History of the terrestrial isopod genus Ligidium in Japan based on phylogeographic analysis.

Background: Phylogeographical approaches explain the genetic diversity of local organisms in the context of their geological and geographic environments. Thus, genetic diversity can be a proxy for geological history. Here we propose a genus of woodland isopod, Ligidium, as a marker of geological history in relation to orogeny and the Quaternary glacial cycle.

Nunomura, 1990 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) is a junior synonym of a pantropical species, (Budde-Lund, 1885).

Re-examination of the holotype and paratype of Nunomura, 1990 from Chichijima Island of the Ogasawara archipelago, which is registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, indicates that this species is a junior synonym of a pantropical species, (Budde-Lund, 1885).

Species compositions of terrestrial isopods in public parks of a commuter town in Japan.

The species compositions of terrestrial isopod assemblages in 150 public parks in a commuter town in Japan were investigated. Eleven species of terrestrial isopods were present, of which seven were considered native or oriental species, and four were exotic species originally distributed in the Mediterranean and European regions. An exotic species Latreille, 1804 was found in all parks.

Eleven nominal species of Burmoniscus are junior synonyms of B. kathmandius (Schmalfuss, 1983) (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea).

Holotypes, paratypes, and specimens newly collected from the type localities (i.e., topotypes) of Burmoniscus aokii (Nunomura, 1986), Burmoniscus boninensis (Nunomura, 1986), Burmoniscus daitoensis (Nunomura, 1986), Burmoniscus hachijoensis Nunomura, 2007, Burmoniscus japonicus (Nunomura, 1986), Burmoniscus kagoshimaensis Nunomura, 2003, Burmoniscus murotoensis (Nunomura, 1986), Burmoniscus okinawaensis (Nunomura, 1986), Burmoniscus shibatai (Nunomura, 1986), Burmoniscus tanabensis Nunomura, 2003, and Burmoniscus watanabei (Nunomura, 1986) were examined in order to clarify their taxonomic status.

Phylogeographic Study of Whip Scorpions (Chelicerata: Arachnida: Thelyphonida) in Japan and Taiwan.

Whip scorpions (Thelyphonida), comprising an order in the class Arachnida, are distributed from tropical to temperate zones. Two species occur exclusively in Japan and Taiwan, but the border of their distributional ranges is ambiguous in the Central Ryukyus (Japan). We collected new specimens from the Central Ryukyus and revealed that the border of distribution of the two species lies between the Central and Southern Ryukyus, i.

Burmoniscus kitadaitoensis Nunomura, 2009 (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) from southern Japan, a junior synonym of B. meeusei (Holthuis, 1947).

Re-examination of the holotype of Burmoniscus kitadaitoensis Nunomura, 2009 from Kitadaitojima Island, southern Japan reveals that this species is a junior synonym of B. meeusei (Holthuis, 1947). Partial regions of mitochondrial COI, 12S and 16S rRNA genes, and nuclear 18S and 28S rRNA genes were detected for species identification in the future.

Taxonomic study of the Burmoniscus ocellatus complex (Crustacea, Isopoda, Oniscidea) in Japan shows genetic diversification in the southern Ryukyus, southwestern Japan.

To clarify the taxonomic status of the Burmoniscus ocellatus complex in Japan, we carried out morphological observations and phylogenetic analyses of specimens collected from Yonagunijima, Iriomotejima, Ishigakijima, and Miyakojima Islands of the southern Ryukyus and from Okinawajima Island of the central Ryukyus in southwestern Japan. Observations of the holotypes of Aphiloscia iriomotensis ( Nunomura, 1986 ), Ap. ishigakiensis ( Nunomura, 1986 ), and Ap.

Description of a sexually dimorphic oribatid mite (Arachnida: Acari: Oribatida) from canopy habitats of the Ryukyu Archipelago, southwestern Japan.

A new species in the monotypic genus Symbioribates, S. aokii sp. nov.