A new species of the grass fly (Diptera,Chloropidae), Incertella tschernovi sp. n., from the Kyzyl Kum Desert

A new grass fly species belonging to the subfamily Oscinellinae, Incertella tschernovi sp. n., is described from the Kyzyl Kum Desert, Uzbekistan. The new species is closely related to I. brevicosta Nartshuk, 1975, shares short costal vein of the wing and in the vein M sharply bent toward the anterior wing margin.     

Description of a new soldier-fly species of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Adoxomyia</Emphasis> Kertész, 1907 (Diptera,Stratiomyidae), based on adults and larva from Azerbaijan

A new species of the soldier-fly genus Adoxomyia Kertesz, 1907, A. variabilis sp. n., is described from Azerbaijan. The larvae were found in the Astragalus roots damaged by larvae of the buprestid genus Sphenoptera. The adults (males and females) are proved to belong to a species closely related to A. transcaucasica Nartshuk, 2004 but differing in the structure and coloration of the antennae, in the pubescence of the eye of the female, in details of the pubescence of the head in the male, and in the structure of the male genitalia. Differences of the adults and the larva from those of the closely related species are listed.     

Japanese species of the Longibrachiatum Clade of Trichoderma

The Longibrachiatum Clade of the genus Trichoderma in Japan was examined, among which two new species and three new records are herewith reported. The new species, T. tsugarense and T. kunigamense were isolated from a bed log (cultivation of Lentinula edodes) and volcanic ash soil, respectively. These species are distinguished from closely related species by growth and morphological characteristics and in phylogenetic analysis. Additional species new to Japan were T. ghanense, T. parareesei and T. sinense. The significance of their distribution is discussed. Most species of the Longibrachiatum Clade are tropical rather than temperate in distribution. Their in vitro optimum growth tends to be >35 °C but the optimum temperature for some Japanese species was lower. Some species are endophytes of temperate plant species, some of which are endemic in Japan.     

Four new Asian species in the lichen genus Pannaria

Abstract:Three new species which have previously been confused with Pannaria rubiginosa are described. The first, Pannaria complanata sp. nov., from southern India, has a possibly subtropical Afro-Asian distribution, the second, Pannaria emodii sp. nov., may be restricted to the eastern Himalayas from Bhutan to Sichuan (China), and the third, Pannaria ramulosa sp. nov. is known only from Java. The last two species are both related toPannaria asahinae P. M. Jørg. from Japan. A fourth new species from southern Taiwan, the isidiate Pannaria formosana, is closely related to Pannaria ramosa Vain., a little known species from the Philippines.     

The formation of the Lycodinae fauna (Perciformes: Zoarcidae) of the Sea of Japan

The subfamily Lycodinae is represented in the Sea of Japan by two genera (Lycodes and Petroschmidtia) and seven species (Lycodes japonicus, L. nakamurae, L. raridens, L. tanakae, L. teraoi, L. yamatoi, and Petroschmidtia toyamensis), which are widely distributed on the shelf and upper continental slope. Based on the geographic and bathymetric distribution of eelpouts of the Sea of Japan and adjacent waters, two groups of closely related species with different types of distribution ranges were distinguished. The first group includes pairs of species that live primarily on the continental slope and are completely isolated in the Sea of Japan or in the Sea of Okhotsk. The second group is comprised of upper interzonal species of the Sea of Japan that are found on the continental slope and shelf, as well as in the southern Sea of Okhotsk from Terpeniya Bay to the southern Kuril Islands. Their related species in the Sea of Okhotsk are mostly found to the north of the Terpeniya Bay. The study of the eelpout distribution and the data on the geological history and paleoclimate of the Far East show that the Lycodinae fauna of the Sea of Japan was formed from North Pacific eelpout-like fishes during the isolation of the sea in the late Pliocene-early Pleistocene, which was concomitant with the general cooling of the Earth’s climate. During the Pleistocene interglacials, the eelpout migrations were unidirectional, from the Sea of Japan to the southern Sea of Okhotsk. The reconstruction of the formation of the Sea of Japan Lycodinae fauna suggests that the related taxa from the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk are separate species, while the northern and southern forms of species from the Sea of Japan (Lycodes yamatoi and L. teraoi) are no more than subspecies.     

