emSphaeraphodius/em emgaohani/em, a new genus and species of Aphodiini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) from Guangxi, China.

Sphaeraphodius gaohani Kakizoe, Jiang Wang, a new genus and new species of the tribe Aphodiini, is described based on two female specimens from Guangxi, China. This new genus differs considerably from any previously known genera of Aphodiini by dorsally swollen body covered by considerably long setae, and lack of transverse setiferous carinae on outer surfaces of meso- and metatibiae. This new taxon is found sympatrically with the termite Macrotermes sp.

Subseafloor sulphide deposit formed by pumice replacement mineralisation.

Seafloor massive sulphide (SMS) deposits, modern analogues of volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS) deposits on land, represent future resources of base and precious metals. Studies of VMS deposits have proposed two emplacement mechanisms for SMS deposits: exhalative deposition on the seafloor and mineral and void space replacement beneath the seafloor. The details of the latter mechanism are poorly characterised in detail, despite its potentially significant role in global metal cycling throughout Earth's history, because in-situ studies require costly drilling campaigns to sample SMS deposits.

and : Two new truffles encased in tomentose mycelium from Japan.

We describe two new Japanese truffle species, and , based on molecular and morphological analyses. Both species are clearly distinguishable from other species by the ocher tomentose mycelium covering the ascoma surfaces. has one-spored asci that each contain a large (68-97 × 51-80 µm), reddish-brown ascospore; these microscopic characters are similar to those of closely related Chinese species, , and forms one to four ascospores per ascus with a reddish-brown color similar to that of ascospores of and , although their spores are much larger than those of (27‒64 × 26‒55 µm).

Two new species of Coccomorpha (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) collected from Japanese silver grass, Miscanthus sinensis (Poaceae) in Okinawa Island, Japan.

Two new species of Coccomorpha collected from Japanese silver grass, Miscanthus sinensis Andersson (Poaceae), in Okinawa Island, Japan, are described based on the morphology of adult females: Aspidiella kijimuna sp. nov. (Diaspididae) and Dysmicoccus bunagaya sp.

The role of anthropogenic habitats in freshwater mussel conservation.

Anthropogenic freshwater habitats may provide undervalued prospects for long-term conservation as part of species conservation planning. This fundamental, but overlooked, issue requires attention considering the pace that humans have been altering natural freshwater ecosystems and the accelerated levels of biodiversity decline in recent decades. We compiled 709 records of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) inhabiting a broad variety of anthropogenic habitat types (from small ponds to large reservoirs and canals) and reviewed their importance as refuges for this faunal group.

Evolution of Sex Chromosome Heteromorphy in Geographic Populations of the Japanese Tago's Brown Frog Complex.

The sex chromosomes of most anuran amphibians are characterized by homomorphy in both sexes, and evolution to heteromorphy rarely occurs at the species or geographic population level. Here, we report sex chromosome heteromorphy in geographic populations of the Japanese Tago's brown frog complex (2n = 26), comprising Rana sakuraii and R. tagoi.

Evaluating the genetic diversity in two tropical leguminous trees, Dalbergia cochinchinensis and D. nigrescens, in lowland forests in Cambodia and Thailand using MIG-seq.

It is vital to measure the levels of genetic diversity and differentiation between populations in a species to understand the current genetic structure and evolution of the species. Here, MIG-seq (multiplexed inter-simple sequence repeat genotyping by sequencing) was employed to assess the genetic variation in two tropical leguminous tree species, Dalbergia cochinchinensis and D. nigrescens, in Cambodia and Thailand.

Organic matter and water from asteroid Itokawa.

Understanding the true nature of extra-terrestrial water and organic matter that were present at the birth of our solar system, and their subsequent evolution, necessitates the study of pristine astromaterials. In this study, we have studied both the water and organic contents from a dust particle recovered from the surface of near-Earth asteroid 25143 Itokawa by the Hayabusa mission, which was the first mission that brought pristine asteroidal materials to Earth's astromaterial collection. The organic matter is presented as both nanocrystalline graphite and disordered polyaromatic carbon with high D/H and N/N ratios (δD =  + 4868 ± 2288‰; δN =  + 344 ± 20‰) signifying an explicit extra-terrestrial origin.

Nutrients exported from upland stream water enlarge perennial biomass crops.

Rawanbuki, a variety of Japanese butterbur (Petasites japonicus subsp. giganteus), grow naturally along the Rawan River, Hokkaido, northern Japan. Most plants reach 2-3 m in height and 10 cm in diameter in 2 months and are much larger than those grown along other rivers.

Evolutionary histories and mycorrhizal associations of mycoheterotrophic plants dependent on saprotrophic fungi.

Mycoheterotrophic plants (MHPs) are leafless, achlorophyllous, and completely dependent on mycorrhizal fungi for their carbon supply. Mycorrhizal symbiosis is a mutualistic association with fungi that is undertaken by the majority of land plants, but mycoheterotrophy represents a breakdown of this mutualism in that plants parasitize fungi. Most MHPs are associated with fungi that are mycorrhizal with autotrophic plants, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) or ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi.

Extended survival of Pleistocene Siberian wolves into the early 20th century on the island of Honshū.

The Japanese or Honshū wolf was one the most distinct gray wolf subspecies due to its small stature and endemicity to the islands of Honshū, Shikoku, and Kyūshū. Long revered as a guardian of farmers and travellers, it was persecuted from the 17th century following a rabies epidemic, which led to its extinction in the early 20th century. To better understand its evolutionary history, we sequenced the nuclear genome of a 19th century Honshū wolf specimen to an average depth of coverage of 3.

Review of the Pulvinaria (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) species of the Ryukyu Islands, Japan.

