Biogeography and Ecological Differentiation of Pseudasphondylia gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) Distributed in Taiwan and Japan, with Description of a New Species P. kiwiphila sp. nov. and the Southernmost Record of P. elaeocarpi.

Pseudasphondylia species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) are known to induce fruit galls on Actinidia rufa (Siebold & Zucc.) Planch. ex Miq. and finger-like leaf galls on Elaeocarpus sylvestris (Lour.) Poir. in Taiwan, but their taxonomic positions remain undetermined. Based on gall morphology and host plants, they were supposed to be the same or allied species of known Japanese congeners, i.e., P. matatabi Yuasa & Kumazawa inducing flower-bud galls on Actinidia polygama (Sieb. et Zucc.) Maxim and P. elaeocarpi Tokuda & Yukawa inducing finger-like leaf galls on E. sylvestris. Species identifications of these Taiwanese species provide us an opportunity to study biogeographical aspects and transition of ecological features in these Pseudasphondylia species distributed in East Asian Arc. Morphological comparisons and species delimitation by molecular analysis indicated that the cecidomyiid on the fruit of A. rufa is distinct from P. matatabi and thus it is described as a species new to science, P. kiwiphila sp. nov. Lin, Tokuda, & Yang. The leaf galler on E. sylvestris was identical to P. elaeocarpi, whose southernmost distribution range extended to Taiwan, a new record of its distribution. COI-based phylogenetic tree (Bayesian inference and IQ tree) of Pseudasphondylia suggested that leaf galling habitat and univoltine life history are ancestral, whereas fruit or flower-bud galling and multivoltine life history are derived. In addition, the monophyletic Actinidia-associated species lineage is sistered to the clade including the remaining Japanese fruit and flower-bud gallers, suggesting that Pseudasphondylia has colonized on the host genus Actinidia once and later speciated on different plant species of the host genus. As a biogeographical aspect of P. elaeocarpi, 2.7% of the COI distance between Japanese and Taiwanese individuals indicates that they have diverged around 1.2 mya, which corresponds to the last but second separation of Taiwan and Japan in the Pleistocene. As for Actinidia-associated Pseudasphondylia species, the two valid species are allopatric and have distinct areas of origin, suggesting they may have speciated allopatrically. Nevertheless, there is still the possibility of ecological speciation due to the following reasons: (1) Host species (and varieties) and unidentified congener of Actinidia-associated Pseudasphondylia are occurring China, revealing potential occurrence of these gall midges. (2) The divergence time (2.2-2.9 mya) of the two known species corresponds to the late Pliocene to Pleistocene, when China, Taiwan, and Japan were part of the East Asian continent. During this period, their host species were sympatric in southeast China. (3) The host of two named Actinidia-associated Pseudasphondylia species each belong to different plant groups with distinct fruit features. These presume that the speciation might have been caused via sympatric host shift.

Role of the predaceous mosquito Toxorhynchites christophi (Diptera: Culicidae) in treehole ecosystems in a Korean forest.

Toxorhynchites mosquitoes have been studied as potential biological mosquito control agents because they consume other mosquito larvae. As a top predator, Toxorhynchites species are also considered keystone predators in phytotelmata. However, limited information is available regarding Toxorhynchites christophi, which is found in northeast Asia. The present study investigated whether Tx. christophi could reduce mosquito populations and increase species diversity by functioning as a mosquito control agent and keystone predator, respectively. During the study, aquatic insects were collected every three weeks (May-October, 2018) from tire habitats, which resemble treehole ecosystems, at the Korean National Arboretum in the central region of the Korean Peninsula. The samples were separated into the surface- and the substrate-groups based on their behavior, and the communities were compared based on the density of Tx. christophi. As a result, the communities with a higher density of the predators showed a higher diversity and evenness, and the communities also had a lower mosquito ratio, dominance, and density of the surface-group. The results of both non-metric multi-dimensional scaling and one-way analysis of similarities also indicated that the communities were affected by the density of Tx. christophi larvae. Similarity percentage analysis results revealed the effects of this predator on the communities could mainly be attributed to reductions in the densities of the three dominant mosquito species (Aedes koreicus, Ae. flavopictus, and Tripteroides bambusa). Thus, Tx. christophi may be valuable as both a biological mosquito control agent and keystone species of treehole ecosystems by reducing dominant mosquito species and improving species diversity.

