Japonicus Group Research Articles

The arachidonic acid and its metabolism pathway play important roles for Apostichopus japonicus infected by Vibrio splendens

Improving the immune ability and guiding healthy culture for sea cucumber by purposefully screening the significant differential metabolites when Apostichopus japonicus (A. japonicus) is infected by pathogens is important. In this study, 35 types of significant differential metabolites appeared when A. japonicus were infected by Vibrio splendens (VSI group) compared with the control A. japonicus group (CK group) by using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS)-based untargeted metabolomics. Based on that finding, the 10 types of key metabolic pathways were analyzed by MetPA. The “arachidonic acid (ARA) metabolism” pathway, which was screened by three elevated biomarkers: ARA, prostaglandin F2α and 2-arachidonoyl glycerol, had an important impact on immune stress in A. japonicus. Due to the similar changes in several metabolites in its metabolic pathway, the ARA metabolic pathway was selected for further study. The activities of ACP, AKP and lysozyme, which are important innate immune-related enzymes, the survival rates of A. japonicus infected with V. splendidus and the relative content of ARA in the body wall detected by GC–MS were all upregulated significantly by exogenous daily 0.60% and 1.09% ARA consumption over a short period of approximately 7 days. These results demonstrated that ARA and its metabolic pathway indeed played important roles in the immunity of A. japonicus infected by the pathogen. The findings also provide novel insights for the effects of metabolites in A. japonicum healthy culture.

East palearctic treefrog past and present habitat suitability using ecological niche models.

Ecological niche modeling is a tool used to determine current potential species’ distribution or habitat suitability models which can then be used to project suitable areas in time. Projections of suitability into past climates can identify locations of climate refugia, or areas with high climatic stability likely to contain the highest levels of genetic diversity and stable populations when climatic conditions are less suitable in other parts of the range. Modeling habitat suitability for closely related species in recent past can also reveal potential periods and regions of contact and possible admixture. In the east palearctic, there are five Dryophytes (Hylid treefrog) clades belonging to two groups: Dryophytes japonicus group: Clades A and B; and Dryophytes immaculatus group: Dryophytes immaculatus, Dryophytes flaviventris, and Dryophytes suweonensis. We used maximum entropy modeling to determine the suitable ranges of these five clades during the present and projected to the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and Last Interglacial (LIG) periods. We also calculated climatic stability for each clade to identify possible areas of climate refugia. Our models indicated suitable range expansion during the LGM for four clades with the exclusion of D. immaculatus. High climatic stability in our models corresponded to areas with the highest numbers of recorded occurrences in the present. The models produced here can additionally serve as baselines for models of suitability under climate change scenarios and indicate species ecological requirements.

A new species of the Gekko japonicus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Khammouane Province, central Laos.

A new species of the Gekko (Japonigekko) japonicus group from Khammouane Province, central Laos is described based on morphological characters and molecular evidence. Morphologically, Gekko khunkhamensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from the remaining congeners by a combination of the following characters: size moderate (SVL 69.775.2 mm); nares in contact with rostral; internasals absent; postmentals enlarged; interorbital scales between anterior corners of the eyes 31 or 32; dorsal tubercles absent; ventrals between mental and cloacal slit 181185; midbody scales 127138; ventral scales 4245; subdigital lamellae on first toe 13 or 14, on fourth toe 14 or 15; tubercles on upper surface of fore and hind limbs absent; precloacal pores absent in the male and females; postcloacal tubercles 2; tubercles absent on dorsal surface of tail base; subcaudals distinctly enlarged; dorsal surface of body with five dark grey bands, which become irregular posteriorly. Genetically, the new species is placed in a clade, consisting of G. bonkowskii, G. nadenensis, G. scientiadventura, G. sengchanthavongi, and G. thakhekensis and differs from other congeners by at least 13% in terms of pairwise distance based on a fragment of the mitochondrial ND2 gene.

Review of Australian Scirtes Illiger, Ora Clark and Exochomoscirtes Pic Coleoptera: Scirtidae) including descriptions of new species, new groups and a multi-gene molecular phylogeny of Australian and non-Australian species.

