキオカヤドカリChinese name: 紫陸寄居蟹English name: Blueberry hermit crabOrigin: Southern Kyushu, Ryukyu Islands, Ogasawara Islands Ecology and description Coenobita purpureus occurs in southern Kyushu, the Ryukyu Islands and the Ogasawara Islands. It was long considered endemic to Japan, but it has also been found in Taiwan in recent years. Its… Continue reading Blueberry Hermit Crab
Eurasian Woodcock
Species information Scientific name: Scolopax rusticolaJapanese name: ヤマシギChinese name: 山鷸English name: Eurasian woodcockOrigin: Widely distributed across Eurasia, breeding in middle latitudes in summer and wintering in southern areas; it is a winter visitor in the Ryukyu Islands. Ecology and description The Eurasian woodcock can be observed in the Ryukyu Islands from late September to March… Continue reading Eurasian Woodcock
Pacific Land Crab
Species information Scientific name: Tuerkayana hirtipesJapanese name: オカガニChinese name: 毛足特氏蟹English name: Pacific land crabOrigin: Widely distributed from the tropical Indian to Pacific regions Ecology and description Narrowly defined land crabs refer to crabs of the family Gecarcinidae. There are 6 species of land crabs in the Ryukyu Islands: The Pacific land crab has a carapace… Continue reading Pacific Land Crab
Purple-backed shore crab
Species information Scientific name: Geograpsus grayiJapanese name: カクレイワガニChinese name: 格雷陸方蟹、葛氏陸方蟹English name: Purple-backed shore crabOrigin: Tropical and subtropical regions from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ecology and description Within the family Grapsidae, the genus Geograpsus is a group with a high degree of adaptation to land. Land crabs store water in their bodies and breathe… Continue reading Purple-backed shore crab
Coconut Crab
Species information Scientific name: Birgus latroJapanese name: ヤシガニChinese name: 椰子蟹English name: Coconut crabOrigin: Tropical islands along the coasts of the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific (with some islands where they have become extinct). In Japan, they are distributed from the Amami Islands to the westernmost Yonaguni. Ecology and description Coconut crab belongs to the family… Continue reading Coconut Crab
Orisarma dehaani
Species information Scientific name: Orisarma dehaaniJapanese name: クロベンケイガニChinese name: 漢氏東方蟹、漢氏螳臂蟹English name: Orisarma dehaaniOrigin: Japan (from the Pacific coast south of Miyagi and the Sea of Japan coast south of Aomori to the Ryukyu Islands), the Korean Peninsula, Taiwan, the southern coast of China Ecology and description This crab lives in a habitat similar to that… Continue reading Orisarma dehaani
Pale shore crab
Species information Scientific name: Geograpsus crinipesJapanese name: オオカクレイワガニChinese name: 毛足陸方蟹English name: Pale shore crabOrigin: Japan (Izu Oshima, Ogasawara Islands, Satsuma Peninsula, Ryukyu Islands south of Amami Oshima), Taiwan, Red Sea, east coast of Africa, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean Ecology and description The pale shore crab is a land crab that lives on coasts near the… Continue reading Pale shore crab
Actinidia rufa
Species information Scientific name: Actinidia rufaJapanese name: シマサルナシChinese name: 腺齒獼猴桃English name: Actinidia rufaOrigin: Southern Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, northern Taiwan, islands in southwestern Korea Ecology and description Actinidia rufa is a close relative of the kiwifruit, and it is a vine, not a tree. People living in Yambaru used to pick and eat the fruit… Continue reading Actinidia rufa
Hibiscus makinoi
Species information Scientific name: Hibiscus makinoiJapanese name: サキシマフヨウChinese name: 牧野氏山芙蓉English name: Hibiscus makinoiOrigin: The Goto Islands in Nagasaki; the Koshikijima Islands, Tanegashima and Yakushima in Kagoshima; the Ryukyu Islands; eastern and southern Taiwan Ecology and description Hibiscus makinoi flowers from autumn to winter. In late autumn, seeing its pink flowers in bloom all over the… Continue reading Hibiscus makinoi