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A new intertidal species of the melitid amphipod, Melitapanda , from the Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, is identified and described. Melitapanda sp. nov. differs from the similar M.koreana by its black-and-white body color, well-developed anterodistal projection of the male gnathopod 1 propodus, and telson armature. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the nuclear 28S rRNA and mitochondrial COI genes support that M.nagatai by its black-and-white body color, well-developed anterodistal projection of the male gnathopod 1 propodus, and telson armature. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on the nuclear 28S rRNA and mitochondrial COI genes support that M.panda sp. nov. is closely related to M.koreana and M.nagatai ., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Ko Tomikawa, Shigeyuki Yamato, Hiroyuki Ariyama.)

We evaluated the inclusion of a cryptic species in a Japanese Amanita caesareoides population. We sampled A. caesareoides specimens under various vegetation and climate conditions, and then conducted phylogenetic analyses on sequences from seven loci. The A. caesareoides specimens showed two distinct groups, except when the ITS phylogeny was considered. These two phylogroups showed different distributions: subalpine-cool temperate and temperate-subtropical areas. Although these two phylogroups overlapped in terms of basidiospore size, the latter tended to exhibit smaller basidiospores. In addition, only the former showed mycelial growth on nutrient agar. Based on these phylo-morpho-ecophysiological characteristics, we separated the specimens labeled with the name A. caesareoides into two species. As the lectotype of A. caesareoides showed similarity to the former by DNA analysis, the latter was described as a new species, namely A. satotamagotake . Based on the geographic patterns of the two species, A. satotamagotake may have invaded the natural habit of A. caesareoides because of global warming., Competing Interests: The authors of this study have no conflicts of interest to declare., (2024, by The Mycological Society of Japan.)

Two new species of Ochlodes Scudder, 1872, Ochlodespseudochraceus Zhu, Fan & Wang, sp. nov. and Ochlodescryptochraceus Zhu, Fan & Chiba, sp. nov. , are found in China and described, and Ochlodesrikuchina (Butler, 1878) stat. rev. is restored. A lectotype is designated for Pamphilaochracea Bremer, 1861, and a neotype is designated for Pamphilarikuchina Butler, 1878. Overall, the two new species are similar to Ochlodesochraceus (Bremer, 1861). They, however, can be distinguished from the latter and other species in the genus: O.pseudochraceus has long radial spots in spaces R 3-5 , and the lateral process of the phallus gradually widens at the distal half in male genitalia; O.cryptochraceus has the lateral process of the phallus enlarged only at the distal tip. Based on the phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial COI gene, members of currently defined O.ochraceus are grouped into four clades. The genetic distances between O.pseudochraceus and O.ochraceus , O.cryptochraceus and O.ochraceus , O.rikuchina and O.ochraceus , and O.pseudochraceus and O.cryptochraceus are 3.2%, 2.1%, 1.9%, and 2.7%, respectively. Based on the molecular and morphological evidence, O.pseudochraceus , O.cryptochraceus , and O.rikuchina are treated to be distinct species. The adult habitus and male and female genitalia of the new species are illustrated as well as those of O.ochraceus and O.rikuchina ., Competing Interests: All authors declare that they have no financial or non-financial conflicts of interest., (Lijuan Zhu, Yongxiang Hou, Hideyuki Chiba, Yohei Osada, Zhenfu Huang, Sergey Yu. Sinev, Min Wang, Xiaoling Fan.)

Byttneriophyllum tiliifolium is a leaf fossil-species of the family Malvaceae that was distributed widely throughout Eurasia from the Miocene to the Pliocene. An affinity to some Malvadendrina subfamilies has been suggested for Byttneriophyllum-bearing plants, but remains to be clarified due to insufficient information on other organs. Here, we report an exceptional lower Miocene fossil locality in Japan where a monodominant forest of the wood fossil-species Wataria parvipora flourished. Notably, the forest floor was covered by a bed consisting almost exclusively of B. tiliifolium. We observed occurrence modes of B. tiliifolium in this bed that confirmed that these leaves were deposited parautochthonously. These observations imply a biological connection between B. tiliifolium and W. parvipora. The wood and leaf characters together might narrow the affinity of Byttneriophyllum-bearing plants down to Helicterioideae within the Malvadendrina, although it is also possible that Byttneriophyllum-bearing plants constitutes an extinct lineage which is characterized by a combination of morphological traits found in several extant lineages. Our results suggest that Byttneriophyllum-bearing plants started to inhabit swamps no later than the end of the early Miocene when the global temperature was getting warmer., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: Citizen science is a research approach that involves collaboration between professional scientists and non-professional volunteers. The utilisation of recent online citizen-science platforms (e.g. social networking services) has greatly revolutionised the accessibility of biodiversity data by providing opportunities for connecting professional and citizen scientists worldwide. Meteorusstellatus Fujie, Shimizu & Maeto, 2021 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) has been recorded from the Oriental Islands of Japan and known to be a gregarious endoparasitoid of two macro-sized sphingid moths of Macroglossum , Ma.passalus (Drury) and Ma.pyrrhosticta Butler. It constructs characteristic star-shaped communal cocoons, suspended by a long cable. Although M.stellatus has been reported only from the Oriental Islands of Japan, the authors recognise its occurrence and ecological data from Taiwan and the Palaearctic Island of Japan through posts on online citizen-science groups about Taiwanese Insects on Facebook and an article on a Japanese citizen-scientist's website., New Information: Through collaboration between professional and citizen scientists via social media (Facebook groups) and websites, the following new biodiversity and ecological data associated with M.stellatus are provided: Meteorusstellatus is recorded for the first time from Taiwan and the Palaearctic Region (Yakushima Is., Japan). Cechetraminor (Butler, 1875), Hippotioncelerio (Linnaeus, 1758) and Macroglossumsitiene (Walker, 1856) (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae) are recorded for the first time as hosts of M.stellatus and two of which ( C.minor and H.celerio ) represent the first genus-level host records for M.stellatus . Mesochorus sp. (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae), indeterminate species of Pteromalidae and Trichogrammatidae (Hymenoptera), are recognised as hyperparasitoid wasps of M.stellatus . Parapolybiavaria (Fabricius, 1787) (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) is reported as a predator of pendulous communal cocoons of M.stellatus . The nature of suspended large-sized communal cocoons of M.stellatus and the importance and limitations of digital occurrence data and online citizen science are briefly discussed., (So Shimizu, Hsuan-Pu Chen, Kai-Ti Lin, Ren-Jye Chen, Shunpei Fujie, Su-Chuan Hung, Mei-Ling Lo, Ke-Hsiung Tsai, Kaoru Maeto.)