The phylogenetic relationships of 26 Australian species of Scirtes Illiger, Ora Clark and Exochomoscirtes Pic (Scirtidae) were investigated using adult morphology, particularly male and female genitalia, larval morphology and molecular data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and the nuclear genes elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1- a) and topoisomerase I (TOP1). Four species of Scirtes and one of Ora from Europe, Southeast Asia and Japan were included. The genus Scirtes is shown to be paraphyletic with respect to the genera Ora and Exochomoscirtes. Australian Scirtes were shown to belong to four species groups: Scirtes elegans group (Yoshitomi 2009); S. helmsi group (Watts 2004); S. japonicus group (Nyholm 2002); and S. haemisphaericus group (Yoshitomi 2005). The prehensor and bursal sclerite of 15 species are illustrated as well as habitus illustrations of S. zwicki sp. nov. and S. albamaculatus Watts. Three new species from Australia are described: Scirtes lynnae, S. zwicki and S. serratus spp. nov. Scirtes nehouensis Ruta & Yoshitomi 2010 is synonymised with S. emmaae Watts 2004. Scirtes pygmaeus Watts, 2004 is synonymised with S. pinjarraensis Watts, 2006. Scirtes rutai nom. nov. is proposed as a replacement name for S. beccus Ruta, Kiałka & Yoshitomi, 2014 from Sabah as it is preoccupied by S. beccus Watts, 2004 from Australia.

Two new goatfishes of the genus Upeneus (Mullidae) from Australia and Indonesia

Two new goatfishes of the genus Upeneus (Mullidae) belonging to the putative japonicus species group are described and compared with congeneric species using a large set of meristic, morphometric and colour characters. Upeneus farnis n. sp. Uiblein & Peristiwady is described based on 14 adult specimens (> 65 mm SL) collected at the local fish market of Bitung, NE Sulawesi, Indonesia. Upeneus spottocaudalis n. sp. Uiblein & Gledhill is described based on 16 adult and seven subadult specimens (< 65 mm SL) specimens collected by trawling surveys off NE Australia and one non-type adult specimen collected off southern Indonesia. The new species differ from all other congenerics in the combination of dorsal-fin spine, pectoral-fin ray and gill raker numbers, body and head depth, length of head, snout, barbels and paired fins, height of anal and dorsal fins, eye size, and body, barbel and caudal-fin colour patterns. When compared in detail with the 12 other species of the japonicus group, Upeneus farnis n. sp. can be distinguished by smaller eyes, shallower anal and second dorsal fins, more pectoral-fin rays and gill rakers, and the lower caudal-fin lobe almost completely dark pigmented. Upeneus spottocaudalis n. sp. differs from the other japonicus-group species in larger eyes, higher second dorsal fin, pectoral fin shorter than pelvic fin, and presence of rounded, dark spots on the lower caudal-fin lobe. Subadults differ from adult U. spottocaudalis n. sp. mainly in longer pelvic fins. The high diversity of Upeneus species in relation to divergence in colour patterns and the need of further taxonomic exploration of the genus Upeneus is discussed.

A new karst dwelling species of the Gekko japonicus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from central Laos.

A new species of the Gekko japonicus group is described from Khammouane Province, central Laos, based on morphological characters and molecular data. Morphologically, Gekko nadenensis sp. nov. is differentiated from the remaining congeners by a combination of the following characters: size moderate (SVL 61.0-77.1 mm); nares bordered with rostral; internasals absent; postmentals enlarged; interorbital scales between anterior corners of the eyes 28-30; dorsal tubercles absent; ventral scales between mental and cloacal slit 175-185; midbody scale rows 123-140; ventral scale rows 38-40; subdigital lamellae on first toes 13-15, on fourth toes 14-16; finger and toe webbing present at base; tubercles on dorsal surface of fore and hind limbs absent; precloacal pores six (3+3 or 5+1) in a discontinuous row in males, absent in the female; postcloacal tubercles 1 or 2; tubercles absent on dorsal surface of tail base; subcaudals distinctly enlarged; dorsal surface of body with greyish brown blotches. Molecular analyses demonstrated the new species is closely related to G. bonkowskii and G. thakhekensis, but separated from them by approximately 7% in genetic divergence as shown by a fragment of the mitochondrial ND2 gene.

Phylogenetic Relationships of Japanese Auritibicen Species (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cryptotympanini) Inferred from Mitochondrial and Nuclear Gene Sequences.

