Forming of network with photographs in a museum, and its application to ichthyological research

本研究的目的是通过照片在普通人和研究者之间形成一个信息网络，并将其产品应用于鱼类学研究。照片多为水肺潜水员拍摄的水下鱼类照片，主要产品为神奈川县自然博物馆鱼类图像数据库（KPM-NR）的构建。该系统所采集的许多图像在鱼类分类学、动物地理学和生态学等方面都有实际应用。为收集潜水员的水下鱼类照片，我们进行了以下活动：1)图像数据库及其用途讲座；2)在潜水店和潜水活动场所发放有关潜水的传单；3)在一些杂志上为潜水员做宣传。另一方面，在1996年日本鱼类学年会和1998年日本鱼类学研讨会上，鱼类学家因其作为博物馆鱼类水下照片收藏的价值而获得表彰。结果，从1995年到1996年，数据库中存储了11085张图像，1997年存储了5364张，1998年存储了6005张，总共存储了22454张。在此基础上，在分类领域取得了以下成就：1)发现了未描述种；2)发现新的颜色变化；3)根据生长测定颜色变化；4)两性差异的确定。在生物地理学领域，取得了以下几方面的成就：1)动物类群的编制；2)发现来自日本的未记录物种；3)热带和亚热带物种最北端记录的更新。最后，在生态领域取得了以下成功：1)确定发生期；2)生境确定；3)姿势、游泳方式等习惯的确定。

Purposes of present study are forming an informative network between ordinary persons and researchers with photographs, and applying its product to ichthyological research. Most of photographs are underwater photographs of fishes taken by SCUBA divers, and main product is construction of image database named as the Image Database of Fishes in the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History (KPM-NR). Many images collected by this system were actually applied to taxonomy, zoogeography, and ecology of fishes.For collecting underwater photographs of fishes from divers, the following actions were carried out : 1) lecture on the Image Database and its usefulness ; 2) distribution of leaflet in diving shop and place of event on diving ; 3) publicity in a few magazine for divers. On the other hand, a presentation in the annual meeting, 1996 and a lecture in the symposium, 1998 in the Ichthyological Society of Japan were given to ichthyologists for having value as collection of underwater photographs of fishes in museum recognized.As the result, 11085 images were stocked in the database from 1995 to 1996, 5364 in 1997, 6005 in 1998, and 22454 in total. On the basis of the images, the following successes were obtained in taxonomic field : 1) discovery of undescribed species ; 2) discovery of new color variations ; 3) determination of change of color according to growth ; 4) determination of differences between both sexes. In biogeographical field, the successes are as follows : 1) making of faunal list ; 2) discovery of unrecorded species from Japan ; 3) renewing of the northernmost record of tropical and subtropical species. Lastly, in ecological field, the successes are as follows : 1)determination of period of occurrence ; 2) determination of habitat ; 3)determination of habit such as posture and swimming manner.