Abdiclayton8459

inornata lineata.The Oriental greenfinch, Chloris sinica, is a small seed-eating finch that breeds in the eastern Palearctic region, an area that spans from Russia in the east to China, Korea, and Japan in the south and southwest. Several subspecies have been described based on subtle morphological characteristics, although the taxonomy varies among different authors. Although many ecological studies have been performed, there has been no phylogenetic study that encompasses the species' entire geographical range. We used four regions of mitochondrial DNA to analyze the intraspecies genetic phylogeny and diversity of the Oriental greenfinch. In addition, we performed morphometric analyses using museum specimens. Genetic analysis identified two clades that diverged approximately 1.06 million years ago. These were a population from the Ogasawara Islands, Japan (subspecies kittlitzi, Clade B), and the other populations (Clade A, which could not be subdivided according to geographic context). Morphometric analyses showed that the population on the Kuril Islands (subspecies kawarahiba) had the longest mean wing length, whereas C. s. kittlitzi had the shortest wings. Chloris s. kittlitzi also had the longest mean bill length, probably because it has adapted to feeding on the Ogasawara Islands. Based on molecular phylogeny and morphology analyses, we recommend that C. s. kittlitzi should be treated as a completely distinct species, called the Ogasawara greenfinch, Chloris kittlitzi. It is critically endangered and needs to be specially protected.Acotylea is a suborder of Polycladida (Rhabditophora, Platyhelminthes) characterized by lack of a cotyl (sucker-like structure) on the ventral surface of the body. We newly determined partial sequences of two mitochondrial (16S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) and two nuclear (18S and 28S ribosomal RNA) genes from 24 acotylean species (12 families and 14 genera). Based on these sequences in addition to those available in public databases, we inferred the phylogeny of 16 families and 27 genera of Acotylea from molecular phylogenetic analyses (maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) based on concatenated gene sequences. Our analyses supported three clades corresponding to Discoceloidea, Leptoplanoidea, and Stylochoidea. The phylogenetic position of Callioplanidae remains unclear. Among family- or genus-level taxa, Gnesiocerotidae, Stylochoplanidae, and Comoplana were not monophyletic. We discuss the validities of Notocomplanidae and Koinostylochus, and the family-level assignment of Mirostylochus.Feeding behavior in cnidarians has been studied as a model experimental system in physiology and neurobiology. Although the feeding response in cnidarians, such as Hydra, is triggered by chemical signals, the underlying molecular mechanisms that ensure their precise execution are not well understood. It could be largely due to the lack of genetic analysis in cnidarian experimental systems. Cladonema pacificum is a hydrozoan jellyfish that is easy to maintain and cross for genetic analysis in the laboratory. To establish C. pacificum as a model experimental animal in cnidarians, we have been inbreeding strains of jellyfish. Here, we document our progress in developing C. pacificum inbred lines and feeding-defective strains that we isolated in the course of inbreeding. In the inbred lines, an increasing number of feeding-defective strains appeared as descending generations and finally all the F5 progeny showed a feeding-deficient phenotype presumably owing to inbreeding depression. Feeding behaviors of these strains were analyzed by video microscopy and we found that the feeding-defective strains captured prey, but could not kill them. After trapping prey, wild-type medusae contracted their tentacles tightly and then bent the tentacles to bring the prey to the mouth; however, feeding-defective medusae rarely contracted their tentacles and did not bend. These feeding-defective phenotypes are caused by lack of stinging nematocytes in their tentacle batteries. These findings furnish a clue to the regulatory aspects of feeding behavior, but also reveal the mechanisms of stinging nematocyte transport in tentacles.Successful refueling at staging sites is essential for the survival and reproduction of migratory birds. Understanding their staging ecology is therefore crucial for the conservation of migrant species. Rice fields in the mid-western region of the Korean Peninsula serve as staging habitats for the black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa). We examined the behavior of staging black-tailed godwits in rice fields located in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway during their northward migration. Specifically, we tested the effect of flock size and water level on the foraging, vigilance, and resting behaviors of black-tailed godwits. Our observations revealed that as flock size increased, stepping rate, pecking rate, and vigilance duration decreased, while probing rate, preening duration, and foraging efficiency increased. Stepping and pecking rates increased at low water levels, compared with high water levels. We determined that the behavior of black-tailed godwits at the staging site is influenced by flock size and water level. These observations suggest that black-tailed godwits form larger flocks to increase foraging efficiency by lowering individual-level vigilance, and to spend more time on preening, which is critical for flight and survival. It can be also inferred, based on the shift in primary foraging mode between probing and pecking depending on the water level, that they obtain higher foraging efficiency by flexibly adapting their foraging mode to the conditions in rice fields that are subject to agricultural activities. Our results are expected to serve as basic data for establishing efficient management strategies for anthropogenic habitats for the conservation of migratory shorebirds such as black-tailed godwit.Ostracod genus Heterodesmus Brady, 1866 is known thus far to contain only three species H. adamsii Brady, 1866; H. apriculus Hiruta, 1992; and H. naviformis (Poulsen, 1962). This genus has been recorded from the Sea of Japan, and the coastal areas of Thailand and Vietnam. The main generic character is the presence of antero-dorsal and postero-dorsal tube-like processes on the rostrum on both valves. The three species mostly differ in the shell lateral projections. PRT062070 molecular weight Their relationship and the position of Heterodesmus within family Cypridinidae are poorly understood, partly due to the lack of publication of DNA data so far. We study Heterodesmus collected from several localities in the Northwest Pacific, namely Tsushima and Iki Islands in Japan and Maemul Island in Korea. Besides morphological characters, we also use two mitochondrial markers (16S rRNA and mtCOI) and three nuclear regions (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, and internal transcribed spacer - ITS) in the samples to detect the biodiversity of this genus. Our phylogenetic tree based on molecular data coupled with morphology reveals the presence of two species, H.