The complete mitochondrial genome and phylogenetic analysis of Euurobracon yokahamae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

Euurobracon yokahamae is a parasitoid wasp found solely in Asia, and is endangered in some countries. The complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of E. yokahamae was sequenced using next-generation sequencing (NGS). The mitogenome of this species is 14,974bp long and encodes for 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs. Maximum likelihood phylogenetic analysis of the mitochondrial genome of braconid species was performed. Tree topology showed that E. yokahamae was closely related to another species of the same genus.

Phylogenetic relationships between three Korean pit viper Gloydius (Serpentes: Crotalinae) species using mitochondrial DNA genes.

BACKGROUND: Molecular phylogenetic studies of the Asian pit viper genus Gloydius have been widely published in Asia, but Korea population have not been conducted till date. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze the phylogenetic relationships of three Gloydius species (G. saxatilis, G. brevicaudus, and G. ussuriensis) from Korea with other Gloydius species, based on Cytochrome b and ND4. METHODS: We compared 160 samples representing the three species with those of 17 reference species and their phylogenetic status and genetic diversity were analyzed with concatenated sequences of two mitochondrial DNA. RESULTS: Korean G. brevicaudus and G. saxatilis showed high haplotype diversity and relatively low and moderate nucleotide diversity, respectively. Although G. ussuriensis showed high genetic diversity, it was low in the Baengnyeong Island population. The phylogenetic tree represented two major lineages. One major lineage comprised G. ussuriensis, G. tsushimaensis, G. blomhoffii, and G. brevicaudus. The Chinese G. ussuriensis belonged to the same clade as the Korean G. ussuriensis and was closely related to the Baengnyeong Island population. Moreover, G. tsushimaensis was closely related to G. ussuriensis from southwestern Korean and Jeju Island populations. The other major lineage comprised the remaining 12 species and G. saxatilis. Korean G. saxatilis was closely related to G. saxatilis, G. shedanoensis, and G. intermedius from China. CONCLUSION: The phylogenetic status of the Korean Gloydius species in comparison with the other Gloydius species was identified. We suggesting the conservation management unit for the Baengnyeong Island population, while the current conservation status of Korean G. saxatilis is suggested to be revised to a higher level.

A new species of Pseudasphondylia (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) associated with Magnolia kobus DC. var. borealis Sarg. (Magnoliaceae) in Japan.

BACKGROUND: A gall midge species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) inducing leaf bud galls on Magnolia kobus DC. var. borealis Sarg. (Magnoliaceae) was found in Hokkaido and northern Honshu, Japan. NEW INFORMATION: Based on its morphology, the species is regarded as an undescribed species of the genus Pseudasphondylia Monzen (Cecidomyiinae, Cecidomyiidi, Asphondyliini). The species is herein described as Pseudasphondylia saohimea Matsuda, Elsayed and Tokuda sp. n. The new species is easily distinguishable from its congeners by the number of adult palpal segments and the shape of the male terminalia and larval spatula.

Improved H2 utilization by Pd doping in cobalt catalysts for reductive amination of polypropylene glycol.

Cobalt based catalysts having enhanced H2 dissociation and desorption were synthesized by inserting a trace amount of palladium. These catalysts were used for the reductive amination of polypropylene glycol (PPG) to polyetheramine (PEA). The catalytic activity toward PEA was significantly increased by incorporating an extremely low content of palladium (around 0.01 wt%) into cobalt based catalysts. The Pd inserted cobalt catalysts promoted reduction of cobalt oxide to cobalt metal and inhibited formation of cobalt nitride in the reductive amination. The Pd inserted cobalt catalysts not only enhanced hydrogen dissociation but also accelerated hydrogen desorption by increasing the electron density of cobalt through interaction between cobalt and palladium. These play a critical role in reducing cobalt oxide or cobalt nitride to cobalt metal as an active site for the reductive amination. Thus, the Pd inserted cobalt catalysts provide improved catalytic performance toward PEA production by maintaining the cobalt metal state.

Description, host range and distribution of a new Macrodiplosis species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) that induces leaf-margin fold galls on deciduous Quercus (Fagaceae) with comparative notes on Palaearctic congeners.

A gall midge that induces upwardly folded leaf-margin galls on Quercus serrata, Q. mongolica and Q. dentata (Fagaceae) in Japan and South Korea is described as Macrodiplosis selenis sp. n. (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae). M. selenis is distinguished from Palaearctic congeners by a combination of morphological characters. Genetic differences supported the result of morphological comparison and indicated that M. selenis is closely related to the European M. roboris, whose gall is similar to that of M. selenis.