Restoration of species-rich semi-natural grassland requires not only a seed source but also appropriate soil properties. In Europe, approximately 10 years are required for the properties of fertilized soils to reach suitable conditions and be considered successfully restored. However, restoration may require additional time in Japan because heavier precipitation causes leaching of basic cations from soils, resulting in soil acidification; volcanic ejecta also forms active Al and Fe hydroxides with high phosphate sorption. Within this context, we aimed to answer the following questions: i) whether and how the impacts of fertilization remain in the soil properties after half a century in Japan; and ii) how fertilization affects the restoration of semi-natural grasslands in Japan. We investigated the vegetation and soil properties of a Zoysia japonica pasture improved half a century ago with a single application of fertilizer and an adjacent semi-natural grassland (native pasture) in Japan, and found the following: (1) the two pastures had similar dominance of Z. japonica, but differed in the species composition; (2) the improved pasture exhibited lower species richness than the native pasture; (3) soil nutrients, including N, P, K, Mg, and Ca, were higher in the improved pasture than in the native pasture; and (4) many chemical properties of the soils were associated with species composition; namely, the vegetation on nutrient-rich soil had more alien species and fewer native species. We conclude that a single dose of fertilization can affect soil properties in semi-natural grasslands over half a century in Japan, leading to species loss and changing the species composition. We suggest that fertilized soils under grazing in Japan may require more than half a century to restore the nutrients to suitable levels for the establishment of a species-diverse grassland., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2022 Tsutsumi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Baleen whales have lost their functional teeth and begun to use their baleen plates to feed on small prey. Modern baleen whales exhibit different types of feeding strategies, such as lunging, skimming and so on. The evolution of feeding strategy in the Chaeomysticeti is an important step in considering niche partitioning and diversification, feeding efficiency and gigantism, and evolution and extinction. This study analyses the rostrum morphology to test the hypothesis that specific rostral morphologies facilitate special feeding strategies, using modern species and their observed feeding strategies. By this means, the convergence of rostral morphology can be recognized in the closest groups in the morphospace. As a result, the two linages (Balaenidae and Caperea marginata ) are recognized to have convergent rostral morphology. In addition, an early member of the Chaeomysticeti, Yamatocetus canaliculatus , and most fossil species are plotted in or close to the cluster of lunge feeders. The original feeding strategy of the Chaeomysticeti could be more similar to lunge feeding than to skim feeding. Fossil relatives of the two linages showing transitional conditions indicate that they shifted to skim feeding independently. The evolution of the feeding strategy of the Chaeomysticeti is possibly more complex than that was thought., (© 2022 The Authors.)

Accurate species identification is of primary importance in ecology and evolutionary biology. For a long time, the unionid mussels Beringiana and Sinanodonta have puzzled researchers trying to unravel their diversity because of their poorly discernible morphologies. A recent study conducted species delineation of unionid mussels based on mitochondrial DNA variation, opening up a new avenue to grasp species diversity of the mussels. However, mtDNA-based classification may not align with species boundaries because mtDNA is prone to introgression and incomplete lineage sorting that cause discordance between species affiliation and gene phylogeny. In this study, we evaluated the validity of the mtDNA-based classification of unionid mussels Beringiana and Sinanodonta in Japan using mitochondrial sequence data, double digest restriction site-associated DNA library (ddRAD) sequencing, and morphological data. We found significant inconsistencies in the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA phylogenies, casting doubt on the reliability of the mtDNA-based classification in this group. In addition, nuclear DNA phylogeny revealed that there are at least two unionid lineages hidden in the mtDNA phylogeny. Although molecular dating technique indicates that Beringiana and Sinanodonta diverged >35 million years ago, their shell morphologies are often indistinguishable. Specifically, morphological analyses exhibited the parallel appearance of nearly identical ball-like shell forms in the two genera in Lake Biwa, which further complicates species identification and the morphological evolution of unionid mussels. Our study adds to a growing body of literature that accurate species identification of unionid mussels is difficult when using morphological characters alone. Although mtDNA-based classification is a simple and convenient way to classify unionid mussels, considerable caution is warranted for its application in ecological and evolutionary studies., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The monotypic genus Metarhachotropis (Crustacea: Amphipoda: Eusiridae) is erected with M. parva sp. nov. from Sagami Bay, central Japan, as its type species. This new genus is characterized by the massive head with large rostrum, the very short coxae and the strongly produced coxa 1. Metarhachotropis resembles Eusirella Chevreux, 1908 and Rhachotropis Smith, 1883; however, it can be distinguished from Eusirella by the ordinary length of the maxilla 1 palp, and from Rhachotropis by the smooth body.