All four species of the soft scale insect genus Pulvinaria Targioni Tozzetti (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) known from the Ryukyu Islands, Japan, are reviewed. For each species, the detailed morphology of the adult female is redescribed from specimens recently collected in the Ryukyu Islands and is compared with previous descriptions. A key to the species of Pulvinaria in the Ryukyu Islands is provided.

Three new species of Raffray from Japan and Taiwan Island, and synonymy of Hlaváč with (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Pselaphinae).

The genus Raffray, 1890 is discovered in Japan and Taiwan Island for the first time, with three new species: Inoue, Nomura & Yin, , Inoue, Nomura & Yin, , and Inoue, Nomura & Yin, It is the fifth tmesiphorine genus known from Japan and the first from Taiwan. The genus Hlaváč, 2000 is placed as a junior synonym of , resulting in the following new combinations: (Bryant, 1915), , and (Yin, 2019), A list of world species, and a key to East and South Asian representatives of is provided.

Growing the Rhinophorid Tree: Three New Species and Their Phylogenetic Implications (Diptera: Rhinophoridae).

Three new species of Rhinophoridae (, from the Oriental Region, and from the Afrotropical Region) are described, illustrated and compared with congeners. Genus-level affiliation of the new species is based on a morphology-based phylogeny, preliminarily accepting a paraphyletic Robineau-Desvoidy awaiting incorporation of molecular data. Keys to the species of the genus Pape & Shima as well as to the Afrotropical species of the genus Robineau-Desvoidy are given.

Distribution of anguillid leptocephali and possible spawning areas in the South Pacific Ocean.

Seven South Pacific anguillid eel species live from New Guinea to French Polynesia, but their spawning areas and life histories are mostly unknown despite previous sampling surveys. A July-October 2016 research cruise was conducted to study the spawning areas and times, and larval distributions of South Pacific anguillid eels, which included a short 155°E station-line northeast of New Guinea and five long transects (5-25°S, 160°E-140°W) crossing the South Equatorial (SEC) and other currents. This survey collected nearly 4000 anguilliform leptocephali at 179 stations using an Isaacs-Kidd Midwater Trawl accompanied by 104 CTD casts.

Two new species and a new distribution record of the genus Malthodes Kiesenwetter (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) from Japan, with notes on the male and female abdominal morphology.

Two new species, Malthodes morimotoi sp. nov. and M.

The genus Panzeria Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Japan.

Japanese species of Panzeria Robineau-Desvoidy in the sense of Wood and Cerretti are revised. Eighteen species are recorded from Japan, five of which are described as new and illustrated: P. atriventris sp.

From Inquilines to Gall Inducers: Genomic Signature of a Life-Style Transition in Synergus Gall Wasps.

Gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) induce complex galls on oaks, roses, and other plants, but the mechanism of gall induction is still unknown. Here, we take a comparative genomic approach to revealing the genetic basis of gall induction. We focus on Synergus itoensis, a species that induces galls inside oak acorns.

Impact of reduced ozone concentration on the mountain forests of Mt. Tateyama, Japan.

The central mountainous area of Japan is affected by air pollutant emissions from nearby countries such as China and Korea. Sharp increases in the consumption of fossil fuels in the early 21st century, associated with rapid industrialization in China, resulted in long-range transport of pollutants from East Asia and increases in the harmful effects of pollution. However, the air pollutants emissions have decreased since 2006, when air pollution countermeasures were implemented in China.

Ancient Jomon genome sequence analysis sheds light on migration patterns of early East Asian populations.

Anatomically modern humans reached East Asia more than 40,000 years ago. However, key questions still remain unanswered with regard to the route(s) and the number of wave(s) in the dispersal into East Eurasia. Ancient genomes at the edge of the region may elucidate a more detailed picture of the peopling of East Eurasia.

A ubiquitous subcuticular bacterial symbiont of a coral predator, the crown-of-thorns starfish, in the Indo-Pacific.

Background: Population outbreaks of the crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci sensu lato; COTS), a primary predator of reef-building corals in the Indo-Pacific Ocean, are a major threat to coral reefs. While biological and ecological knowledge of COTS has been accumulating since the 1960s, little is known about its associated bacteria. The aim of this study was to provide fundamental information on the dominant COTS-associated bacteria through a multifaceted molecular approach.

Microdiamond in a low-grade metapelite from a Cretaceous subduction complex, western Kyushu, Japan.

Microdiamonds in metamorphic rocks are a signature of ultrahigh-pressure (UHP) metamorphism that occurs mostly at continental collision zones. Most UHP minerals, except coesite and microdiamond, have been partially or completely retrogressed during exhumation; therefore, the discovery of coesite and microdiamond is crucial to identify UHP metamorphism and to understand the tectonic history of metamorphic rocks. Microdiamonds typically occur as inclusions in minerals such as garnet.

Earwig fan designing: Biomimetic and evolutionary biology applications.

Technologies to fold structures into compact shapes are required in multiple engineering applications. Earwigs (Dermaptera) fold their fanlike hind wings in a unique, highly sophisticated manner, granting them the most compact wing storage among all insects. The structural and material composition, in-flight reinforcement mechanisms, and bistable property of earwig wings have been previously studied.

Museomics for reconstructing historical floristic exchanges: Divergence of stone oaks across Wallacea.

Natural history collections and tropical tree diversity are both treasure troves of biological and evolutionary information, but their accessibility for scientific study is impeded by a number of properties. DNA in historical specimens is generally highly fragmented, complicating the recovery of high-grade genetic material. Furthermore, our understanding of hyperdiverse, wide-spread tree assemblages is obstructed by extensive species ranges, fragmented knowledge of tropical tree diversity and phenology, and a widespread lack of species-level diagnostic characters, prohibiting the collecting of readily identifiable specimens which can be used to build, revise or strengthen taxonomic frameworks.