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White-spotted Pufferfish
''Torquigener albomaculosus'', or the white-spotted pufferfish, is the 20th discovered species of the genus ''Torquigener''. The species was discovered in the ocean waters around the Ryukyu Islands in Japan off the south coast of Amami Ōshima Island. Observed depths of the species range between . The fish's head and body are colored brown with white spots at the back. Its abdomen is silvery-white with white spots. The males are known for creating circular nests as part of their mating ritual in the sand, measuring in diameter. Such nest designs were noticed since 1995, but their creation remained a mystery until the species' discovery. The nests are created to attract mates through the nest's impressive design and ability to gather fine sand particles, both of which influence a female's mate choice. Males never reuse a nest. As of 2014, the white-spotted pufferfish is thought to be the only species that creates these shapes. In 2015, the International Institute for Species E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keiichi Matsuura
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Torquigener
''Torquigener'' is a genus of pufferfishes native to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Their name refers to their ability to build circular structures on sandy sea bottom (''torquis'' + ''gener''). Species Twenty species are recognized in this genus: * ''Torquigener albomaculosus'' Matsuura, 2014 (white-spotted pufferfish) Matsuura, K. (2014) A new pufferfish of the genus ''Torquigener'' that builds “mystery circles” on sandy bottoms in the Ryukyu Islands, Japan (Actinopterygii: Tetraodontiformes: Tetraodontidae) ''Ichthyological Research, 62 (2): 207-212.'' * '' Torquigener altipinnis'' J. D. Ogilby, 1891 * '' Torquigener andersonae'' Hardy, 1983 (Anderson's toadfish) * '' Torquigener balteus'' Hardy, 1989 (slender blaasop) * '' Torquigener brevipinnis'' Regan, 1903 * '' Torquigener flavimaculosus'' Hardy & J. E. Randall, 1983 * '' Torquigener florealis'' Cope, 1871 * '' Torquigener gloerfelti'' Hardy, 1984 * '' Torquigener hicksi'' Hardy, 1983 (Hick's toadfish) * '' Torquig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the or the , are a chain of Japanese islands that stretch southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan: the Ōsumi, Tokara, Amami, Okinawa, and Sakishima Islands (further divided into the Miyako and Yaeyama Islands), with Yonaguni the westernmost. The larger are mostly high islands and the smaller mostly coral. The largest is Okinawa Island. The climate of the islands ranges from humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfa'') in the north to tropical rainforest climate (Köppen climate classification ''Af'') in the south. Precipitation is very high and is affected by the rainy season and typhoons. Except the outlying Daitō Islands, the island chain has two major geologic boundaries, the Tokara Strait (between the Tokara and Amami Islands) and the Kerama Gap (between the Okinawa and Miyako Islands). The islands beyond the Tokara Strait are characterized by their coral reefs. The Ōsumi and Tokara Islands, the northernmost of the islands, fall un ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north toward the East China Sea, Philippine Sea, and Taiwan in the south. Japan is a part of the Ring of Fire, and spans Japanese archipelago, an archipelago of List of islands of Japan, 6852 islands covering ; the five main islands are Hokkaido, Honshu (the "mainland"), Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa Island, Okinawa. Tokyo is the Capital of Japan, nation's capital and largest city, followed by Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, Kobe, and Kyoto. Japan is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eleventh most populous country in the world, as well as one of the List of countries and dependencies by population density, most densely populated and Urbanization by country, urbanized. About three-fourths of Geography of Japan, the c ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amami Ōshima
, also known as Amami, is the largest island in the Amami archipelago between Kyūshū and Okinawa. It is one of the Satsunan Islands. The island, 712.35 km2 in area, has a population of approximately 73,000 people. Administratively it is divided into the city of Amami, the towns of Tatsugō, Setouchi, and the villages of Uken and Yamato in Kagoshima Prefecture. Much of the island is within the borders of the Amami Guntō National Park. In 2021, it was listed as part of the serial UNESCO World Heritage Site of Amami-Ōshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, northern part of Okinawa Island, and Iriomote Island. History It is uncertain when Amami Ōshima was first settled. Stone tools indicate settlement in the Japanese Paleolithic period, and other artifacts, including pottery, indicate a constant contact with Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun period Japan. The island is mentioned in the ancient Japanese chronicle '' Nihon Shoki'' in an entry for the year 657 AD. During the Nara peri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pufferfish Mating Ritual
The white-spotted pufferfish (''Torquigener albomaculosus'') is known for its unique and complex courtship display which involves creating large, geometric circles in the sand. These circles are constructed in an effort to attract females for copulation. Males must maintain their circles in order to attract a mate. A female will evaluate the structure and choose to mate with the males after evaluation and completion of other mating behaviors. The geometric circles had first been noticed by divers in 1995, but it was not discovered that they were created by white-spotted pufferfish until 2013 when the species was discovered in the Ryukyu Islands. It is thought that white-spotted pufferfish are the only species of their kind to engage in this type of mating ritual. Discovery The white-spotted pufferfish is a relatively small (10 cm) fish that was named in 2014 by a research group for the National Museum of Nature and Science. The fish has a brownish-yellow body with white ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mate Choice
Mate choice is one of the primary mechanisms under which evolution can occur. It is characterized by a "selective response by animals to particular stimuli" which can be observed as behavior.Bateson, Paul Patrick Gordon. "Mate Choice." Mate Choice, Cambridge University Press, 1985 In other words, before an animal engages with a potential mate, they first evaluate various aspects of that mate which are indicative of quality—such as the resources or phenotypes they have—and evaluate whether or not those particular Phenotypic trait, trait(s) are somehow beneficial to them. The evaluation will then incur a response of some sort. These mechanisms are a part of evolutionary change because they operate in a way that causes the qualities that are desired in a mate to be more frequently passed on to each generation over time. For example, if female peacocks desire mates who have a colourful plumage, then this trait will increase in frequency over time as male peacocks with a colourful ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
International Institute For Species Exploration
The International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) is a research institute located in Syracuse, New York. Its mission is to improve taxonomical exploration and the cataloging of new species of flora and fauna. Since 2008, IISE has published a yearly "Top 10" of the most unusual or unique biota newly identified in the previous year, with the aim of drawing attention to the work done in taxonomy across the world over the previous year. In 2011, the institute contributed towards the estimate that Earth was home to approximately 8.7 million species. Overview The International Institute for Species Exploration (IISE) is a research facility dedicated to cataloging the Earth's species across all biological kingdoms. IISE cites three reasons why an improved taxonomic understanding of life is important: without knowing what exists today, humans will be unable to tell when species go extinct; the diversity of life driven by billions of years of natural selection means nature lik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tetraodontidae
Tetraodontidae is a family of primarily marine and estuarine fish of the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfish, toadfish, toadies, toadle, honey toads, Haaris Anwar fish, sugar toads, and sea squab. They are morphologically similar to the closely related porcupinefish, which have large external spines (unlike the thinner, hidden spines of the Tetraodontidae, which are only visible when the fish have puffed up). The scientific name refers to the four large teeth, fused into an upper and lower plate, which are used for crushing the hard shells of crustaceans and mollusks, their natural prey. The majority of pufferfish species are toxic and some are among the most poisonous vertebrates in the world. In certain species, the internal organs, such as the liver, and sometimes the skin, contain tetrodotoxin, and are highly toxic to most animals when ea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