Riverine metabarcoding data were obtained from the Takamigawa River, a tributary of the Kinokawa River, in Nara Prefecture (Central Honshu, Japan). We extracted DNA from bulk community samples of aquatic organisms, most of which could not be morphologically identified at species level due to their small body size (0.12 - 2 mm length). A partial coding region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene ( cox1 ) was amplified using PCR, and the amplicon was subjected to high-throughput parallel sequencing (Illumina MiSeq). The 313 bp paired-end sequence reads were classified into operational taxonomic units (OTUs), their species boundaries were delineated using the Generalised Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC) method, and taxonomic names of the GMYC species were assigned using basic local alignment search tool (BLAST) against International DNA Databases (INSD: GenBank, ENA, and DDBJ)., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2022 The Author(s).)

Three new species of the amphipod family Aoridae Stebbing, 1899 were collected from the bottom of a 40400 m depth in Sagami Bay, central Japan. Aora biarticulata sp. nov. is characterized by the accessory flagellum with 2 articles, the weakly setose male gnathopod 1 and the male gnathopod 2 with setose carpus and propodus. Aoroides sagamiensis sp. nov. has a distinctive male gnathopod 1 with poorly setose basis and heavily setose merus. Grandidierella gracilis sp. nov. has stridulating ridges on the carpus of the male gnathopod 1. This new species can be distinguished from its related congeners by the teeth arrangement on the male gnathopod 1 carpus, the poorly setose antennae, the sparsely setose posterior margins of the pereopods 6, 7 bases, and the ordinary form of the male gnathopod 2.

Six Japanese species belonging to the genus Aridelus Marshall, 1898 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) were recorded and photographed. Three species, A.dubius Belokobylskij, A.egregius Schmiedeknecht and A.rufotestaceus Tobias (= Aridelusrufiventris Luo & Chen syn. nov. ), are new to Japan, and a new species, A.rutilipoides is described. An identification key to the Japanese species of sp. nov. is described. An identification key to the Japanese species of Aridelus is also provided. In addition, new host records are provided, i.e., A.flavicans Chao reared from Homoeocerusunipunctatus and Riptortuspedestris (Alydidae) and A.rufotestaceus (Pentatomidae). The Alydidae is a newly recorded host family of Glauciassubpunctatus (Pentatomidae). The Alydidae is a newly recorded host family of Aridelus .

Hopong, a small town in the Salween (Thanlwin) River Basin, Myanmar, is located 35 km northeast of Inle Lake, a famous ancient lake with numerous endemic fish species. We surveyed the fish fauna of a spring pond in Hopong in 2016, 2019 and 2020 and identified 25 species. Of these, seven, including Inlecyprisauropurpureus and Sawbwaresplendens , had been considered endemic to Inle Lake and at least three species were genetically unique. Eight were suspected or definite introduced species, including Oreochromisniloticus and Gambusiaaffinis . We were unable to identify a nemacheilid species of the genus Petruichthys , which would need a taxonomic examination. The Hopong area is being developed rapidly and, hence, it is crucial to conserve its native fish species and the freshwater ecosystems., (Yuichi Kano, Yusuke Fuke, Prachya Musikasinthorn, Akihisa Iwata, Tin Mya Soe, Sein Tun, LKC Yun, Seint Seint Win, Shoko Matsui, Ryoichi Tabata, Katsutoshi Watanabe.)

The Indian jellynose fish Ateleopus indicus Alcock 1891 is redescribed as a member of the genus Parateleopus based on examination of the holotype and 11 other specimens. The character states of small mouth, no sharp spine on sphenotic, and relatively short pelvic fin suggest that it belongs in the genus Parateleopus Smith Radcliffe 1912. Comments on its generic status and comparisons with all genera of the family Ateleopodidae are provided. The species is distinguished from Parateleopus microstomus, the sole congener, by 810 dorsal-fin rays as compared with three rays in P. microstomus.

Five species of the family Odiidae (Amphipoda), including four new species, are recorded from Japan: Metodius cyanomaculatus sp. nov.; M. leucomaculatus sp. nov.; Postodius albifacies sp. nov.; P. sanguineus sp. nov.; and Antarctodius japonicus Ariyama, 2011. Morphological characters and coloration of these species are described in detail. Metodius gen. nov. is established for the two new species and is characterized by the very short and bare palp of the maxilla 1 and the large gnathopod 2 propodus. Keys to the odiid genera and the Postodius species in the world are provided. The genera can be distinguished from one another by the shapes of maxilla 1, maxilliped, pereopod 7, and telson. The Postodius species differs in the shapes of gnathopod 2, and pereopods 3, 7. Female of A. japonicus is firstly recorded. In this species, the presence of an accessory flagellum and a gill on the coxa 7 is confirmed.

