Hiroshi Senou

Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals cryptic large-scale invasion of non-native genotypes of common carp (Cyprinus carpio) in Japan.

Wild common carp (Cyprinus carpio) are probably suffering from biological invasions of conspecific domesticated strains. However, such invasions may be largely camouflaged by morphological similarities between introduced and native strains. We conducted a large survey of mitochondrial DNA sequences (complete D‐loop region) from 11 localities in Japan. From a total of 166 individuals, 28 haplotypes were determined to fit into six divergent clades. One of the six clades included 19 closely related haplotypes with moderate nucleotide differences; however, the remaining five clades each included either a single haplotype or two almost identical haplotypes. Phylogenetic analysis together with the previously published Eurasian haplotypes further demonstrated that the ‘monotypic’ clades were sisters to various Eurasian lineages, whereas the 19 related haplotypes formed a monophyletic group apart from the whole Eurasian clade. Given their monophyly and genetic diversity, the 19 related haplotypes were thought to originate from the Japanese native strain. Conversely, their phylogenetic affinities to Eurasian lineages and unnaturally low genetic diversities caused the haplotypes of the five monotypic clades to be considered as domesticated strains introduced from Eurasia. These hypotheses were supported by further evidences; i.e. the probable non‐native haplotypes were frequently found from Japanese domesticated strains, and the probable native population structure was rescued when the probable non‐native haplotypes were excluded from the analyses. This study revealed that almost half or more of the haplotypes in all of the locations studied originated from domesticated strains introduced from Eurasia.

Illustrated checklist of fishes from the Shubuto River System, southwestern Hokkaido, Japan

A checklist of fish fauna, comprising 40 species representing 15 families and 9 orders, was compiled from field, museum, and literature surveys of the Shubuto River System, southwestern Hokkaido, Japan. This area approximates the boundary of southern/northern affinities of Japanese freshwater fishes. All primary freshwater species, are listed except for Gymnogobius castaneus and all anadromous and marine amphidromous species that are scientifically presumed to occur naturally in the area. The list contains two invasive exotic species, Cyprinus carpio and Oncorhynchus mykiss , and two Siberian primary freshwater species, Lefua nikkonis and Barbatula toni , which are thought to mark the boundary of southern and northern affinities of Japanese freshwater fishes. Rhynchocypris perenurus , another Siberian primary freshwater species with a similar presumed range, was not recorded. The voucher specimen species included Platycephalus sp. 2, which is suggested to have the northernmost extended range.

Biological monitoring by citizens using Web-based photographic databases of fishes

Abstract The Internet has changed the way biologists communicate; this includes the collection of information on fish biology. This technological change may allow the possibility for biological monitoring by general citizens via the Internet. The Japanese Internet atlas of fishes, WEB sakana-zukan, has been in operation since 2002. It provides an opportunity to communicate and accumulate information on fish biology by amateur users, who consist mainly of sports fishing fans. This website has functioned not only as an entertainment and educational tool for users with an environmental and ichthyological interest. To date, more than 35,000 photographs of fishes have been registered on the website by more than 1,000 unique users, and more than 37,500 photographs of fishes have been posted in its bulletin board system (linking approximately 28,000 photographs to the website) by more than 2,000 unique users. As these photographs almost always include time and locality data, it is possible to provide distribution data by publishing the information as scientific papers or registering them as collections at the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History (the Image Database of Fishes (KPM-NR) contributing to the Global Biodiversity Information Facility). If the communication method is developed and improved, various scientists will be able to collect much more biodiversity data from general citizens via the Internet.

Biodiversity data mining from Argus-eyed citizens: the first illegal introduction record of Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus Rafinesque, 1819 in Japan based on Twitter information

Abstract An apparent illegal introduction of Lepomis macrochirus macrochirus from Yokohama City, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, is reported based on a juvenile specimen and a photograph of two adults collected on 14 June 2015 and deposited in the Kangawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History. The specimens and photographs were initially reported on the internet-based social networking site, Twitter. Two specimens of Carassius auratus, including an aquarium form, were also reported at the same locality and date, suggesting that the illegal introductions originated from an aquarium release. Our report demonstrates an example of web data mining in the discipline of Citizen Science.

Checklist of marine fishes of the Zunan Islands, located between the Izu and Ogasawara (Bonin) islands, Japan, with zoogeographical comments

The Zunan Islands are located 360–650 km south of Tokyo, and consist of four uninhabited volcanoes: the Bayonnaise Rocks, the Smith Rocks, Torishima Island and the Sofugan Rock. Although all of the elements of the Zunan Islands are tiny islets and rocks, they form a series of stepping stones for shallow water fishes between the Izu Islands in the north and the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands in the south. We report here the first comprehensive survey of marine fishes in the Zunan Islands. A total of 139 species of fishes (88 genera of 46 families in 11 orders) were recorded on the basis of specimens and/or underwater photographs. Although our survey showed that the fish fauna of the Zunan Islands was more similar to that of the Ogasawara than that of the Izu islands, most of the species from the Zunan Islands occurred in all three island groups.