Grass Flies (Diptera,Chloropidae) of Crimean Peninsula

The fauna of grass flies (Diptera: Chloropidae) of the Crimean Peninsula is reviewed for the first time. The study is based on examination of the collection of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences (St. Petersburg), which includes the material collected in Crimea by the authors, the collections of the Zoological Museum of the M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University and V. I. Vernadsky Crimean Federal University (Simferopol). The annotated list includes 92 species in 34 genera and three subfamilies. Most of the species (61) are recorded from Crimea for the first time. Six species, Chlorops horridus Becker, Ch. puncticornis Loew, Dicraeus (Oedesiella) beschovskii Nartshuk, Lasiosina chandleri Ismay, Meromyza meigeni Nartshuk and Oscinimorpha longirostris (Loew) are recorded for the first time from Russia and Eastern Europe. The characters for distinguishing Oscinimorpha arcuata Duda from O. longirostris (Loew), i.e., the structure of head and the male genitalia, are provided. The boreo-montane species Oscinella vastator (Curtis) and Meromyza curvinervis (Zetterstedt) are found on the Chatyrdag Mountain and Yaila (mostly forestless plateau in the Crimean Mountains). Species with southern European, Mediterranean and Macaronesian-Mediterranean ranges were recorded mostly on the South Coast of Crimea. The Crimean fauna of Chloropidae is compared with the faunas of Sardinia and Turkey.     

The anthiine fishes,Odontanthias dorsomaculatus sp. nov. andPlectranthias hauchotae Randall,from the western Indian Ocean

A new serranid species,Odontanthias dorsomaculatus, is described from the Saya de Malha Bank, western Indian Ocean. This species is closely related toO. unimaculatus (Tanaka) from Japan, but differs from it in having a slenderer body, more lateral line scales and different coloration.Plectranthias bauchotae Randall, a rare anthiine fish collected from the same locality, is also described.     

The occurrence of Ezo epiyessoense Adey,Masaki & Akioka (Rhodophyta,Corallinaceae) in England with a summary of parasitism and endophytism in nongeniculate Corallinaceae

The parasitic, nongeniculate, coralline red alga Ezo epiyessoense (Rhodophyta, Corallinaceae) was described in 1974 by Adey, Masaki & Akioka on the basis of specimens growing on Lithophyllum yessoense in Japan. The authors considered Ezo to be an adelphoparasite because it resembled its host taxonomically in being a member of the coralline subfamily Lithophylloideae. The species had not been recorded outside Japan until the present observation in England where it was found growing on another lithophylloid species, Titanoderma pustulatum. The structure of the English material of E. epiyessoense is described and shown to closely resemble that of the type material despite its occurrence on a different host species. Tetrasporangia and trisporangia are recorded for the first time in Ezo. A summary is given of known nongeniculate coralline parasites, semi-endophytes and outgrowths.     

Macrogenomic Evidence for the Origin of the Black Fly Simulium suzukii (Diptera: Simuliidae) on Okinawa Island,Japan

To determine the geographic origin of the black fly Simulium suzukii on Okinawa Island, Japan, macrogenomic profiles derived from its polytene chromosomes were compared with those of mainland and other insular populations of S. suzukii and of the isomorphic Simulium tani species complex. The Okinawan population is a chromosomally unique cytoform, designated ‘D,’ which is essentially monomorphic and differs by about 27 fixed rearrangements from the chromosomal standard sequence for the subgenus Simulium and by two fixed differences from its nearest known relative, representing the type of S. suzukii, on the main islands of Japan. Chromosomal band sequences revealed two additional, sympatric cytoforms of S. suzukii, designated ‘A’ and ‘B,’ each with species status, in Korea, and a third cytoform, designated ‘C,’ on Hokkaido, Japan. A new cytoform, ‘K,’ of S. tani from Malaysia, representing the type of S. tani, is more closely related to cytoforms in Thailand, as are populations from Taiwan previously treated as S. suzukii but more closely aligned with S. tani and newly recognized as cytoform ‘L’ of the latter nominal species. Rooting of chromosomal band sequences by outgroup comparisons allowed directionality of chromosomal rearrangements to be established, enabling phylogenetic inference of cytoforms. Of 41 macrogenomic rearrangements discovered in the five new cytoforms, four provide evidence for a stepwise origin of the Okinawan population from populations characteristic of the main islands of Japan. The macrogenomic approach applied to black flies on Okinawa Island illustrates its potential utility in defining source areas for other species of flies including those that might pose medical and veterinary risks.     