We investigated the phylogenetic relationships and divergence times within the genus Auritibicen(Cicadidae: Cicadinae: Cryptotympanini), analyzing five Japanese species (A. japonicus, A. bihamatus,A. kyushyuensis, A. esakii and A. flammatus) and three species from East Asian mainland and Taiwan (A. atrofasciatus, A. intermedius and A. chujoi) using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear elongation factor 1-alpha (EF-1a) gene sequences. Although the EF-1a gene tree did not resolve the relationships among these Auritibicen species, the trees based on COI gene and the combined data set showed that Japanese taxa comprised three distinct lineages: the individual species A. flammatus and A. bihamatus, and the A. japonicus group, comprising A. japonicus, A. esakii and A. kyushyuensis from Japan and A. intermedius from Korea. In A. kyushyuensis, which comprises three populations in Kyushu, western Honshu and Shikoku, the specimens from western Honshu and Shikoku were closely related to each other, but not to the specimen from Kyushu; instead, they were sister to the Korean A. intermedius. The incongruence between the gene tree and species tree necessitates further population genetic and morphological studies to confirm the classification and species status of the western Honshu and Shikoku populations of A. kyushyuensis, which were originally described as two independent species. Divergence time estimation suggested that the most recent common ancestor of Auritibicen species studied dated back to the late Pliocene and that the species of the A. japonicus group diverged during the mid Pleistocene. Thus, the Pleistocene climatic fluctuation may have promoted the divergence of the Auritibicen species.

Japanese species of the sawfly genus Nesodiprion (Hymenoptera, Diprionidae).

Nesodiprion flavipes sp. nov. associated with Tsuga diversifolia (Maxim.) Mast. and N. kojimai sp. nov. associated with Abies veitchii Lindl. are described from Honshu, Japan. Additional taxonomic and biological information is given for other Japanese congeners, N. japonicus (Marlatt, 1898), N. albiventris Togashi, 1998, N. shinoharai Togashi, 1998, N. nigerrimus Togashi, 1998, N. kagaensis Togashi, 1998, N. niger Togashi, 2001 and N. tsugae Togashi, 2001. The males of N. shinoharai, N. kagaensis and N. tsugae are described for the first time. The host plants of N. shinoharai are Pinus spp. Nesodiprion kagaensis is newly recorded from Hokkaido, Japan, and its host plants are Pinus spp. and Larix kaempferi (Lamb.) Carrière. Larvae of N. japonicus and N. kagaensis are briefly described. A division of Nesodiprion into the following five species groups is proposed: N. tsugae group, N. niger group, N. flavipes group, N. japonicus group and N. shinoharai group. Additions to the key to Nesodiprion species by Hara & Smith (2012) are given.

Morphological and molecular review of the Gekko diversity of Laos with descriptions of three new species.

A review of the taxonomy, phylogeny, zoogeography, and ecology of the genus Gekko in Laos is provided based on morphological and molecular datasets. Three new species, which are both morphologically distinctive and molecularly divergent from described congeners, are described from Khammouane Province, central Laos: two members of the G. japonicus group, Gekko bonkowskii sp. nov. and Gekko sengchanthavongi sp. nov., and another member of the G. petricolus group, Gekko boehmei sp. nov. Gekko bonkowskii sp. nov. is closely related to the recently described G. thakekensis, which also occurs in Khammouane Province. Gekko sengchanthavongi sp. nov. is supported as a sister taxon to G. scientiadventura and Gekko boehmei sp. nov. is recovered as a sister species to G. petricolus. In addition, a key to the currently recognized members of the genus Gekko from Laos is provided.

A new species of the Gekko japonicus group (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from central Laos.

A new species of the Gekko japonicus group is described from Khammouane Province, central Laos, based on distinct morphological and molecular features. Gekko thakhekensis sp. nov. is distinguished from the remaining congeners by a combination of the following characters: size moderate (SVL 67.6-79.2 mm); nares in contact with rostral; internasals absent; postmentals enlarged; interorbital scales between anterior corners of the eyes 22-26; dorsal tubercles absent; ventral scales between mental and cloacal slit 165-174; midbody scale rows 110-116; ventral scale rows 32-40; subdigital lamellae on first toe 11-13, on fourth toe 14-15; finger and toe webbing present at base, about one fifth of length of digits; tubercles on upper surface of fore and hind limbs absent; precloacal pores 1-5 in males; postcloacal tubercles two; tubercles absent on dorsal surface of tail base; subcaudals enlarged; dorsal surface of body with greyish brown blotches. In molecular analyses, the new species is recovered as a sister taxon to G. scientiadventura, but the two species are separated by approximately 12% divergence as shown by the partial mitochondrial ND2 gene.

