A new dragonfly species, Nannophya koreana sp. nov., is described from Korea on the basis of morphology and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Nannophya materials from Korea and other areas in Southeast Asia were compared. The new species was previously recognized in Korea as the endangered pygmy dragonfly Nannophya pygmaea Rambur, 1842, which is widely distributed in insular and peninsular Southeast Asia. However, male adults of the Nannophya population in Korea could be distinguished from other N. pygmaea populations by the presence of a thick, incomplete black stripe on the lateral synthorax that terminated at half-length (vs. continuous to wing base), light orange (vs. red) anal appendages, and 4-5 (vs. 2-3) black teeth on the ventral superior appendages. In addition, the body length of N. koreana was generally larger (1.2-1.4 times) than that of N. pygmaea, regardless of life stage. COI gene sequences from the two groups exhibited substantial genetic differences (>12%), thereby sufficiently substantiating their differentiation. The taxonomic status, distribution, and habitat of the new species are discussed.
Larva and pupae of Prosimulium kiotoense and larvae of Twinnia japonensis were collected and reported from Korea for the first time. The genus Prosimulium, previously unknown from Korea, contains 80 species worldwide and 8 species are known in Japan. Species are separated into 3 species groups; hirtipes speciesgroup (47 spp.), macropyga species-group (14 spp.) and magnum species-group (19 spp.), with which P. kiotoense belongs to the hirtipes species-group. The genus Twinnia, also previously unknown from Korea, contains only 10 species worldwide. In this study, I provide detailed descriptions and photographs of larvae and pupae P. kiotoense and larvae T. japonensis. Prosimulium kiotoense is characterized by pupa with gill of 16 filaments, cocoon amorphous and entirely covers the pupal body, head and thorax densely covered with microtubercles, larva with postgenal cleft apically straight, and hypostomal teeth with median tooth prominent. On the other hand, larva of T. japonensis can be characterized by labral fan absen, gill histoblast with 16 filaments, and hypostomal teeth with median tooth distinctly shorter than other teeth. In addition to descriptions for each species, a key to Korean Prosimulium and Twinnia is provided, with reference to the Japanese species and habitat information.
Larvae, pupae, and adults reared from the pupae of Simulium (Boreosimulium) konoi were collected and recorded from Korea for the first time. I provide detailed descriptions of both immatures and adults accompanied with photographs. The subgenus Boreosimulium, previously unknown from Korea, contains 19 species in 3 species-groups worldwide and only 2 species, viz, S. (B.) konoi and S. (B.) tokachiense, are recorded from Japan. Simulium konoi is unique among the members of the subgenus by having water dropshaped denticles on the anterior portion of the cibarium in females, which is considered as an autapomorphic character so far not found in other black flies, W or inverted V-shaped ventral plate of male genitalia, and larval thorax and abdominal segments covered with short black setae. Korean specimens of S. konoi collected from two adjacent localities can readily be recognized by denticles on the cibarium in females and welldeveloped ventral plate of male genitalia but showed geographical variation, e.g., lacking ventral tubercle on larval abdominal segment IX. Due to the autapomorphy and other characters found in S. konoi, the current placement of the S. konoi in the subgenus Boreosimulium or species-group assignment is tentative.
The phylum Bacteroidetes covers phenotypically diverse groups of Gram negative rods that do not form endospores, and currently includes 6 classes, 6 orders, 33 families and 380 genera. Members of Bacteroidetes can be aerobic and anaerobic heterotrophs, hydrogen utilizing chemolithotrophs, or methylotrophs. They can be isolated from diverse habitats including terrestrial and aquatic environments, environments with extreme physicochemical conditions, and animal and plant hosts. During a series of extensive surveys of prokaryotic species diversity in Korea, bacterial strains belonging to Bacteroidetes were isolated from various sources of aquatic and terrestrial environments. A total of 22 isolates were obtained, which represent 22 unrecorded species in Korea belonging to 14 genera of 6 families. Sixteen species among them were assigned to Flavobacteriaceae, two species were to Sphingobacteriaceae, and single species was to each of the families Bacteroidaceae, Balneolaceae, Chitinophagaceae and Cytophagaceae. At genus level, Chryseobacterium (5 species) and Flavobacterium (5 species) were the most abundant genera, and single species were obtained for the genera Bacteroides, Baloneola, Terrimonas, Dyadobacter, Aquimarina, Arenibacter, Gillisia, Gilvibacter, Salinimicrobium, Winogradskyella, Pedobacter and Sphingobacterium. The detailed descriptions of each unrecorded species are provided.
