Title: INT 97-16 NSF/Tokyo Report: Type Specimens in Japanese Fish Collections Date: 5/21/97 The National Science Foundation's offices in Tokyo and in Paris periodically report on developments abroad that are related to the Foundation's mission. These documents present facts for the use of NSF program managers and policy makers; they are not statements of NSF policy. Special Scientific Report #97-11 (May 06, 1997) Research Report: Type Specimens in Japanese Fish Collections The following report was prepared by Dr. William N. Eschmeyer, Department of Ichthyology, California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, CA 94118 U.S.A. Dr. Eschmeyer visited Japan from March 22 - April 14, 1997 as a Visiting Research Fellow (short-term) under the sponsorship of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS). Dr. Keiichi Matsuura, Fish Section, Department of Zoology, National Science Museum Tokyo 169, Japan, served as host scientist for Dr. Eschmeyer. Dr. Eschmeyer may be reached via email at: weschmeyer@calacademy.org. a. Academic activities: The primary purposes of the 21-day JSPS visiting fellowship were to (1) record the location of type specimens of fishes in major Japanese museums and university collections, (2) publicize the availability of an extensive, worldwide database of information on fishes (see http://www.calacademy.org/research/ichthyology/species) prepared under my direction, and (3) to examine possibilities for future collaboration in electronic innovation for handling ichthyological information. The fellowship provided travel and living expenses. Five museums were visited to examine type specimens -- the original specimens used by the original author in providing the first description of a species; subsequent workers frequently have to re-examine these specimens, but finding where the specimens are located (which museum) is often very difficult. I have visited many museums around the world, and this fellowship allowed me to trace/confirm the whereabouts of many type specimens held in Japan. I visited the following institutions: National Science Museum, Tokyo; University of Tokyo, Kyoto University (both the main campus and the Maizuru campus where the collection is housed), Kochi University, and Hokkaido University at the Hakodate campus. Working from printouts prepared before the trip and with a laptop computer, I was able to confirm the presence of most type specimens, and from information in the database was able to find additional type specimens that were not recognized as such. Types for approximately 500 species were examined (or noted as apparently lost). New information from the trip has now been entered in the databases. The second objective was to inform Japanese ichthyologists and their students of the availability of the databases for fishes that are on the WWW site of the California Academy of Sciences. Although this site contains a database of the genera of fishes (also published and known to Japanese ichthyologists), the addition of the species database was made in late 1996. This database contains information on the more than 50,000 named species of fishes (about half are valid for a total of about 25,000 actual species). This database is very useful to many that need information about fishes, but it is especially valuable for ichthyological studies, especially on systematics of fishes. At four locations I made slide-assisted talks to groups from 8 to over 40 attendees in order to discuss the development of the databases, their availability, and how the "gopher" search programs work. At locations where WWW access was available, we did computer demonstrations. The third objective was to discuss, especially with my host scientist, possibilities for future collaboration. Dr. Matsuura is interested in continuing to trace type specimens in Japan. I will be providing him with printouts from the database of all species described by Japanese scientists, and updated printouts will be provided to the museums visited (and there will be some follow-up effort at some museums). On a larger scale, we discussed the possibility of developing other databases that might be used by Japanese scientists. Especially promising is to download a database of all species that occur in Japan as a framework for an electronic version of the fishes of Japan; Japanese scientists and educators could expand this by the addition of color figures, distribution maps, and other information in Japanese. It was decided that we would continue these discussions in the fall of 1997 after publication of the information in the databases. In addition to meeting the objectives, extensive personal contact was made with many ichthyologists, students, and even a visit with Emperor Akihito (who researches and publishes in fish systematics). Ichthyology is a cooperative field -- sharing information and specimens, and personal contact is extremely valuable. The people that assisted me at each museum I visited were very gracious hosts, and social activities were many, including excellent food. b. Impressions and thoughts on the present state of science in Japan in ichthyology: The type specimens housed around the world are "international" specimens -- they are the most important specimens any museum keeps, and they are for use by the international community. Museums need to know what specimens they have. On a global basis, the Japanese collections are about average or below average in their record keeping of type specimens held, but this should improve after information about my fellowship is available. As collections become computerized, more of the missing type specimens in Japan probably will be found. A major problem almost unique to Japan is that historically there have been a number of private collections, held in small university departments or museums or even personal residences or the Tokyo fish market. I was pleased to see efforts being made to move private collections to stable museums, and this applies especially to type specimens. Primary type specimens generally are not held in private collections in other countries, and, typically, small university and museum collections in most countries do not keep primary type specimens, but deposit them in a few stable centers. Computerization of fish collections is being done around the world, with some collections fully "computerized" and others not so. Three of the collections I visited were computerized. Japan has some extremely valuable general fish collections that have been accumulated in recent times from around the world, especially deep-sea and oceanic collections. These are being used by scientists worldwide, and more publicity (such as an article in press on Japanese collection building by Dr. Matsuura) would encourage greater use. Japan has many ichthyologists (probably more per capita than any country) and a long history of significant contributions to the field. The Japanese scientists use modern methods, and are utilizing many techniques, including molecular ones. I especially was impressed with the students I met and befriended. At Hakodate, the concentration of graduate students in ichthyology is larger than at any other location in the world. Most ichthyologists in Japan appear to have email and WWW access, but some did not (although most expect access in the near future). Many Japanese read English, but students should be encouraged to learn to speak English -- those who can speak English tend to be the ones asked to attend world workshops and conferences where English is typically the primary language for the meeting, and these persons tend to have a greater impact on their field. Japan has many distinguished ichthyologists producing excellent studies. Theses of students are first-rate, involving current methods, and most are published shortly after completion. Japanese ichthyologists now work on worldwide taxa, whereas in earlier times they tended to work on regional issues. They have excellent journals, especially the Japanese Journal of Ichthyology. I was surprised at the large number of works in Japanese on fishes, particularly semi-popular treatments with excellent photography, for the Japanese market. Almost certainly, the Japanese general public knows more about fishes than any other culture (because of diet and long fishing history), and Japanese ichthyologists make substantial contributions to the public knowledge of ichthyology [and this is why a regional electronic database of fishes might have considerable educational value.] c. Comments or suggestions to JSPS concerning the Fellowship program: The short-term program in which I participated is truly excellent. The application process is simple, and a decision on funding is made very quickly. The funding is generous, and reporting requirements are minimal. The support of Dr. Matsuura (my host scientist) was superb, and I could not have accomplished the goals without his help, so the host-scientist system worked well for my fellowship. Information provided, such as the booklet, "Japan, your traveling companion" was very useful. The insurance coverage was reassuring, but not used in my case. d. Other comments: The cooperation of ichthyologists in Japan at my several stops was exceptional, and it would be difficult for a non-Japanese-speaking scientist to work in Japan without such generous support. The trip was a very successful one for me, with many new acquaintances and many fond memories.