Descending Immigrant & Slope (Hasumi)

Descending Immigrant & Slope

An immigrant and a slope, descending to a torrent (water temperature = 6.2 C, water pH-data = 7.1-7.3) for hibernation, in the salamander Hynobius kimurae, inhabiting Hokujo, Hakuba-mura, Nagano Prefecture, Japan (photographed on 11 November 2006). At the time of survey, there were a total of 24 individuals of this species: 7 males and 2 females were in the water, 1 male and 1 female were on watersheds, 7 males, 5 females, and 1 juvenile were on land.

(A) A male immigrant that was found above ground on land beneath rotting leaves at a steep slope of the left bank of the torrent, 1.5 m from the edge of the water. I took this photograph with my eyes leveled to the immigrant.

(B) A steep slope of the right bank of the uppermost torrent, having an angle range of more than 70 degrees toward the torrent. At the time of survey, 2 male and 1 female immigrants were located at this slope, 50-70 cm from the edge of the water, with approximately 50 cm intervals.

Accompanied Research Collaborators (alphabetical order): Masaichi Kakegawa (Tokyo Metropolitan Komatsugawa Senior High School), and Fujio Kishi and Yuko Saikawa (Shirouma Association of Naturalists).