A new goatfish of the genus Upeneus (Mullidae) from Angoche, northern Mozambique.

A new goatfish, Upeneus saiab n. sp. (Mullidae), is described from six specimens collected off Angoche, northern Mozambique, during a research cruise of the RV Dr. F. Nansen in August 2009. Upeneus saiab n. sp. differs from all congeneric species in the following combination of characteristics: seven dorsal-fin spines, 29 total gill rakers, body depth at anal-fin origin 17-19% SL, and pectoral-fin length 20-21% SL. Detailed comparisons with the eight other species of the japonicus group are made and a key for Western Indian Ocean species is provided. A new record of Upeneuspori for Kwa-Zulu-Natal, South Africa, is reported based on in situ photographs. The need for further exploration of the rather long and ecologically diverse Mozambican coast and adjacent areas of southeastern Africa for the occurrence of yet undescribed or unreported goatfish species is emphasized.

Species groups of Oriental Ptecticus Loew including descriptions of ten new species with a revised identification key to the Oriental species (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)

The species of Oriental Ptecticus are reviewed and ten species are described: P. artocarpophilus sp. nov. from the Philippines; P. bannapensis sp. nov., P. kubani sp. nov. and P. subaurifer sp. nov. from Laos; P. elegans sp. nov. and P. semimetallicus sp. nov. from Nepal; P. fukienensis sp. nov. from southern China; P. indicus sp. nov. from India; and P. infuscatus sp. nov. and P. sarawakensis sp. nov. from Borneo. Five new synonymies are proposed: P. minimus Rozkošný & Kovac, 1997 is a junior synononym of P. shirakii Nagatomi, 1975; P okinawae James, 1950 is a junior synonym of P. aurifer (Walker, 1854); P. tenebrifer (Walker, 1849) is a junior synonym of P. japonicus (Thunberg, 1789); P. wulpii Brunetti, 1907 is a junior synonym of P. melanurus (Walker, 1848), and P. zhejiangensis D. Yang & C. Yang, 1995 is a junior synonym of P. kerteszi de Meijere, 1924. Eight species groups for the Oriental Ptecticus species are defined: aurifer group (6 spp.), australis group (9 spp.), cingulatus group (11 spp.), histrio group (7 spp.), longipennis group (6 spp.), shirakii group (1 sp.), japonicus group (4 spp.), tricolor group (3 spp.) and 5 species remain unplaced. A new identification key to the Oriental Ptecticus species, including references to the published figures of distinguishing characters and basic distributional data, is given.

A new Philocheras species (Decapoda, Crangonidae) from Hansa Bay, Papua New Guinea

A new species of crangonid shrimp, Philocheras wilkinsae (Decapoda, Crangonidae) is described from Hansa Bay, Madang Province, Papua New Guinea. The new species belongs to the japonicus group, and can be distinguished from the other members of this group by carapace dentition and carination. The pleopod structure is unique in the genus.

Reproduction of Panulirus Longipes Longipes in Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines

Histological analysis confirmed the resemblance of the ovarian structure and development of Panulirus longipes longipes to those of other palinurid species. The low incidence of inactive ovaries and the presence of developing ovaries at any time of the year indicate that this species breeds year round in Calatagan, Batangas, Philippines. Continuous breeding of the population is further ascertained by the incidence of egg-bearing females in the landed catch during practically all months from July 1982 to June 1984. Furthermore, the incidence of developing and redeveloping ovaries in egg-bearing females (44.0-81.2 mm CL) suggests that individuals can produce at least 2 broods in rapid succession particularly during the warmer months of March to May. The smallest females with eggs and mature ovaries were 41.8 and 41.4 mm CL size, respectively. The disproportionate increase in the growth of the third walking leg of the males relative to the females indicate that males reach first functional sexual maturity between 55.0-60.0 mm CL. The relationship between the total number of eggs (E) carried and the size of the female (CL) is expressed by the relationship: E = -291063 + 7387 CL over the size range 43.0-85.4 mm CL. Over this size range, the reproductive potential of P. longipes longipes is higher than that of closely related species belonging to the P. japonicus group.