Callogobius falx n. sp. (Gobiidae) is described on the basis of two specimens (14.4 and 23.1 mm in standard length: SL) from the Ryukyu Islands, southern Japan. The new species is characterized by the following combination of characters: dorsal-fin rays VI-I, 8 or 9; anal-fin rays I, 7; pectoral-fin rays 18 or 19; lateral scale rows 2022; body depth moderate, neither particularly slender nor deep (depth at pelvic-fin origin 18.320.0% of SL); pelvic-fin base with frenum; caudal-fin length moderate, margin rounded; cephalic sensory-canal pores absent; interorbital papillae row separated, forming two rows (one row in 14.4 mm paratype); postorbital papillae row not continuous with upper cranial papillae row; preopercular and transverse opercular papillae rows connected, forming single transverse row; body with three oblique black bars, angled upwards anteriorly and continuous with black bars on dorsal fins, anteriormost bar extending from 1st dorsal fin to midline of body, posterior two bars extending from second dorsal fin to dorsal surface of body and caudal peduncle, respectively; pectoral fin white, upper half widely (ca. 1/2 length of rays) margined with black; caudal-fin base with narrow sickle-like bar.

In spite of the two-fold reproductive advantage, asexual reproduction is not common in nature, probably due to the associated genetic deterioration or reduced genetic variation. To understand how genetic diversity is maintained in existing asexual populations, we investigated the genetic diversity and population structure of sympatric sexual and asexual populations of a parasitic wasp, Meteorus pulchricornis, using 614 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms. The genetic structures of the apomictic asexual populations were distinct, showing considerable genetic differentiation among them. Most of the asexual populations were highly differentiated from the sympatric sexual population; some asexual individuals could not be distinguished from members of the sexual population. Furthermore, significantly fewer multilocus genotypes were identified in the asexual populations (1-7) compared to the sexual population (42), which is consistent with their apomictic nature. The observed patterns of fixed heterozygous sites suggest that most asexual populations had the same evolutionary origin and have long since evolved individually; the detected gene flow between the sexual population and a few asexual population may indicate independent origins of asexuality. The potential role of occasional males in apomictic wasps is also discussed., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Egglestonichthys fulmen (Teleostei: Gobiidae) is described on the basis of a single specimen (21.7 mm in standard length) collected from 250 m depth off Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The new species is characterized by the following combination of characters: anal-fin rays I, 9; pectoral-fin rays 17, lower rays not free from membrane; longitudinal scale series 25; transverse scales 8; pre-dorsal-fin scale rows 8; cheek and opercle naked; pelvic frenum absent; caudal fin lanceolate, its length 32.2% of SL; interorbital width very narrow, 1.2% of HL (much narrower than pupil diameter); no spicules or odontoid processes on outer surface of gill arches; and body whitish, upper half with broken zigzag pattern of bright yellow patches and associated scattered black melanophores in fresh specimens (melanophores retained in preserved specimens). Several characters, including pectoral-fin ray count, interorbital width, and coloration uniquely distinguish the new species from congeners.sp. nov. (Teleostei: Gobiidae) is described on the basis of a single specimen (21.7 mm in standard length) collected from 250 m depth off Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Islands, Japan. The new species is characterized by the following combination of characters: anal-fin rays I, 9; pectoral-fin rays 17, lower rays not free from membrane; longitudinal scale series 25; transverse scales 8; pre-dorsal-fin scale rows 8; cheek and opercle naked; pelvic frenum absent; caudal fin lanceolate, its length 32.2% of SL; interorbital width very narrow, 1.2% of HL (much narrower than pupil diameter); no spicules or odontoid processes on outer surface of gill arches; and body whitish, upper half with broken zigzag pattern of bright yellow patches and associated scattered black melanophores in fresh specimens (melanophores retained in preserved specimens). Several characters, including pectoral-fin ray count, interorbital width, and coloration uniquely distinguish the new species from congeners., (Kyoji Fujiwara, Toshiyuki Suzuki, Hiroyuki Motomura.)

Two new species of Maera Leach, 1814 and Quadrimaera Krapp-Schickel Ruffo, 2000 included in the Maera-clade are described from Japan. Maera denticoxa sp. nov. was collected from Iwate and Hokkaido Prefectures and can be distinguished from its congeners by the small notches on the posteroventral margins of coxae 1-6. Quadrimaera angulata sp. nov. from north of Tanegashima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture is characterized by the distal tooth on the mandibular palp article 1, the rounded palm of the female gnathopod 2, and the angular posterodistal margin of the pereopod 7 basis. Keys to Japanese species of the Maera-clade are provided. In total, seventeen species included in the clade occur in Japan.

The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of an estuarine amphipod Grandidierella osakaensis was determined. The mitochondrial genome was 14,658 bp in length with 37 mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes [PCGs], 2 ribosomal RNAs [rRNAs], and 22 transfer RNAs [tRNAs]). The order of PCGs of G. osakaensis was identical to those of other two Grandidierella species. A maximum likelihood-based phylogenetic analysis showed that G. osakaensis formed a monophyletic clade with the other two Grandidierella species within the infraorder Corophiida. The mitochondrial genome sequence obtained in this study provides useful information for further phylogenetic and ecological studies., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Six species of the amphipod genus Grandidierella Coutière, 1904 were collected from coastal areas of the Ryukyu Archipelago in Japan. Four species are new to science and the other two are new to Japan. Grandidierella contigua sp. nov. has a characteristic male gnathopod 1 with three teeth on the carpus, the proximal tooth of which is very small and contiguous with the large middle tooth. Grandidierella gilesi Chilton, 1921 is characterized by the densely setose gnathopods and the divergent merus of the gnathopod 2 in both sexes. Grandidierella halophila Wongkamhaeng, Pholpunthin Azman, 2012 possesses a long posteromedial projection on the male coxa 2. Grandidierella japonicoides sp. nov. closely resembles G. japonica Stephensen, 1938 in having stridulating ridges on the male gnathopod 1 carpus, but the former can be distinguished from the latter in the presence of a posteromedial projection on the male coxa 2 and the shapes of the gnathopod 1 carpus in both sexes. Grandidierella nana sp. nov. is a small species and has a wide and short carpus in the male gnathopod 1. Grandidierella pseudosakaensis sp. nov. is similar to G. osakaensis Ariyama, 1996; however, the former is different from the latter in the absence of a posterodistal projection on the male gnathopod 1 ischium and the growth process of the male gnathopods. A key to Grandidierella species in the Ryukyu Archipelago is provided.

