Two new cave Hyleoglomeris species (Glomerida, Glomeridae) from northern Vietnam.

Two new glomerid species from caves in Cao Bang Province, Northern Vietnam, namely, Hyleoglomerishalang Kuroda, Nguyen & Eguchi, sp. nov. and Hyleoglomerisalba Nguyen, Kuroda & Eguchi, sp. nov., are described. The former is characterized by a distinct body color pattern; telopods with a large, quadrate, medially concave, sparsely setose, central syncoxital lobe; and syncoxital horns approximately 1.5-2.0 times as long as the lobe. The latter is distinguished by its completely troglobiotic form without eyes, an unpigmented body, and a roundly triangular syncoxital lobe of telopods. An identification key is also provided for the cave glomerids of Vietnam.

Investigation of Termite Attack on Cultural Heritage Buildings: A Case Study in Aceh Province, Indonesia.

Surveys of the conditions of termite attack were conducted in two regencies, Pidie and Greater Aceh, Aceh Province, Indonesia (40 houses in each location). Interviews were also conducted with home owners to collect data on the building history; culture, such as daily life in the house; the frequency and intensity of termite attacks; and traditional knowledge for avoiding and/or suppressing termite attacks. We found that 51% of traditional houses were infested by two termite species: Coptotermes gestroi and Nasutitermes matangensis. The lower parts of traditional houses were frequently attacked and severely damaged by termites. Previous land use and the ages of the traditional houses affected the intensity of the termite attacks. Several measures for avoiding and/or suppressing termite attacks on cultural heritage buildings are also proposed.

Geographic patterns in colonial reproductive strategy in Myrmecina nipponica: Links between biogeography and a key polymorphism in ants.

The ability to express different phenotypes can help define species distributions by allowing access to, and exploitation of, new environments. Social insects employ two markedly different reproductive strategies with contrasting cost/benefit characteristics: independent colony foundation (ICF), which is associated with high dispersal range and high risk, and dependent colony foundation (DCF), characterized by low risk but low dispersal. The ant Myrmecina nipponica employs both of these strategies, with the frequency of each apparently varying between populations. We combine molecular data with data on reproductive strategy from different populations of this species throughout Japan to explore how this polymorphism is linked to environmental factors and whether this relationship can help explain the current and historical biogeography of this species. Reproductive strategy exhibited a strong geographic pattern, with ICF predominant in southern populations and DCF more common in northern and southern highland populations. Molecular analyses clearly divided populations into broad geographic regions, with the southern lowland populations basal to (southern highland (+ northern)) populations. Intra-population polymorphism in colony-founding strategy was widespread, and polymorphism was reconstructed as the likely ancestral state. The frequency of different strategies was linked with climate, with DCF more common in colder areas. A recent inferred origin to the northern lineage suggests that colonization of northern Japan was a rapid event coincident with warming at the end of the Last Glacial Maxima, likely facilitated by the cold-adaptive advantages of DCF. We discuss how such polymorphisms could help explain the biogeography of this and other social insects.

Radiocesium contamination of the moss Hypnum plumaeforme caused by the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident.

We investigated 134Cs and 137Cs activity concentrations in the common Japanese moss species Hypnum plumaeforme collected from 32 sites within ca. 100 km radius of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant. A total of 32 samples of H. plumaeforme were collected during the field surveys from November 2013 to September 2014. The maximum radiocesium activity concentrations in H. plumaeforme were 60.9 ±â€¯1.8 kBq kg-1 for 134Cs and 123 ±â€¯2.3 kBq kg-1 for 137Cs. The mean value for the 134Cs/137Cs was 1.17 ±â€¯0.05, and the mean Tag value was 0.09 ±â€¯0.13. Positive correlations were obtained between total 134Cs + 137Cs activity concentrations in H. plumaeforme and the air dose rate with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.55 (P = 0.001), and between 137Cs activity concentration in H. plumaeforme and 137Cs deposition density on soil with r of 0.55 (P = 0.001). These results suggest that the perennial moss species H. plumaeforme could be more suitable and useful as a qualitative indicator for the radiocesium pollution compared to vascular plants spreading over the lowlands including human habitation in Fukushima Prefecture.

Description of the first Oriental species of the ant genus Xymmer (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Amblyoponinae).

The monotypic ant genus Xymmer Santschi, 1914 was established for X. muticus (Santschi, 1914) which has so far been known only from the West African subregion. The genus is easily distinguishable from the other amblyoponine genera by the anteromedian part of clypeus which is produced as a short rectangular lobe. Additional undescribed species had been found exclusively from Madagascar and Africa until recently. However, in March, 2015, a Xymmer colony was found in northern Central Vietnam. In the present paper Xymmer phungi sp. nov. is described as the first Oriental species of the genus. Although the worker of X. phungi is morphologically quite similar to that of X. muticus, the former is distinguishable from the latter by the following two characteristics of the worker: clypeal lobe 1/6 times as long as broad (vs. 1/3 times as long as broad in X. muticus); anterior margin of the lobe weakly concave (vs. almost straight in X. muticus). Xymmer phungi is well distinguished from Ethiopian Xymmer spp. for which 28S sequences are available from GenBank. Our observations suggest that the species feeds on geophilids (Chilopoda: Geophilomorpha). An updated key to Vietnamese genera of the subfamily Amblyoponinae is also provided.

Geographical origin and sexual-system evolution of the androdioecious plant Gynochthodes boninensis (Rubiaceae), endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan.

