A paper on the discovery of two new goby fish species, written by the Emperor Emeritus, has been made available in an online English journal of the Ichthyological Society of Japan, the Imperial Household Agency announced on Thursday.
The paper, which was made available online by the journal Ichthyological Research on May 20, was the first on new goby published by the Emperor Emeritus in 18 years since 2003, bringing the total of new goby species he has found to 10.
The two new species of the genus Callogobius were collected by the Emperor Emeritus' research staff in waters near the Zamami and Iriomote islands in Okinawa Prefecture between 2001 and 2008.
After examining the scales and sensory organs, the Emperor Emeritus identified the species as being previously unknown.
The Emperor Emeritus named the new species after their distinguishing features. In addition to Latin names, the fish have also been given Japanese names. One was christened "seboshi futasujihaze" in reference to the black spots on its back, while the other has been dubbed "awayuki futasujihaze" after its white speckled spots.
He devoted nearly four years to completing his paper, which he delved into earnest after abdicating the throne in April 2019, the agency said.
After moving to the Takanawa Imperial Residence in Minato Ward, Tokyo, in March last year, the Emperor Emeritus has been visiting the Biological Laboratory on the Imperial Palace grounds a couple of times a week.
The Emperor Emeritus began research on the taxonomy of gobies in the 1960s, and established a method for classifying species by sequencing sensory organs found in their head.
His taxonomic method has become one of the cornerstones of goby research in Japan and abroad.
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