Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity最新文献

Ground beetles of the Genus Mimocolliuris Liebke, 1933 (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Lebiinae) are represented by 17 species globally within the three subgenera (Essora Liebke 1933, Paramimocolliuris Habu 1979, and Mimocolliuris s.str) with an exclusive distribution in the Asia-Pacific region (India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, China, Taiwan, and Japan). This study provides additional information regarding the Asia-Pacific genus Mimocolliuris by offering a supplementary note for the genus and a revised identification key to the species of the genus Mimocolliuris by including subgenera Essora Liebke, 1933, and Paramimocolliuris Habu, 1979. Additionally, this study provides the first report of the species Mimocolliuris bicoloripes Baehr, 2016 from the Oriental region (India) and also presents a modified description of the species Mimocolliuris pilifera (Nietner, 1858).

We sequenced the complete mitochondrial genome of the soil-dwelling rove beetle Tyraphus nitidus Raffray, 1909, from Korea. The mitochondrial genome was 16,742 bp in length and consists of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), and two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs). Except cox2, cox3, which use single T residue, and nad4, nad5, which use single A residue, typical PCGs use mitochondrial stop codon (TAR). The nucleotide base composition of the mitogenome is 42.2 % (A), 8.4 % (G), 36.6 % (T), and 12.8 % (C). Our phylogenetic analyses under the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inferences produced a tree congruent in topology, placing the newly sequenced T. nitidus as sister to Diartiger fossulatus Sharp, 1883, within the subfamily Pselaphinae.

A new species of Vagitanus Distant is described from north and central Vietnam. V. venetus sp. nov. inhabits forested woodland at altitudes of >1000 m. Its distribution is currently limited to the coastal areas and hinterland in the eastern provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Binh, Kon Tum, and Hue, and to the north in Yen Bai province.

Faunal studies of oceanic islands provide unique opportunities to study ecology and evolution. Four Armadillidae taxa were recorded from the Izu Islands, a group of oceanic islands off the coast of Japan. The distributions of these taxa and a phylogenetic tree are based on molecular data for 249 specimens from 88 sites. The Spherillo russoi (Arcangeli, 1927) species complex is distributed widely throughout these islands, and dispersal may have occurred via oceanic currents. On the nearby Izuoshima and Toshima Islands, Spherillo dorsalis (Iwamoto, 1943) may have recently migrated from the Izu Peninsula either via currents or been transported by human activity. In the middle islands, Shikinejima, Kozushima, Miyakejima, and Mikurajima, Venezillo hasegawai (Nunomura, 1991) was found, which may be derived from Spherillo obscurus (Budde-Lund, 1885) distributed in the Kanto region on the mainland. On the most southern and distant Hachijojima Island, Spherillo punctatus Nunomura, 2007 was found, and it does not differ genetically from specimens from Izenajima and Tokunoshima Islands in the Nansei Island Group, despite an approximate 1,000-km distance between them; this species may have been transferred by human activity. Our study showed that the Armadillidae assemblages in the Izu Islands were formed by several migration routes.

The current knowledge of the tribe Nomophilini in Korea is reported, based on several taxa described to date. In addition, we report Syngamia falsidicalis (Walker, 1859) and the genus Syngamia Guenée (1854) for the first time in Korea. A total of 10 species, in 6 genera, are verified for Korea. Illustrations of adults and genitalia, and a key to genera of Nomophilini are provided.

Albizia kalkora (Roxb.) Prain (Fabaceae) is a temperate and subtropical deciduous tree distributed in East and Southeast Asia and India. However, the taxonomic position of the Korean A. kalkora remains unclear. Here, we provide the complete chloroplast (cp) genome of the Korean A. kalkora to clarify its taxonomic position and phylogenetic relationship within the genus. The cp genome was assembled based on Illumina HiSeq reads and was 176,402 bp in length. The GC content of A. kalkora cp genome was 35.4%. The cp genome of A. kalkora revealed a typical quadripartite structure consisting of a pair of inverted repeats (39,716 bp) separated by the large single copy (91,862 bp) and small single copy (5,108 bp) regions. The phylogenetic trees constructed using the maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference methods based on 73 protein-coding genes revealed that A. kalkora is positioned within the Albizia clade, which is a sister to the Archidendron clade. Unexpectedly, the accession of the Korean A. kalkora was found to be a sister to Albizia julibrissin instead of an individual of the A. kalkora from China. Our complete cp genome data of A. kalkora are useful for identifying species by developing species-specific molecular markers, thereby providing a guideline for conservation.

The chloroplast genome structures and its phylogenetic relationship were studied in Mangifera similis Blume from Bangka Island, Indonesia. The total size of the chloroplast genome was 158,977 bp, comprising large single copy (LSC) region (87,764 bp, 55.21 %), small single copy (SSC) region (18,423 bp, 11.59 %) and two inverted repeat regions (IRs) (26,395 bp, 16.60 %). As many as 132 genes (112 are unique) were recognized within the M. similis chloroplast genome, including 87 (80 are unique) protein-coding genes, 37 tRNAs (28 are unique), and eight rRNAs (4 are unique). Phylogeny analysis of the 22 species in the Anacardiaceae showed distinct genetic relationships between its six genera. The eight Mangifera species were divided into two groups, the first consisting of three subgroups of M. similis, M. odorata, M. longipes, M. persiciforma, and M. hiemalis, while in the second group, eight M. indica samples formed a monophyletic group which was sister to M. sylvatica and M. siamensis. The closest genetic relationships between M. similis and M. odorata need to be clarified using more Mangifera genome studies, especially those included in the IUCN Redlist. The first report of the M. similis cp genome will be useful for its phylogenetics, taxonomy, and conservation.

Citizen scientists, through social media, have advanced taxonomy for several years, contributing to biodiversity documentation and species discovery. This is very beneficial for Myanmar, given that progress in documenting their flora is hampered by a lack of alpha taxonomic studies and herbarium specimens. In this paper, two new species of Homalomena are described from Myanmar–Homalomena punctifolia K.Z.Hein and Naive sp. nov. and Homalomena sigmoidea K.Z.Hein and Naive sp. nov. discovered by citizen scientists and posted on Facebook. A detailed description, color plates, phenology, habitat, geographical distribution, and a provisional conservation status are provided for each species. In addition, H. pontederiifolia is reported as a newly recorded species for Myanmar. With the discovery of two new species and H. pontederiifolia, Myanmar now holds six Homalomena species.

A taxonomic study of the genus Dinaraea Thomson in Korea is presented. Three species are recognized and D. linearis (Gravenhorst) is newly added to the Korean fauna. A key to Korean species, redescriptions, and illustrations of the habitus photographs and diagnostic characters are provided.

Populus spp. belongs to the deciduous flowering plants in the family Salicaceae, primarily located in the Northern Hemisphere, including Trans-Himalayan, cold arid desert Ladakh. In Ladakh, it is predominantly cultivated in irrigated land patches along the riverbanks. This plant holds significant economic value as its wood is extensively used in furniture-making and house constructions. Recently, a highly successful pest, identified as Pheosia albivertex (Hampson 1983), was observed infesting the Populus plantations, marking a new record of insect infestation. The pest causes complete defoliation, particularly during midsummer, which is the prime foliage period. The initial sighting of this insect occurred in Dyanguchay village, Suru-valley, Kargil district of the union territory of Ladakh. However, during a thorough three-year-and-five-month investigation from April 2019 to August 2022, it was found spreading to neighbouring areas. Consequently, without timely control measures, it poses a significant threat to the popular plantation in Ladakh and other adjoining areas.