Full of charm! Umigatari “lumpfishes” Special Exhibition (Joetsu City, Niigata Prefecture)

2025.1.24

umigatariダンゴウオJoetsu City

A special exhibition to show the ecology and attractiveness of the , lumpfishes characterized by its round body and suckers on its abdomen, began on January 17 (Fri.) at the Joetsu City Aquatic Museum, Umigatari.

The lumpfishes is also known as the “midwinter idol” because of its round body and suckers on its abdomen. Umigatari decided to hold a special exhibition to let many people know the charm and ecology of the lumpfishes.

Five species are on display at the venue, most of which are native to the Sea of Japan.

Sea Tales Mai Murakami
The round body is a characteristic of the lumpfishes. Since they are not very good swimmers, their abdominal fins are transformed into suckers to prevent them from being swept away in the sea. Many species normally live in deep water and come to the shallows during the breeding season.”

There are five areas in the special exhibition, including a panel area where the ecology is introduced using illustrations drawn by the breeding staff, and an area where visitors can learn about the life of the lumpfishes while playing a backgammon game.

Visitors
lumpfishes are cute.
It was the first time I had heard of the existence of the lumpfishes. It was smaller than I expected. I want to keep it. I think it would be cute if I kept it.

One of the areas also has an exhibition area for the “Sakura lumpfishes”. The Sakura lumpfishes was registered as a new species eight years ago in 2017, and the year before last Umigatari succeeded in breeding it for the first time in Japan. In this exhibit, visitors can see adult fish of about 3 cm in length bred by Umitari, as well as fry less than 1 cm in length that were born just this month.

Uminotari Mai Murakami
There are still many people who don’t know about them. As the name of this special exhibition introduces the lumpfishes’ friends, I would be happy if they could be close to everyone’s heart.

The special exhibition will be held until Sunday, April 13.