Review of the Indo-Pacific gobiid fish genus Lubricogobius, with description of a new species and a new genus for L. pumilus

Abstract The gobiid genus Lubricogobius Tanaka, distinctive in being scaleless, without sensory pores, but with sensory papillae on the head, consists of three small species (largest, 33.7 mm SL): the yellow L. exiguus Tanaka, type species, from Japan, with probable records from Taiwan and New Caledonia; L. ornatus Fourmanoir, orange with blue lines on the head, described from Vietnam, recorded from the Arafura Sea, and the range here extended to the Timor Sea and Northwest Shelf of Western Australia, Ryukyu Islands, and to New Caledonia; and L. dinah, a new species from Papua New Guinea and the Ryukyu Islands, white dorsally and abruptly orange-yellow ventrally, with 10–11 dorsal soft rays. L. pumilus Larson and Hoese, known from one 14.5-mm specimen from off Somalia, is referred to the new genus Larsonella. The new genus differs from Lubricogobius in having scales posteriorly on the body, a more slender body, depressed head, no pelvic frenum, the snout longer than orbit diameter, and a different pattern of sensory papillae on the head.

Seahorses of the Hippocampus coronatus complex: taxonomic revision, and description of Hippocampus haema, a new species from Korea and Japan (Teleostei, Syngnathidae)

Abstract Morphological and molecular analyses were conducted on 182 specimens belonging to the Hippocampus coronatus complex (H. coronatus sensu lato), collected in Korea and Japan 1933–2015, in order to clarify the taxonomic status of the species within this complex. Three species are recognized based on the shape of the coronet, the number of trunk rings (TrR) and tail rings (TaR), and presence or absence of a wing-tip spine (WS) at the dorsal fin base. Hippocampus coronatus Temminck & Schlegel, 1850 (H. coronatus sensu stricto), is diagnosed by 10 TrR, 37–40 TaR, an extremely high coronet (55.7–79.0 % head length) with four tips on the corona flat (CoT), and one WS. Hippocampus sindonis Jordan & Snyder, 1901 is diagnosed by 10 TrR, 35–38 TaR, a moderately high coronet (36.3–55.4 % HL) with five CoT, and no WS. A new species, H. haema is described on the basis of 140 specimens, characterized by 10 TrR, 35–38 TaR, a moderately high coronet (34.1–54.9 % head length) with four CoT, and two WS. Hippocampus haema is only known from the Korea Strait, western Kyushu, and East/Japan Sea. Recognition of the three species is supported by differences in mitochondrial DNA fragments (cytochrome b, 16S rRNA, and 12S rRNA).

Plectranthias takasei , new species of anthiadine fish from southern Japan (Teleostei: Serranidae)

Plectranthias takasei is described from two specimens collected in Izu Oceanic Park, Sagami Bay, Honshu, Japan. It is distinguished from congeners in having the following combination of characters: dorsal rays X,15; no fleshy flaps on dorsal-fin spines; pectoral rays 13, all unbranched; branched caudal-fin rays 8 + 7; lateral line scales 28 (including intermittent and terminal pitted scales); circumpeduncular scales 12; fourth dorsal-fin spine longest; and preopercle without antrorse spines or serrations ventrally, with 2-3 weak serrations or crenulations posteriorly.

Integrating and Utilizing Citizen Biodiversity Data on the Web for Science: An Example of a Rare Triggerfish Hybrid Image Provided by a Sport Fisherman

ABSTRACT Miyazaki, Y.; Murase, A.; Shiina, M.; Masui, R., and Senou, H., 2015. Integrating and utilizing citizen biodiversity data on the Web for science: An example of a rare triggerfish hybrid image provided by a sport fisherman. We report a photograph of the rare triggerfish hybrid, Rhinecanthus aculeatus × R. rectangulus (order Tetraodontiformes; family Balistidae), from Miyako-jima Island, Ryukyu Islands, southern Japan, that was provided by a sport fisherman via WEB sakana-zukan (an online photographic database of fish in Japan). The image was registered in the Fish Image Database of the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History to make it available for scientific scrutiny. Here we emphasize the importance of communication between citizens, such as fishermen, scuba divers, and others, and experts via the Internet, to make possible the processing of biodiversity information provided by citizens into museum collections. This communication contributes Global Biodiversity Information Facility data for various biological studies, such as those on taxonomy, morphology, fauna/flora, community ecology, and biogeography.

Adding fish images taken in other countries to the biodiversity database of a Japanese public museum, with report of range extension of Labrisomus jenkinsi from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

Many biodiversity databases have been launched in recent years. Various species of certain developed taxa, such as fish, quadrupeds, and butterflies, are currently able to be photographically identified, in particular for ecological and biogeographic studies. However, there are problems that result from registration of images from countries with different primary languages. In this study, we provide an example of the challenges associated with registering fish images, specifically one case that has functioned as a voucher for the range extension of Labrisomus jenkinsi (Heller and Snodgrass, 1903) (Perciformes: Labrisomidae) from the Galapagos Islands to the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The fish image database in question belongs to a Japanese public museum [the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History; the online version (FishPix) is provided by the museum and the National Museum of Nature and Science]. We propose that there are problems associated with image registration caused by using different languages. Furthermore, these challenges should be a common subject for discussion among museums as they attempt to accumulate biodiversity data from citizens in the future.