Longitudinal distribution and annual life cycle of the japonicus group of Goerodes(Trichoptera,Lepidostomatidae).

In summer, the japonicus group of Goerodes changes from the the upper to the lower stream with overlapping zones in the following sequence : G. complicatus→G. nukabiraensis→G. bipertitus→G. japonicus. In winter, G. satoi is found both upstream and downstream and its lower limit of distribution is lower than for G. complicates. The number of G. nukabiraensis generations is presumed to be three in two years in Hokkaidô. And the annual life cycles of G. bipertitus and G. japonicus are as in G. nukabiraensis.

紫黒色アスペルギルスの形態及びその分類に關する研究(其の2)

The author collected about 3, 500 samples of soils, cereals and many kinds of agricultural and aquatic products from many districts in Japan, and isolated 47 different strains of Aspergilli, which were characterized giving violet-black colonies, and carried out morphological and taxonomical studies on them together with 2 strains of Asp. japonicus SAITO and I strain of Asp, violaceo-fuscus GASPERINI NRRL 360. One new species, Asp. acideatus (6 strains), two new varieties, Asp. japonicus var. viridiflavus (5 strains) and Asp. japonicus var. atrofuscus (1 strain), were isolated among them along with 35 strains of Asp. japonicus. According to THOM and RAPER(1), Asp. japonicus together with Asp. luchuensis and Asp. violacca-fuscus were classified into the group of Asp. nigcr or the black Aspergilli, which were divided into two main subgroups by the arrangements of sterigmata, single or double series. According to INUI'S original descriptions(2), Asp. luchucnsis produces heads with single sterig-mata exclusively. K. SAKAGUCHI and the present author(3) have, however; pointed out that 3 strains of Asp. luchuensis in the collection of Institute for Fermentation (in Osaka) and Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Univ. of Tokyo, are all provided with double sterigmata predominantly and single or mixed sterigmata partly or very rarely. Also Asp. violaceo-fuscus occasionally has double sterigmata as observed on NRRL 360 which the author received from Dr. K. B. RAPER in Oct. 1948. All the strains of Asp. japonicus and 47 strains in this experiment had, however, sterigmata in one series. As it was shown in the electron micrographs (Fig: 1 to 4), the surfaces of the conidial wall of Asp. japonicus and these 47 strains were provided with densely aculeate processes, while those of Asp. luclzuensis and Asp. violacea-fuscus were rough and somewhat roughened. Colonies of Asp. japonicus and these 47 strains were characterized by their violet-black heads, but those of Asp. luchuensis are brownish olive and of Asp. violaceo-fuscus NRRL 360 are light purple drab. It is, therefore, conspicuous characteristics of Asp. jcponicus and these 47 strains that they produce exclusively violet-black conidial heads with single sterigmata and conidia which possess aculeate processes over the surface. From the points mentioned above it seems to be unsuitable to sum up Asp. japonicus and these 47 strains in Asp. luchuensis series together with Asp. luchuensis and Asp. violaceo-fuscus, and it is not appropriate to put these “violet black Aspergilli” in Asp. niger group with Asp. carbonarius series and Asp. niger series. This is why the author has proposed here to classify them in the new “Asp. japonicus group” The above relations are shown in the following Key. A Key for the classification of the violet black Aspergilli I. Sterigmata in two series. A. Conidia more than 5μ in diameter…………………………………A. carbonarius group. B. Conidia mostly less than 5μ in diameter. 1. Conidial wall distinctly echinulate when mature………A. Niger group. 2. Conidial wall smooth, rough or rarely echinulate………Kuro-Koji mold group. II. Sterigmata in one series, conidial walls densely aculeate………A. japonicus group. A. Conidia strongly elliptical 4.0_??_6.5 ×2.8_??_3.2μ, vesicle 50_??_80μ, conidiophores long 3_??_4mm……………A. acuteatus IIZUKA sp. nov…(6 strains)