Sota Yamamoto

Distribution of Mosquito Larvae on Kosrae Island, Kosrae State, the Federated States of Micronesia

Surveys of mosquito larvae were carried out in six areas of Kosrae Island, Kosrae State, the Federated States of Micronesia in December 2009 and June 2012. A total of 962 larvae of six species were collected from 106 natural and artificial habitats. They were identified as Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Ae. marshallensis, Culex quinquefasciatus, Cx. annulirostris, and Cx. kusaiensis. This is the first report from Kosrae Island for three of these species—Ae. marshallensis, Cx. quinquefasciatus, and Cx. annulirostris. The most abundant species was Ae. albopictus, followed by Ae. marshallensis, and these two species were found in all areas. Relatively large numbers of Cx. quinquefasciatus and Cx. kusaiensis were found in five areas. Fewer Cx. annulirostris were found, and only in three areas. Aedes aegypti larvae were collected from a single habitat at Tafunsak in 2009. To prevent the outbreak of dengue fever, environmental management should focus on the destruction, alteration, disposal and recycling of containers that produce larger numbers of adult Aedes mosquitoes.

Capsicum pubescens (Solanaceae) in Indonesia: Its History, Taxonomy, and Distribution

Introduction Capsicum pubescens Ruiz & Pav. probably originated in the mid-elevations of Bolivia (Eshbaugh 1975) and has been domesticated since around 6,000 B.C.E. (DeWitt 1999:240–242). The species was originally described by Ruiz and Pavon at the end of the eighteenth century from plants in Peru (Ruiz and Pavon 1798:30–31). Heiser (1987:25) noted that C. pubescens was the most common pepper among the Incas, just as it is today in Cuzco, the former capital of the Incan empire. Morphologically, C. pubescens has distinctive characteristics compared to the other domesticated species, such as purple flowers (sometimes with a white center), black seeds, hairy leaves, and ecological adaptations to tropical highland climates. This species is still primarily cultivated in Andean South America; however, it is also cultivated in the Central American highlands, where it was likely introduced in the twentieth century (McLeod et al. 1982). Cultivation of C. pubescens in the rest of the world remains unknown (Basu and De 2003) or is very limited (Bosland and Votava 2000:19–20). There are very few papers on C. pubescens cultivation, especially outside the Americas, except for introductory trials of C. pubescens as a new cash crop in Nagano, Japan (Matsushima et al. 2010). In Southeast and East Asia, C. annuum L. and C. frutescens L., and occasionally C. chinense Jacq., are used as condiments, vegetables, and medicines; however, C. pubescens has not been reported outside of Indonesia. Djarwaningsih (1983) reported on C. pubescens from Indonesia, but this report was written in Indonesian and therefore very few researchers have cited it. Moreover, it contained very little information on the distribution and cultivation of C. pubescens because of its focus on the taxonomy and classification of the genus Capsicum in Indonesia. Therefore, in the present study, literature, specimen, field, and market surveys of C. pubescens were conducted to investigate its introduction into Indonesia and to reveal its present distribution and cultivation.

Ethnic Fermented Foods and Beverages of Cambodia

Fermentation starters, rice wine, rice liquor, palm wine, sweet fermented alcoholic rice, fermented rice noodles, fermented fish, etc., are produced and consumed in Cambodia. There are two different lines of production process of local homemade starters that are confirmed in Cambodia: one based on “rice wine culture” and one based on “rice liquor culture.” The process based on “rice wine culture” seems to be an older type of starter production than that based on “rice liquor culture,” suggesting that new techniques belonging to “rice liquor culture” could have infiltrated the “rice wine culture” of Cambodia. Minority ethnic groups in Northeast Cambodia mainly produce rice wine for self-consumption, but rice liquor produced by small-scale farmers (mainly Khmer) in rural areas is for selling. Palm wine (tek tnart chu) is made mainly from palmyra palm in Cambodia. There are two types of fermentation process of palm wine: fermenting the sap in the container while hanging on trees or using mae tek tnart chu, which is made from xylems or barks of some plants. Tapae (sweet fermented alcoholic rice), nom banvuchock (fermented rice noodles), phaak (fermented fish with sticky rice), pra hoc (fermented fish), mam (fermented fish with roasted rice powder), kapi (fermented shrimp paste), and tak trey (fish sauce) are often seen in local markets.