The family Balaenidae includes two genus and four extant species. Extinct balaenids are known for at least four genus and 10 species. The oldest known record of members of the Balaenidae is known from the early Miocene, but still need more early members of the family to provide better phylogenetic hypotheses. FCCP 1049 from the lower part of the Chippubetsu Formation, Fukagawa Group (3.5-5.2 Ma, Zanclean, early Pliocene) was preliminary described and identified as Balaenula sp. by Furusawa and Kimura in 1982. Later works discussed that FCCP 1049 is different from the genus, and is placed in different clade from Balaenula astensis . The result of our phylogenetic analysis places FCCP 1049 basal to Balaenella brachyrhynus , and is again separated from B. astensis. In this study, FCCP 1049 is re-described and named as Archaeobalaena dosanko gen. et sp. nov. Archaeobalaena dosanko is distinguishable from other balaenids by having a deep promontorial groove of the pars cochlearis of the periotic. Archaeobalaena dosanko can be differentiated from other balaenids, except Morenocetus parvus by having a slender zygomatic process, and posteriorly oriented postorbital process in dorsal view. Archaeobalaena dosanko adds detailed skull, periotic and bulla morphologies for the earlier balaenids., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests., (© 2020 The Authors.)

Two species of Maera Leach, 1814, a species of Meximaera Barnard, 1969 and a species of Orientomaera Ariyama, 2018 included in the Maera clade, are described from Japan. Maera loveni (Bruzelius, 1859) was collected from the Sea of Japan and can be distinguished from its congeners by the very large body size and the gnathopod 2 palm defined by a blunt tooth bearing a strong robust seta. Maera sagamiensis sp. nov. from Sagami Bay is characterized by the presence of small notches on the coxae 1-3. Meximaera mooreana (Myers, 1989) was collected from Wakayama Prefecture and has two distinct characters: the male gnathopod 2 with wide basis and the very long uropod 3. Morphological characters of the Japanese specimens resemble well those in the literature, but the mandibular palp article 1 is projected acutely. Orientomaera incisa sp. nov. was recently collected from Wakayama Prefecture and its gnathopods 2 in both sexes bear a distinctive incision on the palm. Keys to species of Meximaera in the world and Japanese species of the Maera-clade are provided. Fifteen species included in the Maera-clade occur in Japan.

Stereocaulon sorediiferum is expected to be a Cu-hyperaccumulator lichen and has fluorescent substances. To clarify the relationship between the fluorescence (FL) of the lichen and its Cu concentration, we collected S. sorediiferum samples at Cu-contaminated and uncontaminated sites in Japan, determined the concentration of Cu, K, Mg, Al, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, chlorophyll a,b, and total carotenoids in them, analyzed lichen secondary metabolites and fluorescent substances extracted from them, and measured the FL of them and their extracts. We found that the FL intensity of S. sorediiferum samples is significantly negatively correlated with their Cu concentration. The application of its FL for Cu monitoring may allow a new nondestructive quantitative method for assessing Cu contamination. The spectroscopic and chromatographic analysis shows that the fluorescent substances negatively correlated with Cu concentration are not major lichen secondary metabolites (lobaric acid and atranorin) and remain after immersion in acetone. The correlation analysis and the comparison with the causal relationship between Cu concentration and the chlorophyll a/b ratio suggest that the reason for the decrease in FL intensity with increasing Cu concentration is a structural change of the fluorescent substances by accumulated Cu. These findings lead to a better understanding of the relationship between the FL of S. sorediiferum and its Cu concentration and provide new insights into fluorescent lichen substances.

Two species of the amphipod genus Ceradocus Costa, 1853 were collected from coastal areas in Japan: C. kiiensis sp. nov. from Wakayama Prefecture and C. laevis Oleröd, 1970 from Okinawa Prefecture. Both of the species share the asymmetrical male gnathopod 2, the larger male gnathopod 2 with strongly oblique palm and the uropod 3 with wide rami. Ceradocus kiiensis also has the palm with a single excavation in the larger male gnathopod 2 and the pleonites 1-3 with many dorsal teeth. This new species can be distinguished from its congeners by the absence of the anterodistal projection on the basis of the larger male gnathopod 2, the presence of the posterior teeth on the pleonal epimera 1-2, and others. Ceradocus laevis is characterized by the palm having triangular and small trapezoidal projections in the larger male gnathopod 2, the pereopods 5-7 bases with rounded posterodistal lobe, the pleonites and urosomites lacking dorsal teeth, and the pleonal epimera 1-2 without posterior teeth. This species can be easily distinguished from C. kiiensis by the smooth dorsal margins of the pleonites. A key to Ceradocus species in Japan is provided.

