Kiyoshi Satake

ON THE SPECIES OF JAPANESE ATYID SHRIMPS (DECAPODA: CARIDEA) DESCRIBED BY WILLIAM STIMPSON (1860)

Abstract The taxonomic status of the six Japanese species of Caridina described by W. Stimpson (1860) is clarified on the basis of fresh specimens from the type localities. Caridina grandirostris, which has long been synonymized under C. longirostris H. Milne Edwards, 1837, is shown to be a distinct species; C. leucosticta is redescribed; C. multidentata is the senior synonym of C. japonica De Man, 1892; C. acuminata and C. brevirostris are regarded as junior synonyms of Atyoida pilipes (Newport, 1847); and C. exilirostris is synonymized with C. typus H. Milne Edwards, 1837. Neotypes for the six species are designated to stabilize their taxonomy, all of which are redescribed and figured. The various nomenclatural problems associated with these species are discussed.

Effects of diflubenzuron and methoprene on the emergence of insects and their density in an outdoor experimental stream.

Abstract Benthic communities in outdoor experimental streams were exposed to 1 and 10 mg 1−1 of diflubenzuron and the same concentrations of methoprene for 30 min, respectively. The effects of these chemicals were assessed daily by examining drifting pupal exuviae over a period of one month following the treatment. Neither chemical induced the drift of macrobenthos at the time of application. However, diflubenzuron affected the emergence of all species examined. A high larval mortality of a species of chironomid was observed directly in the stream treated with diflubenzuron, where mayfly nymphs and caddisfly larvae were also decreased. However, in the stream treated with methoprene, no marked mortality of benthos could be observed, but chironomids and caddisflies disappeared. Methoprene treatment not only affected the emergence of the mayfly, Baetis sahoensis, but caused its outbreak.

Distribution of freshwater macroinvertebrates in streams with dams and associated reservoirs on a subtropical oceanic island off southern Japan

The conservation of endemic fauna in freshwater ecosystems is a topical issue on small oceanic islands. Because these endemics have limited distributions, they are more vulnerable to extinction. This study is the first to clarify the distribution of freshwater macroinvertebrates including endemic and alien species in streams with dams and associated reservoirs on the Ogasawara Islands in the northwestern Pacific Ocean. In 2007, we conducted a field survey in streams and reservoirs of the Yatsuse River system and collected 22 taxonomic groups from 13 stations. Hierarchal cluster analysis and non-metric multi-dimensional scaling (NMDS) were performed for the presence/absence data of the macroinvertebrates, and the results indicated that (1) most of endemic species were present in inlet streams of dam reservoirs, (2) these endemic species were absent in the bottom sediments of the reservoirs because of oxygen depletion and (3) dams may be barriers to the migration of some species of amphidromous crustaceans. Because human modifications, such as dams and associated reservoirs, on a small oceanic island can rapidly result in fragmentation or loss of freshwater habitats of endemic species, the remaining habitat of these species, such as headwater streams, must be protected and preserved to avoid species extinction.

Aluminum in lake water and organs of a fish Tribolodon hakonensis in strongly acidic lakes with a high aluminum concentration

Abstract Aluminum in lake water and in the organs of the fish Tribolodon hakonensis was investigated in Lake Usoriko (pH 3.6), Lake Inawashiroko (pH 5.0), and the Tenryu River (pH 7.7). The concentration of total soluble aluminum in the water was 0.51 mg l−1 in Usoriko, 0.05 mg l−1 in Inawashiroko, and less than 0.01 mg l−1 in the Tenryu. The chemical forms of soluble aluminum in the acid water were characterized as Al3+, AlL2+, and AlL≦1+. More than 90% of soluble aluminum in the water of Usoriko was Al3+, whereas AlL2+ was dominant in the water of Inawashiroko. The aluminum concentration in the organs of T. hakonensis in Usoriko was 42 μg g−1 wet weight in gills, 4.2 μg g−1 in muscle, 6.9 μg g−1 in bone, 12.7 μg g−1 in liver, 6.0 μg g−1 in kidney, and 6.0 μg g−1 in intestine, indicating accumulation of aluminum in the gills. The aluminum concentration in the organs of T. hakonensis living in Inawashiroko was approximately the same, in spite of the difference in water chemistry of the two acid lakes, especially for pH and aluminum. This suggests that aluminum accumulation might be controlled in the fish living in the acid lakes. In contrast, the aluminum concentration in the gills of T. hakonensis from the Tenryu was 2 μg g−1.

