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Neovison vison

Basic information
Scientific name Neovison vison

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アメリカミンク
Major synonym Mustela vison
Common names American mink
Higher taxon Mustelidae, Carnivora, Mammalia
Natural range North America.
Habitat Natural beach, lake or pond, stream, waterfront.
Invasion information
Range in Japan Entire part of Hokkaido, and several parts of Miyagi, Fukushima, Gumma, and Nagano Prefs. Range in Japan
Origin USA
Date Imported four minks in 1928. Feral population was established in middle 1960s.
Route Deliberate: Imported for fur.
Impact Potentially: Predation, competition against native species.
Actually: Predation on farm animals. Parasite (One of final host for Metacercariae Euryhelmis constaricensi, recently emerging as a threat to an endemic salamander Hynobius lichenatus).
Native organism(s) affected: Native weasels (competition), Tohoku salamander Hynobius lichenatus (parasite), native small animals and farm animals (chickens, fishes, etc.) (predation)
Regulation in Japan Import, transport and keeping are legally restricted in Japan.
Introduced range in other countries China, Europe (Belarus, Belgium, Czech, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Finland, France, Germany, UK, Iceland, Ireland, Italy), etc.
Reference Notes
  • Abe (ed) (1994) A Guide to Mammals of Japan. Tokai Univ. Press, Hadano (in Jpn)
  • Ihara et al. (2010) Incidence of cutaneous metacercarial nodules in Tohoku salamander (Hynobius lichenatus) and their recent increase in the northern resion of the Abukuma Mountains. Bull Herpetolo Soc Jpn. 2010(2), 97-102 (in Jpn with English abst)
  • Izawa et al. (ed) (1996) Encyclopedia of Animals in Japan 2, Mammals 2. Heibonsha. (in Jpn)
  • Kishimoto (2005) Invasion of alien species, American mink (Mustela vison), into the upper area of Chikuma River. Bull Nagano Environ Conserv Res Inst. 1, 65-68 (in Jpn)
  • Ohdachi et al. (eds) (2009) The Wild Mammals of Japan. Shoukabou.
  • Wilson & Reeder (eds.) (2005) Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. (http://www.press.jhu.edu).
  • etc.