One species of Austromaera Lowry Springthorpe, 2005 and four species of Quadrimaera Krapp-Schickel Ruffo, 2000 included in the Maera clade, are described from Japan. Austromaera ariakensis sp. nov. is described, based on collections from Ariake Sea and can be distinguished from its congeners by the acutely produced coxa 1 and the merus of gnathopod 2 with a small posterodistal spine. Quadrimaera gotoensis sp. nov. from Goto Islands in Nagasaki Prefecture has a small quadrate excavation on the middle palmar margin of the male gnathopod 2. This new species is different from Q. mirandella Appadoo, Myers Fagoonee, 2002 having such an excavation, in the larger posterodistal tooth of the male gnathopod 2 propodus and the wider bases of the pereopods 5-7. Quadrimaera pacifica (Schellenberg, 1938) was collected from many localities from Iwate Prefecture to Ariake Sea. This species is characterized by the transverse palm of the male gnathopod 2 with the large posterodistal tooth, the small rounded excavation in the middle and the anterior lobe narrower and produced more distally than the posterior lobe. Morphology of Q. pacifica is variable in the posterior excavation of the male gnathopod 2 palm, the uropod 3 rami and the distal end of the telson. Quadrimaera quadrimana (Dana, 1853) from the south of Yakushima Island in Kagoshima Prefecture has a distinct palm of the male gnathopod 2 with three excavations. Quadrimaera setibasis sp. nov. collected from the intertidal zone in Osaka Prefecture has a setose basis of the pereopod 6 like Q. schellenbergi (Ruffo 1938), but the bases of the pereopods 5 and 7 are not setose. A key to species of Austromaera in the world is provided.

Lichen secondary metabolites are known to be associated with heavy metal uptake and tolerance in lichens. Understanding the relationship between their secondary metabolites and heavy metals in them is important for clarifying the mechanisms of their heavy metal accumulation and tolerance. To determine the relationships between the concentrations of secondary metabolites and Cu in the Cu-hyperaccumulator lichen Stereocaulon japonicum and to clarify its response to Cu, we collected Cu-contaminated and uncontaminated samples of the lichen and determined relative concentrations of secondary metabolites and concentrations of Cu, K, glucose, and sugar alcohols in them. We found significant negative correlations between the relative concentrations of secondary metabolites-atranorin and stictic acid-and the concentration of Cu. These negative correlations can be interpreted in one of two ways: (a) S. japonicum itself reduced the relative concentrations of secondary metabolites in response to the increase of Cu concentration or (b) its carbon and energy metabolism was damaged by Cu stress, resulting in the reduction of the relative concentrations of secondary metabolites. The analysis of K, glucose, and sugar alcohols showed no effect of Cu on these concentrations, which means that the carbon and energy metabolism was not damaged by Cu stress. Therefore, the negative correlations can be interpreted that S. japonicum itself reduced the relative concentrations of secondary metabolites with the increase of Cu concentration. These findings provide a deeper understanding of the response of secondary metabolites to Cu in the lichen.

The molecular, morphological, and physiological features of 42 strains of Ochroconis collected from many limestone areas were studied. Ochroconis strains are often found in limestone areas, although they have rarely been found in other wild areas, e. g. forests. Moreover, many strains from these areas grew on alkaline media (pH 9.7) and media with soap. They were phylogenetically more variable than Ochroconis strains previously found indoors or at city parks. Thus, the Ochroconis strains are thought to have adapted to the alkaline soil, specifically found in limestones. It is assumed that some strains of Ochroconis originally grew in the limestones and immigrated into park soils with the fine dust of cement and into indoor environments. More species of Ochroconis, with the ability to use surfactants as nutrients, are distributed in limestone areas than indoors or in city parks. Moreover, these fungi were found randomly in the phylogenetic trees of Ochroconis. Although only O. humicola was often found indoors and used surfactants, this fungus was newly found in the limestone areas of Okinawa Prefecture. Ochroconis humicola originally grew outdoors and seems to have immigrated to and propagated indoors. Thus, this species may have originated from the subtropical limestone areas.

A new species of microgastrine parasitoid wasp (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Cotesia testacea Fujie, Shimizu Fernandez-Triana sp. nov., is described from Japan and Korea. It belongs to the flavipes species-group, which now comprises seven described species, most of them economically important as biocontrol agents of cereal and sugarcane stem borer pests worldwide. The new species, currently known from marsh habitats in the Eastern Palaearctic, is morphologically similar and probably related to the Western Palaearctic Cotesia ferruginea. A key to world species of the flavipes species-group is also provided.

Nearly 300 coastal marine species collected from >630 debris items from the 2011 Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami have landed alive along the North American Pacific coast and the Hawaiian Archipelago. We synthesized life history, environmental, and distributional traits for 103 of these species and compared species with (n=30) and without (n=62) known invasion histories. The species represent 12 phyla, and Mollusca, Crustacea, and Bryozoa accounted for 71 of the 103 species. The majority are native to the Northwest Pacific and the Central Indo-Pacific. Species with known invasion history were more common on artificial and hardpan substrates, in temperate reef, fouling, and flotsam habitats, at subtropical and tropical temperatures, and exhibited greater salinity tolerance than species with no prior invasion history. Thirty-five Japanese tsunami marine species without prior invasion history overlapped in ordination trait space with known invaders, indicating a subset of species in this novel assemblage that possess traits similar to species with known invasion history., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Marine debris from the Great Tsunami of 2011 represents a unique transport vector for Japanese species to reach Pacific North America and Hawaii. Here we characterize the invasion risk of invertebrate species associated with tsunami debris using a screening-level risk assessment tool - the Canadian Marine Invasive Screening Tool (CMIST). Higher-risk invertebrate invaders were identified for each of five different ecoregions. Some of these are well-known global invaders, such as the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis and the ascidian Didemnum vexillum which already have invasion histories in some of the assessed ecoregions, while others like the sea star Asterias amurensis and the shore crab Hemigrapsus sanguineus have yet to invade large portions of the assessed ecoregions but also are recognized global invaders. In general, the probability of invasion was lower for the Gulf of Alaska and Hawaii, in part due to lower climate matches and the availability of other invasion vectors., (Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A fossil whale from the Hikatagawa Formation (Middle Miocene, 15.2-11.5 Ma) of Hokkaido, Japan is described as a new genus and species Taikicetus inouei and its phylogenetic position is examined. Consistent with the result of Marx, Lambert & de Muizon (2017), the Cetotheriidae form a clade with the Balaenopteroidea, and "a clade comprising Isanacetus, Parietobalaena and related taxa" is located basal to the Balaenopteroidea + Cetotheriidae clade. Taikicetus inouei is placed in the clade with most of members of "Cetotheres" sensu lato comprising Isanacetus, Parietobalaena and related taxa. Taikicetus inouei can be distinguished from the other members of "Cetotheres" sensu lato in having an anteriorly swollen short zygomatic process, high triangular coronoid process, and angular process, which does not reach as far posterior as the mandibular condyle. Taikicetus inouei is only record of "Cetotheres" sensu lato from Hokkaido, Japan and the northern-most records of "Cetotheres" sensu lato in Japan., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

