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Eleven oribatid species were collected from the Kumaya Cave of Iheya village in Central Ryukyu Arc, South Japan. The cave is a descending horizontal tunnel of a deep-sea abysmal quartziferous deposit formed in the Permian period of the Palaeozoic era and excavated by sea erosion. The floor of the cave was covered with sand, three to four meters deep. Fragments of psephite are found at the end of the cave. Each sample of about 200 ml was collected by hand from the following five marked points of the cave on 17 March 2010: A, Sand and a fragment of psephite; B, Sand and a fragment of psephite; C, Sand, a fragment of psephite, and litter of Ficus microcarpa; D, Litter and humus of F. microcarpa and Cassytha filiformis, and sand; E, Litter and humus of F. microcarpa and C. filiformis, and sand. All species belonged to Brachypylina: Oppiella (O.) nova from A; Mabulatrichus kumayaensis sp. nov., Protoribates kumayaensis sp. nov. and Zygoribatula iheyaensis sp. nov. from B; Tectocepheus kumayaensis sp. nov. from C; Tectocepheus iheyaensis sp. nov., Oribatula kumayaensis sp. nov., Protoribates hirokous sp. nov. and Haplozetes makii sp. nov. from D; Eupelops kumayaensis sp. nov. from E; Neoliodes iheyaensis sp. nov. from C, D and E.

Using the dorsal ordinary muscle (DOM) of cultured Pacific bluefin tuna (body length [BL]: 47.5–81.8 cm, body weight [BW]: 2.1–13.5 kg, n=15), the changes of proximate compositions and myoglobin (Mb) content with growth were investigated. There was a positive correlation (r=0.9832, P

We investigated the changes in myoglobin (Mb) content and proximate compositions of the cephalad parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (Ce-DOM) of full-cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna [body length: 42.6-115.4 cm, body weight (BW): 1.7-38.4 kg, killed from July 2004 to October 2005]. The Mb content of Ce-DOM increased (P

Using the full-cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna, Thunnus orientalis [body weights: 13.1 ± 4.5 (FC1; April in 2004), 20.2 ± 1.8 (FC2; July in 2004), 28.5 ± 6.3 (FC3; November in 2004), 27.0 ± 3.3 (FC4; February in 2005) and 33.5 ± 4.7 kg (FC5; May in 2005), n = 3, respectively] and wild bluefin tuna [33.3 ± 1.5kg (June in 2005), n = 3], proximate and fatty acid compositions of the cephalal (Ce-) and caudal (Ca-) parts of the dorsal (D) and ventral (V) ordinary muscles (OMs) were investigated. Lipid contents of the Ce-DOM and VOMs of FC1-5 increased with growth. In particular, lipid content of the Ce-DOM (23.0%) and VOMs (55.1%) of FC5 was higher ( P P n –3: n –6 (9.4%) of the Ce-VOM of FC5 was lower ( P

Using full-cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna (body length [BL], 42.6–66.4 cm; body weight [BW], 1.66–7.40 kg, n=15), the changes in chemical compositions and histological structure of the cephalal parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (DOM) occurring with growth were investigated. A positive correlation (r=0.9644, P

Using the full-cycle cultured (FC) Pacific bluefin tuna [body weight 16.3±1.9 kg (pre-fasting group, pre-FG), 14.2±0.9 kg (post-fasting group, post-FG)], changes in the physical/chemical properties of the cephalal parts of dorsal (D) and ventral (V) ordinary muscles (OM) by fasting (6 days) during chilled storage (4°C) were investigated. Condition factors were 26.7 (pre-FG) and 20.3 (post-FG, P < 0.05). Fasting changed the liver color to green. Fasting also decreased the amount of protein and lipid contents of the DOM and VOM of FC tuna. The breaking strength and pH of the DOM and VOM of post-FG tuna were higher (P

Using full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna (BW: 33.5 ± 2.7 kg, cultured for about 33 mo), the physical/ chemical composition and histological properties of the cephalal parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (DOMs) and ventral ordinary muscles (VOMs) were investigated during chilled storage at 4 °C for 69 h. VOM showed high fat content compared with DOM. The breaking strength of DOM increased up to 33 h but decreased thereafter, whereas VOM decreased gradually after 15 h. The pH and glycogen content of DOMs and VOMs decreased gradually after 9 h. The met-myoglobin (met-Mb)% and K-value of DOMs and VOMs increased gradually during storage. Extension of intercellular spaces of DOM was observed by LM during storage. The abundant quantity of glycogen granules that accumulated around the myofibrils of DOM was confirmed by TEM to decrease during storage (especially, from 15 h).

The histological properties of the cephalad parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (CD-OMs) of wild (body weight 33.3 ± 0.9 kg, n = 3) and full-cycle cultured (body weights 13.1 ± 2.6 (FC 1), 20.2 ± 1.0 (FC 2) and 28.5 ± 3.6 (FC 3) kg, n = 3 respectively) Pacific bluefin tuna were investigated. The CD-OMs of FC 1–3 tuna showed low moisture content (P < 0.05) and high fat content (about six times more, P < 0.05) in comparison with wild fish. A large quantity of adipose tissue was observed in the wide spaces between muscle fibres in the CD-OMs of FC 1-3 tuna. The muscle fibre diameter of the CD-OM of FC 3 tuna was significantly lower than that of wild fish (P < 0.05). Myofibrils in the CD-OM of wild tuna were surrounded by a developed sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria; however, there were many glycogen granules among the myofibrils and a large quantity of fat in the CD-OM of full-cycle cultured fish. In particular, the glycogen content of the CD-OM of FC 3 tuna was significantly higher (about 50 times) than that of wild fish. These results indicate that feeding and exercise conditions affect the histological structure and metabolism of the bluefin tuna muscle. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry

Using the skeletal muscle of full-cycle cultured Pacific bluefin tuna (body weight: 13.1±2.6 kg, cultured for about 21 months), the proximate compositions, breaking strength and histological structure of the front and rear parts of the dorsal ordinary muscles (FD-OM and RD-OM) and the ventral ordinary muscles (FV-OM and RV-OM) were compared. The FV-OM showed low moisture, protein, ash and high fat contents (P

Each sample of about 200 cm3 was collected on June 27th 2011 by hand from the following three marked points after a large tidal wave (Tsunami) struck on March 11th 2011: Two specimens belonging to Masthermannia and Eupelops were collected from a sample A (about 188 m from sea); five specimens of four species belonging to Nothrus and Tectocepheus from sample B (about 5mfrom sample A) were found; twenty-five specimens of Trhypochthonius, Scheloribates and Trichogalumna from sample C (about 20 m from sample B) were collected. One oribatid species of the Masthermannia genus from sample A was found to be identical to an undescribed species from Kumamoto Prefecture, which was studied together with the specimen from sample A.