The Group of Amphinemura flavostigma (Plecoptera,Nemouridae)

Three closely related species from Japan are treated and defined as composing the Amphinemura flavostigma group (Okamoto, 1922). One species, A. nikkoensis, is described as new to science. Two already known species, A. flavostigma and A. monotuberculata (Kawai, 1956), are redescribed, while the female of the latter is described for the first time. Another species, A. tetraspinosa Kawai, 1960, is regarded as a subjective synonym of Nemoura flavostigma Okamoto, 1922.     

Endemism of subterranean Diacyclops in Korea and Japan,with descriptions of seven new species of the languidoides-group and redescriptions of D. brevifurcus Ishida, 2006 and D. suoensis Ito, 1954 (Crustacea,Copepoda, Cyclopoida)

Copepods have been poorly studied in subterranean habitats in Korea. Previous records have indicated mostly the presence of species already described from Japan, with very few endemic elements. This commonality has usually been explained by repeated dispersal across the land bridges that connected the two countries several times during the Pleistocene glacial cycles. However, the Korean Peninsula is known for pockets of Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks, with more than 1,000 caves already having been explored. The relative isolation of these carbonate pockets makes for an enormous speciation potential, and the development of a high level of short-range endemism of subterranean copepods should be expected. Representatives of the genus Diacyclops Kiefer, 1927 are here investigated from a range of subterranean habitats in South Korea, with comparative material sampled from central Honshu in Japan. Morphological analyses of microcharacters, many of which are used in cyclopoid taxonomy for the first time herein, reveal high diversity in both countries. No subterranean species is found in common, although the existence of four sibling species pairs in Korea and Japan may be indicative of relatively recent speciation. We describe seven new stygobiotic species, including three from Korea (Diacyclops hanguk sp. n., Diacyclops leeae sp. n., and Diacyclops parasuoensis sp. n.) and four from Japan (Diacyclops hisuta sp. n., Diacyclops ishidai sp. n., Diacyclops parahanguk sp. n., and Diacyclops pseudosuoensis sp. n.). Diacyclops hanguk, Diacyclops parasuoensis, Diacyclops ishidai, and Diacyclops parahanguk are described from newly collected material, while the other three new species are proposed for specimens previously identified as other, widely distributed species. Diacyclops brevifurcus Ishida, 2006 is redescribed from the holotype female, and Diacyclops suoensis Ito, 1954 is redescribed from material newly collected near the ancient Lake Biwa in Japan. This research provides evidence for the importance of subterranean habitats as reservoirs of biodiversity, and also demonstrates the inadequacy of current morphological methods of identifying closely related species of copepods. The disproportionately high diversity discovered around Lake Biwa provides further evidence in support of the hypothesis about the role of ancient lakes as biodiversity pumps for subterranean habitats. A key to the East Asian species of the languidoides-group is provided.     

A new egg-parasitoid species of the genus Palpoteleia (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae) from Greece

A new species, Palpoteleia astra from Greece, is described for the first time. This species differs from the closely related P. atra in a larger head, narrower temples with longitudinal depressions, and in the sculpture of abdominal tergite III.     

