New species of spider and goby fish found in Okinawa Prefecture
New species “Daitou Cicurina spider” (provided by Matsuei Shimojana)
August 10, 2017 Ryukyu Shimpo
By Chie Tome
New species of spider and goby fish have been found in Okinawa Prefecture. Okinawa is known worldwide as a location that fosters abundant biological diversity.
This discovery of new species once again reaffirms the idea that Okinawa still holds many species that have yet to be discovered and researched.
Former Professor at the University of the Ryukyus and Doctor of Science Matsuei Shimojana and Researcher Hirotsugu Ono from the Department of Zoology at the National Museum of Nature and Science discovered the “Daitou Cicurina spider,” a spider endemic to Minamidaitou Island.
This spider is a new species that is part of the genus Cicurina and this is the first reported case of this spider being found anywhere in the world.
Specimen of Eso goby, named “Ninja” for its scientific name (provided by Ken Maeda)
Meanwhile, a research team comprised of Researcher Ken Maeda and others from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) discovered the “Eso goby.
” They initially believed it was a rare type of goby that had previously been discovered living in the Ryukyu Islands. However, they eventually determined that this particular goby was in fact a new species.
Shimojana, who has been researching spiders in Okinawa for many years, affirmed that “We will never finish researching biological species in Okinawa.
” But at the same time, he warned that if people continue to develop the land and destroy the environment, then the ecosystem of endemic species will collapse, which may lead to rare species dying out.
“The nature in front of us should not be taken for granted, it is a treasure that was given to us.
I want people to cherish it, so we can preserve it into the future,” he said
(English translation by T&CT and Chelsea Ashimine)
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