Echinotriton andersoni Japanese Name: オキナワイボイモリOkinawaChinese Name: 沖繩棘螈English Name: Okinawa Spiny NewtOrigin: Okinawajima, Tokashikijima This species is designated as a natural monument in Okinawa Prefecture and is one of the most primitive species in the family Salamandridae. For this reason, it is often referred to as a “living fossil.” The name comes from the protruding ribs… Continue reading Okinawa Spiny Newt
Tag: Tokashiki
Sword-tail Newt
Cynops ensicauda Japanese Name: シリケンイモリChinese Name: 劍尾蠑螈English Name: Sword-tail newtOrigin: Okinawa Islands, Amami Islands The specific name ensicauda comes from Latin, meaning “sword” (ensis) and “tail” (cauda). This species has subspecies distributed across the Okinawa and Amami Islands, but interestingly, it is absent from Tokunoshima, located between the Okinawa Islands and Amami Oshima. Sword-tail newts… Continue reading Sword-tail Newt
Ryukyu Tree Lizard
Diploderma polygonatum Japanese Name: キノボリトカゲChinese Name: 琉球龍蜥English Name: Ryukyu Tree LizardOrigin: Nominate subspecies distributed across the Amami Islands and Okinawa Islands; Sakishima subspecies found in the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands; Yonaguni subspecies found on Yonaguni Island. Previously classified under the genus Japalura, which is commonly associated with true tree lizards from South Asia, this genus… Continue reading Ryukyu Tree Lizard
Green Grass Lizard
Takydromus smaragdinus Japanese Name: アオカナヘビChinese Name: 翡翠草蜥English Name: Green Grass LizardOrigin: Tokara Islands (Takarajima and Kodakarajima), Amami Oshima, Kikai Island, Tokunoshima, Okinawa Islands, Kumejima This species is distributed across parts of the Central Ryukyu Islands. Males are green or brown, with a brown stripe along the sides and a yellowish belly, while females are yellow-green,… Continue reading Green Grass Lizard
Ryukyu Aburazemi
Graptopsaltria bimaculata Japanese Name: リュウキュウアブラゼミChinese Name: 琉球油蟬English Name: Ryukyu Aburazemi, Ryukyu large brown cicadaOrigin: Okinawa Island and surrounding islands, Amami Oshima, Kakeromajima, Tokunoshima Reference：“Okinawa’s Cicadas” by Shinsei Publishing In Japan, a different species of Aburazemi (G. nigrofuscata) is found north of Yakushima, while Ryukyu Aburazemi is endemic to the central Ryukyu Islands, including the Amami… Continue reading Ryukyu Aburazemi