Morphological peculiarities of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fragilidium mexicanum</Emphasis> Balech, 1988 (Dinophyta) from the Far-Eastern Seas of Russia

The vegetative cells of Fragilidium mexicanum Balech are recorded from the Far Eastern seas of Russia (Sea of Japan and Sea of Okhotsk) for the first time. Morphological study of both cultured and wild cells of F. mexicanum showed that the shape of the cell and the first (1″) and second (2″) precingular plates, the direction of the slot in plate 1″, and the shape of the anterior sulcul plate (S.a.) vary greatly. These features bear similarity to those of F. mexicanum, as well as a closely related species, F. subglobosum. The most conservative characters distinguishing the two species are the shape and size of the first and seventh postcingular plates and the shape of the posterior sulcal plate.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cacopsylla biwa</Emphasis> sp. nov. (Hemiptera: Psyllidae): a new pest of loquat <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eriobotrya japonica</Emphasis> (Rosaceae) in Japan

A new psyllid species, Cacopsylla biwa Inoue, sp. nov., is described from Tokushima Prefecture, Shikoku, Japan. This new species develops only on Eriobotrya japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. (Rosaceae), causing severe damage to its fruits and flowers. It is strongly suspected that C. biwa is an alien species. Morphological similarities and host-plant relationships indicate that C. biwa is most closely related to Cacopsylla eriobotryae (Yang) comb. nov. (transferred from Edentatipsylla Li), which occurs in Taiwan and feeds on Eriobotrya deflexa (Hemsl.) Nakai. Morphological diagnostic characteristics of C. biwa and differences from the other congeners are discussed. Information is provided on the biology and life cycle of the new species.     

Genetic analysis of Japanese and American specimens of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scirpus hattorianus</Emphasis> suggests its introduction from North America

Scirpus hattorianus is a possible alien species in Japan, and a clarification of its unclear taxonomy is required to reveal its origin. It is not known whether the plants initially described from Japan represent the same species distributed in North America. To clarify the origin of the species, we attempted to sequence old specimens collected about 80 years ago using newly designed primer pairs specific for short sequences, including the variable sites. Chloroplast sequences of ndhF were compared among Japanese and North American S. hattorianus, and the closely related species, S. atrovirens, S. flaccidifolius, and S. georgianus. We succeeded in sequencing all samples, and two haplotypes were detected in S. hattorianus: one was unique to the species and the other, detected from specimens potentially collected from the same population as the types, was shared by both North American S. hattorianus and two closely related species, S. atrovirens and S. flaccidifolius. Our results suggest that Japanese S. hattorianus is an alien species that was introduced from North America at least twice.     

Selenoscopus turbisquamatus,a new genus and species of Uranoscopid fish from Japan and the Norfolk Ridge

A new stargazer,Selenoscopus turbisquamatus, is described from 30 specimens from the Kyushu-Palau Ridge, the coasts of Kii Peninsula, Japan, and the Norfolk Ridge, northern Tasman Sea. The species appears to be most closely related to the genusUranoscopus in having two dorsal fins, a spinous dorsal fin consisting of feeble spines, a stout cleithral spine, an externally visible pelvic spur, two supracleithral spines, and no postcleithrum, but differs from it in having a smooth posterior margin of the gill flap, uniserial dentary teeth, random arrangement of body scales, no subopercular spine, an intervention of the pterosphenoid (=alisphenoid) between the frontal and the parasphenoid, and the first and second haemal spines depressed on the centra. A new genus,Selenoscopus, is therefore proposed, based on these characters.     

The making of a pest: the evolution of a fruit-penetrating ovipositor in Drosophila suzukii and related species

Evolutionary innovation can allow a species access to a new ecological niche, potentially reducing competition with closely related species. While the vast majority of Drosophila flies feed on rotting fruit and other decaying matter, and are harmless to human activity, Drosophila suzukii, which has a morphologically modified ovipositor, is capable of colonizing live fruit that is still in the process of ripening, causing massive agricultural damage. Here, we conducted the first comparative analysis of this species and its close relatives, analysing both ovipositor structure and fruit susceptibility. We found that the ovipositor of the species most closely related to D. suzukii, Drosophila subpulchrella, has a similar number of enlarged, evolutionarily derived bristles, but a notably different overall shape. Like D. suzukii, D. subpulchrella flies are capable of puncturing the skin of raspberries and cherries, but we found no evidence that they could penetrate the thicker skin of two varieties of grapes. More distantly related species, one of which has previously been mistaken for D. suzukii, have blunt ovipositors with small bristles. While they did not penetrate fruit skin in any of the assays, they readily colonized fruit interiors where the skin was broken. Our results suggest that considering evolutionary context may be beneficial to the management of invasive species.