Skin ulceration syndrome (SUS) is the main limitation in the development of Apostichopus japonicus culture industries, in which Vibrio splendidus has been well documented as one of the major pathogens. However, the intrinsic mechanisms toward pathogen challenge and disease outbreak remain largely unknown at the metabolic level. In this work, the metabolic responses were investigated in muscles ...

We used two mitochondrial loci (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit 4 and cytochrome oxidase II) and a nuclear locus (28S-D2 spacer) for a total of 1337 bp to evaluate the relationships among the four subspecies of Aedes (Finlaya) japonicus Theobald. Ae. j. japonicus was recently introduced into the United States and has been expanding rapidly. We also included in our analys...

WRKY transcription factor genes play critical roles in plant growth and development, as well as stress responses. WRKY genes have been examined in various higher plants, but they have not been characterized in Lotus japonicus. The recent release of the L. japonicus whole genome sequence provides an opportunity for a genome wide analysis of WRKY genes in this species. In this study, we identifie...

The first survey was conducted for helminth fauna of hybrid giant salamanders (hybrids between Andrias japonicus and other congeneric species), introduced A. davidianus in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Three nematode species, Spiroxys hanzaki, Amphibiocapillaria tritonispunctati Falcaustra sp., one trematode Liolope copulans, were recovered from their alimentary canals. These results show that speci...

The genus Phragmites includes taxa that are very difficult to distinguish macroscopically, and even genetically. To better discriminate these taxa, microscopic traits, such as the epidermis of floral bracts leaves, leaf anatomy, were investigated. In Old World, four distinct giant reeds species (> 3 m) delineated: two tropical species, P. karka mauritianus, Mediterranean altissimus frutescens. ...

The intestinal bacterial diversity of Stichopus japonicus was investigated using 16S ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) clone library and Polymerase Chain Reaction/Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE). The clone library yielded a total of 188 clones, and these were sequenced and classified into 106 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) with sequence similarity ranging from 88 to 100%. The cov...

Specific identification of three Tibicen cicadas, T. japonicus, T. flammatus and T. bihamatus, by their chirping sounds was carried out using Principal Components Analysis (PCA). High quality recordings of each species were used as the standards. The peak and mean frequencies and the pulse rate were used as the variables. Out of 12 samples recorded in the fields one fell in the vicinity of T. j...

We isolated and characterized 14 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) using a (GT)(13)-enriched genomic library. The numbers of alleles per locus ranged from 6 to 31, with a mean of 17.8. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.180 to 0.949 and from 0.172 to 0.966, with means of 0.731 and 0.825, respectively. All 14 loci were in Hardy-We...

The Asian bush mosquito (Aedes japonicus japonicus, Theobald 1901) is an invasive culicid species which originates in Asia but is nowadays present in northern America and Europe. It is a competent vector for several human disease pathogens. In addition to the public health threat, this invasive species may also be an ecological threat for native container-breeding mosquitoes which share a simil...