The Maera-clade is a group of maerid amphipod genera which has neither a falcate mandibular palp nor medially setose inner plates of maxillae 1 and 2. Two species of Maeropsis Chevreux, 1919 and four species of Orientomaera gen. nov. included in the clade, are described from Japan. Maeropsis okinawensis sp. nov. is described, based on collections from Okinawa Prefecture. It resembles M. cobia Krapp-Schickel, 2009, M. paphavasitae Wongkamhaeng, Coleman Pholpunthin, 2013, and M. serratipalma (Nagata, 1965). This new species differs from the latter three species in the long uropod 3. Maeropsis serratipalma is redescribed and newly recorded from Kanagawa, Osaka and Wakayama Prefectures. The new genus, Orientomaera, is described and is characterized by the mandibular palp article 1 without a distal tooth and the oblique palm of the gnathopod 2 with many robust setae. Orientomaera comprises four species: O. brevispina (Kim Kim, 1991) comb. nov. from Iwate, Fukui, Kyoto and Wakayama Prefectures and Ariake Sea; O. decipiens sp. nov. from Osaka and Wakayama Prefectures; O. obliquua sp. nov. from Osaka and Wakayama Prefectures; O. rotundicoxa sp. nov. from Kanagawa and Wakayama Prefectures. These species can be distinguished from one another by the coxa 1, the gnathopod 2 propodus, the pereopod 6 basis and the telson. Keys to species of Maeropsis and Orientomaera in the world are provided.

Accurate egg placement into or onto a living host is an essential ability for many parasitoids, and changes in associated phenotypes, such as ovipositor morphology and behaviour, correlate with significant host shifts. Here, we report that in the ichneumonid group of koinobiont spider-ectoparasitoids ("polysphinctines"), several putatively ancestral taxa (clade I here), parasitic on ground-dwelling RTA-spiders (a group characterised by retrolateral tibial apophysis on male palpal tibiae), lay their eggs in a specific way. They tightly bend their metasoma above the spider's cephalothorax, touching the carapace with the dorsal side of the ovipositor apically ("dorsal-press"). The egg slips out from the middle part of the ventral side of the ovipositor and moves towards its apex with the parted lower valves acting as rails. Deposition occurs as the parasitoid draws the ovipositor backwards from under the egg. Oviposition upon the tough carapace of the cephalothorax, presumably less palatable than the abdomen, is conserved in these taxa, and presumed adaptive through avoiding physical damage to the developing parasitoid. This specific way of oviposition is reversed in the putatively derived clade of polysphinctines (clade II here) parasitic on Araneoidea spiders with aerial webs, which is already known. They bend their metasoma along the spider's abdomen, grasping the abdomen with their fore/mid legs, pressing the ventral tip of the metasoma and the lower valves of the ovipositor against the abdomen ("ventral-press"). The egg is expelled through an expansion of the lower valves, which is developed only in this clade and evident in most species, onto the softer and presumably more nutritious abdomen., (© K. Takasuka et al., published by EDP Sciences, 2018.)

The molecular, morphological, and physiological characters of 55 Ochroconis strains collected from indoor and outdoor environments were studied. In Japan, Ochroconis species are often found in indoor detergent-rich environments, such as bathrooms and washing machines, and the predominant species have been identified as O. humicola, similar to that in other Asian and European countries. Although Ochroconis species have rarely been found in outdoor environments such as mountains, forests, and agricultural fields, in the present study, Ochroconis strains were specifically isolated from the soils of urban city parks. Phylogenetic analysis conducted using the 28S ribosomal RNA (28S rDNA) gene sequence showed that almost all of the Ochroconis strains found in indoor environments (i.e., water supply) were O. humicola. Although city parks were often surrounded by residences, more than half of the Ochroconis strains collected from the soils of city parks examined in this study were different Ochroconis species. The ability to use detergents as nutrients was found in a new genetic group (probably a new species) isolated from the soils of city parks as well as in O. humicola and O. constricta. Ochroconis humicola is assumed to adapt mostly to indoor environments and to penetrate from the outdoors, e.g., soils of urban areas. To elucidate the factors promoting indoor fungal predominance, the ability of using surfactants as nutrients was compared among these three species. Additionally, growth under alkaline and drought conditions, and heat tolerance were examined. Indoor predominance of O. humicola compared to that of the other two species was attributed to the ability of using a non-ionic surfactant as nutrient and to growth under alkaline conditions.