In 2016 and 2017, as part of a comprehensive investigation to identify the prokaryotic species in Korea, a total of 12 bacterial strains were isolated from the gastrointestinal tract and/or fecal samples of four endangered species, including reptile, bird, and marine and terrestrial mammals. Phylogenetic analysis with the 16S rRNA gene sequence was used to assign these strains to the phyla, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria or Proteobacteria. Furthermore, most of the strains Firmicutes belonged to the order Lactobacillales. Interestingly, 12 of the isolated strains have not been previously reported from the Korean Peninsula. Also, based on their high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities (>98.7%) and formation of strong monophyletic clades with the closest type species, each isolated strain of isolates was assigned to an independent, predefined bacterial species. Gramstain reaction, colony and cell morphology, biochemical characteristics, isolation source, and NIBR IDs are described in the species description section.
Chrysosplenium grayanum Maxim. (Series Nepalensia), which had been known to be restricted to Japan, was newly discovered from Mt. Cheongtae in Yeonggwang-gun, Jeollanam-do, located in the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. Species identification was confirmed using morphological characteristics and DNA sequence data, while comparing with materials obtained from Japan and herbarium specimens. Chrysosplenium grayanum is clearly distinguished from the remaining taxa of the genus Chrysosplenium by having glabrous plant body, opposite leaves, cylindrical papillae with roundish head at the tip on the smooth seed surface, and four stamens. Molecular sequence data of the nuclear ribosomal ITS regions, chloroplast rbcL and matK genes strongly supported that this previously unknown Chrysosplenium species from Korea is C. grayanum. Taking the molecular and the morphological evidence into consideration, it is clear that newly discovered Chrysosplenium population in Korea is conspecific with the widely distributed C. grayanum in Japan. In this paper, we provide a description, illustration, and photo images of Chrysosplenium grayanum from Korea and also a key to the Chrysosplenium species in Korea.
Eight new species of two genera Dysidea and Euryspongia (Demospongiae: Dictyoceratida: Dysideidae) are described from Gageodo, Ulleungdo, Geomundo, and Jejudo Islands, Korea. Four new species of the genus Dysidea are differentiated by the fibre structure, cored detritus, and fibre arrangement. Dysidea mureungensis n. sp. is characterized by the honeycomb shape of surface and no distinction between primary and secondary fibres. Dysidea glavea n. sp. differs by large sands cored in fibres and that the membrane easily separates from fibres. Dysidea geomunensis n. sp. has fibres that are thinner than those of D. glavea n. sp.. Dysidea corallina n. sp. is characterized by folded fan shape and the arrangement of secondary fibres. Four new species of the genus Euryspongia are differentiated by the fibre structure, cored detritus, shape of sponge, and fibre arrangement. Euryspongia radicula n. sp. is very different from other species by having regularly arranged fibres. Euryspongia spina n. sp. has a fence-like skeletal structure. Bridged type secondary fibres are arranged near the surface and web types are at the base of fibres. Euryspongia flabellum n. sp. has a very unique wide, thin leaf-like shape. String-like primary fibres of E. linea n. sp. are very unique and cored with large sized sands.
We identified 22 ciliate species, including five unrecorded ciliate species, from temporary ponds on a grass lawn. The five unrecorded species are as follows: class Nassophorea - Pseudomicrothorax agilis Mermod, 1914, Nassula exigua Kahl, 1931, class Colpodea - Cyrtolophosis mucicola Stokes, 1885, Maryna ovata (Gelei, 1950) Foissner, 1993, and class Spirotrichea - Meseres corlissi Petz & Foissner, 1992. Most of these 22 ciliate species disappeared from a raw culture within a few days (probably encystment), and a few cells were available from some species that resulted in incomplete identifications (e.g., genus-level). About the unrecorded five ciliate species, they are small in size (<60 μm in vivo), and two of them live in a hyaline dwelling-tube, which is easily deserted by a cell with a stress. Their taxonomic classification is summarized as three classes, five orders, five families, and five genera. Here, we provide brief descriptions, micrographs of their morphology, and some remarks.