Gynochthodes boninensis is a woody climber endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan. It is characterized by an androdioecious sexual system, which is rare in angiosperms. We conducted a molecular phylogenetic analysis of 29 taxa including 61 samples from the tribe Morindeae to elucidate the geographical origin of G. boninensis by determining its progenitor species. We also investigated evolutionary transitions among different sexual systems within this plant group. The combined ETS, ITS, and trnT-F sequence data showed that G. boninensis formed a monophyletic group, but it did not form a clade with G. umbellata, which was treated as the same species, whereas it formed a clade with G. parvifolia, which is distributed in southeastern Asia. This suggests that G. boninensis evolved independently from G. umbellata, and probably originated from a progenitor native to southeastern Asia. In the clade composed of the three species of G. boninensis, G. parvifolia, and G. umbellata, only G. boninensis is androdioecious, whereas the others are dioecious. Thus, the androdioecious sexual system of G. boninensis may have evolved from dioecy.

Geographical origin of Leucobryum boninense Sull. & Lesq. (Leucobryaceae, Musci) endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan.

Leucobryum boninense is endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan, and its related species are widely distributed in Asia and the Pacific. We aimed to clarify the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species and infer the origin of L. boninense. We also describe the utility of the chloroplast trnK intron including matK for resolving the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species, as phylogenetic analyses using trnK intron and/or matK have not been performed well in bryophytes to date. Fifty samples containing 15 species of Leucobryum from Asia and the Pacific were examined for six chloroplast DNA regions including rbcL, rps4, partial 5' trnK intron, matK, partial 3' trnK intron, and trnL-F intergenic spacer plus one nuclear DNA region including ITS. A molecular phylogenetic tree showed that L. boninense made a clade with L. scabrum from Japan, Taiwan and, Hong Kong; L. javense which is widely distributed in East and Southeast Asia, and L. pachyphyllum and L. seemannii restricted to the Hawaii Islands, as well as with L. scaberulum from the Ryukyus, Japan, Taiwan, and southeastern China. Leucobryum boninense from various islands of the Bonin Islands made a monophylic group that was closely related to L. scabrum and L. javense from Japan. Therefore, L. boninense may have evolved from L. scabrum from Japan, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, or L. javense from Japan. We also described the utility of trnK intron including matK. A percentage of the parsimony-informative characters in trnK intron sequence data (5.8%) was significantly higher than that from other chloroplast regions, rbcL (2.4%) and rps4 (3.2%) sequence data. Nucleotide sequence data of the trnK intron including matK are more informative than other chloroplast DNA regions for identifying the phylogenetic relationships among Leucobryum species.

Microsatellite markers for Leucobryum boninense (Leucobryaceae), endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite primers were developed for Leucobryum boninense, endemic to the Bonin Islands, Japan, to investigate its level of genetic diversity and population genetic structure. • METHODS AND RESULTS: Using next-generation sequencing, 21 primer sets were developed, among which nine loci were polymorphic in the populations of the Bonin Islands. Among these polymorphic loci, the number of alleles per locus ranged from two to 10 (mean = 3.444) and the expected heterozygosity ranged from 0.066 to 0.801 (mean = 0.338). • CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate the utility of the nine microsatellite markers that we developed for population genetic studies of L. boninense.

Phylogenetic and biochemical characterization of the oil-producing yeast Lipomyces starkeyi.

Lipomyces starkeyi is an oleaginous yeast, and has been classified in four distinct groups, i.e., sensu stricto and custers α, ß, and γ. Recently, L. starkeyi clusters α, ß, and γ were recognized independent species, Lipomyces mesembrius, Lipomyces doorenjongii, and Lipomyces kockii, respectively. In this study, we investigated phylogenetic relationships within L. starkeyi, including 18 Japanese wild strains, and its related species, based on internal transcribed spacer sequences and evaluated biochemical characters which reflected the phylogenetic tree. Phylogenetic analysis showed that most of Japanese wild strains formed one clade and this clade is more closely related to L. starkeyi s.s. clade including one Japanese wild strain than other clades. Only three Japanese wild strains were genetically distinct from L. starkeyi. Lipomyces mesembrius and L. doorenjongii shared one clade, while L. kockii was genetically distinct from the other three species. Strains in L. starkeyi s.s. clade converted six sugars, D-glucose, D-xylose, L-arabinose, D-galactose, D-mannose, and D-cellobiose to produce high total lipid yields. The Japanese wild strains in subclades B, C, and D converted D-glucose, D-galactose, and D-mannose to produce high total lipid yields. Lipomyces mesembrius was divided into two subclades. Lipomyces mesembrius CBS 7737 converted D-xylose, L-arabinose, D-galactose, and D-cellobiose, while the other L. mesembrius strains did not. Lipomyces doorenjongii converted all the sugars except D-cellobiose. In comparison to L. starkeyi, L. mesembrius, and L. doorenjongii, L. kockii produced higher total lipid yields from D-glucose, D-galactose, and D-mannose. The type of sugar converted depended on the subclade classification elucidated in this study.

Evolutionary adaptation of recombinant shochu yeast for improved xylose utilization.

We examined the evolutionary adaptation of recombinant shochu yeast by serial anaerobic cultivation in xylose-based minimal medium. Compared with the parental strain, the adapted strain MA-S4-M1 (M1) markedly improved the growth on xylose and the anaerobic xylose consumption rate. M1 gained improved xylose utilization properties by optimizing the metabolic pathway enzymes and enhancing the uptake of xylose.