crustacean
環境省は海の生き物で絶滅する危険のあるものをまとめた「海洋生物レッドリスト」を公表しました。
Govt reveals red list of marine species for 1st time
The Environment Ministry on Tuesday revealed its red list of threatened marine species for the first time, designating 56 as endangered species, including the sand tiger shark.
The ministry also designated the Ogasawara coral as extinct. The coral inhabited the Ogasawara Islands, located some 1,000 kilometers south of Tokyo.
The 56 consist of 16 fish species, six corals, 30 crustaceans and four others. Seventeen species were listed in the “IA” category, which contains those at the highest risk of becoming extinct.
In total, 443 species were listed in the red list, including semi-endangered ones that could be designated as threatened due to possible changes in living conditions.
Of the total, 224 were designated in the “not enough information” category, meaning the ministry was unable to judge how threatened they are.
“They could be judged as threatened species” if the ministry has detailed information on them, a ministry official said.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0003592038
crustacean /krʌˈsteɪʃən/ を取り上げます。crustが含まれていることから、固いものというイメージがわきました。『ライトハウス英和辞典』(第5版 研究社)で調べると、名詞では「甲殻類の動物(かに、えびなど)」、形容詞では「甲殻類の」とありました。
LDOCEには “an animal such as a lobster or a crab that has a hard outer shell and several pairs of legs, and usually lives in water” と定義されており、足が何本かあることも特徴の1つなのだなと、私の中では意外と意識していなかった部分を確認することができました。
記事にもあるように、レッドリストに掲載された443種のうち224種は情報不足でランク分けができずにいますが、詳しいことがわかってくると、絶滅危惧種に判定されるものも出てくるとのことです。(aqua)