A new small probable Oligocene dolphin from Ecuador represents a new genus and species, Urkudelphis chawpipacha. The new taxon is known from a single juvenile skull and earbones; it differs from other archaic dolphins in features including widely exposed frontals at the vertex, a dorsally wide open vomer at the mesorostral groove, and a strongly projected and pointed lateral tuberosity of the periotic. Phylogenetic analysis places it toward the base of the largely-extinct clade Platanistoidea. The fossil is one of a few records of tropical fossil dolphins.

Secondary marine adaptation is a major pattern in amniote evolution, accompanied by specific bone histological adaptations. In the aftermath of the end-Permian extinction, diverse marine reptiles evolved early in the Triassic. Plesiosauria is the most diverse and one of the longest-lived clades of marine reptiles, but its bone histology is least known among the major marine amniote clades. Plesiosaurians had a unique and puzzling body plan, sporting four evenly shaped pointed flippers and (in most clades) a small head on a long, stiffened neck. The flippers were used as hydrofoils in underwater flight. A wide temporal, morphological, and morphometric gap separates plesiosaurians from their closest relatives (basal pistosaurs, Bobosaurus ). For nearly two centuries, plesiosaurians were thought to appear suddenly in the earliest Jurassic after the end-Triassic extinctions. We describe the first Triassic plesiosaurian, from the Rhaetian of Germany, and compare its long bone histology to that of later plesiosaurians sampled for this study. The new taxon is recovered as a basal member of the Pliosauridae, revealing that diversification of plesiosaurians was a Triassic event and that several lineages must have crossed into the Jurassic. Plesiosaurian histology is strikingly uniform and different from stem sauropterygians. Histology suggests the concurrent evolution of fast growth and an elevated metabolic rate as an adaptation to cruising and efficient foraging in the open sea. The new specimen corroborates the hypothesis that open ocean life of plesiosaurians facilitated their survival of the end-Triassic extinctions.

In this study, species-specific identification of five toxic mushrooms, Chlorophyllum molybdites, Gymnopilus junonius, Hypholoma fasciculare, Pleurocybella porrigens, and Tricholoma ustale, which have been involved in food-poisoning incidents in Japan, was investigated. Specific primer pairs targeting internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions were designed for PCR detection. The specific amplicons were obtained from fresh, cooked, and simulated gastric fluid (SGF)-treated samples. No amplicons were detected from other mushrooms with similar morphology. Our method using one-step extraction of mushrooms allows rapid detection within 2.5 hr. It could be utilized for rapid identification or screening of toxic mushrooms.

Nuphar submersa (Nymphaeaceae) is a critically endangered freshwater macrophyte indigenous to central Japan, with only four small extant populations represented across its entire range. We investigated the genotypic and genetic diversity as well as the genetic structure of all extant individuals of N. submersa based on analysis of 15 microsatellite loci. Among 278 individual ramets, 52 multilocus genotypes were detected: 30 genotypes in Nikko City (NIK), 18 in Nasukarasuyama City (NAS), 3 in Mooka City (MOK), and 1 in Sakura City (SAK). The average number of alleles per locus ranged from 1.20 to 1.93, whereas the observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.11 to 0.33 and from 0.10 to 0.24, respectively. With the exception of SAK, all populations contained multiple clones, but our results indicated low levels of within-population genetic diversity. The populations NIK and NAS comprised few large or middle-sized genets and many small genets. The populations NIK and NAS were suggested to comprise large old, old fragmented, and/or young small genets resulting from seedling establishment. All four populations were differentiated, and gene flow between the populations was restricted (average level of gene flow (Nm) = 0.122, G' ST  = 0.639). Of the total genetic diversity, 67.20 and 9.13% were attributable to inter- and intra-population diversity, respectively. STRUCTURE analysis revealed two or three well-differentiated groups of populations. Cluster I comprised one population (NIK) and cluster II comprised the remaining populations at K = 2. The populations NIK, NAS, and the remaining populations were assigned to clusters I, II, and III, respectively, at K = 3. For conservation practices, we recommend that each cluster be regarded as a different management unit. We further suggest that artificial gene flow among MOK and SAK populations is an appropriate option, whereas NIK should not be reinforced with genotypes from the remaining populations.

Background: Inle (Inlay) Lake, an ancient lake of Southeast Asia, is located at the eastern part of Myanmar, surrounded by the Shan Mountains. Detailed information on fish fauna in and around the lake has long been unknown, although its outstanding endemism was reported a century ago., New Information: Based on the fish specimens collected from markets, rivers, swamps, ponds and ditches around Inle Lake as well as from the lake itself from 2014 to 2016, we recorded a total of 948 occurrence data (2120 individuals), belonging to 10 orders, 19 families, 39 genera and 49 species. Amongst them, 13 species of 12 genera are endemic or nearly endemic to the lake system and 17 species of 16 genera are suggested as non-native. The data are all accessible from the document "A dataset of Inle Lake fish fauna and its distribution (http://ipt.pensoft.net/resource.do?r=inle_fish_2014-16)", as well as DNA barcoding data (mitochondrial COI) for all species being available from the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank (Accession numbers: LC189568-LC190411). Live photographs of almost all the individuals and CT/3D model data of several specimens are also available at the graphical fish biodiversity database (http://ffish.asia/INLE2016; http://ffish.asia/INLE2016-3D). The information can benefit the clarification, public concern and conservation of the fish biodiversity in the region.