ENZYMATIC EVALUATION OF DECOMPOSITION IN MOSAIC LANDSCAPES OF A TIDAL FLAT ECOSYSTEM

Organic matter decomposition is an important ecological function in tidal flat ecosystems, and extracellular hydrolytic enzyme activities can be used as indices of this process. In this study, the spatial and temporal variations of enzyme activities were determined to establish easily measured variables that could be used to assess wetland functions. Seven sampling sites belonging to the hydrogeomorphic subclasses estuary, foreshore, and lagoon were selected in the intertidal zone of the Obitsu River Delta and the Banzu Tidal Flat in Tokyo Bay, Japan. Ten field surveys were conducted between June 2001 and April 2003. In each survey triplicate sediment samples were collected from each sampling site. For each sample, fluoresceindiacetate hydrolysis (FDH), β-glucosidase (GLU), and β-acetylglucosaminidase (AGA) activities were measured. Among the 210 samples, the means and standard deviations were 0.018 ± 0.011 unit g−1 h−1 for FDH, 0.074 ± 0.043 mmol kg−1 h−1 for GLU, and 0.043 ± 0.041 mmol kg−1 h−1 for AGA. According to analysis of variance, sampling time, site location, and their interaction significantly influenced FDH activity. Both the sampling time and sampling location affected GLU and AGA activities, although no significant interaction was found. GLU and AGA activities were higher in the estuary sites than in the foreshore sites and the lagoon site. GLU and AGA activities differed among the estuary sites, although there were no significant differences in GLU and AGA activities among the foreshore beach sites. We recorded significant temporal changes of GLU and AGA activities, and seasonal changes differed across the three years of the study.

Difference in Body Size and Sexual Dimorphism in the Ogasawara Mitten Crab, Eriocheir ogasawaraensis, and the Japanese Mitten Crab, Eriocheir japonica

Abstract: To highlight adaptation of an endemic species to an oceanic island environment, adult morphological characteristics and growth patterns were compared between a mitten crab endemic to the Ogasawara Islands (Eriocheir ogasawaraensis) and a congener from mainland Japan (E. japonica). Mean carapace width of E. ogasawaraensis was nearly 1.6 times larger than that of E. japonica in both sexes. A difference was detected in the carapace length versus carapace width relationship between these two species. Comparing chela propodus height versus carapace width, a sexual difference was detected similarly in both species, but males had only one growth phase in E. ogasawaraensis, whereas males of E. japonica were dimorphic due to two growth phases. The regression line obtained for male E. ogasawaraensis (chela propodus height versus carapace width) was nearly on the extending line of small-phase male E. japonica. Female E. ogasawaraensis had relatively larger chelipeds than female E. japonica. As for ambulatory legs, E. japonica males had relatively longer legs than females, but no sexual difference was detected in E. ogasawaraensis. Eriocheir ogasawaraensis had relatively shorter legs than male E. japonica but longer legs than female E. japonica. Therefore, in E. ogasawaraensis sexual dimorphism was not as differentiated as in E. japonica, and the adult male dimorphism recognized in E. japonica was absent. The large body size of E. ogasawaraensis is consistent with island gigantism that is commonly found in response to a lack of large predators on isolated islands. Evolution of dimorphism can be explained by sexual selection, and the differences between the island and mainland species are presumed to be correlated with differences in the mating behavior and/or environmental factors in their habitats.

Abstracts from the Japanese Journal of Limnology

The Japanese Journal of Limnology is another official publication of the Japanese Society of Limnology. The original papers in the journal were peer-reviewed by a few authorized referees, and appeared in Japanese with English abstracts.