Preliminary examination of zooxanthellate zoanthid (Hexacorallia, Zoantharia) and associated zooxanthellae {Symbiodinium spp.) diversity in Singapore

国際ワークショップ：International Workshop on Tropical Island Biodiversity: Across Land and Sea, 日時：2007年9月25日～29日, 場所：シンガポール国立大学（シンガポール）およびティオマン島（マレーシア）, 共催：琉球大学21世紀COEプログラム, シンガポール国立大学生物科学科論文http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_579

Discovery of the world's deepest populations of deep-sea zoanthids (Hexacorallia: Zoantharia: Abyssoanthidae) at the Japan Trench

琉球大学21世紀COEプログラム「サンゴ礁島嶼系の生物多様性の総合解析」平成20年度成果発表会（平成21年3月14日開催）　講演・特別講演会場：理系複号棟102号室，ポスター発表会場：琉球大学50周年記念館1F研究報告書http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_18w

硫黄鳥島初記録の有藻性スナギンチャク類

During a recent ecological survey of the reefs of Iwotorishima Island in the Ryukyu Islands, three species of zoantharians were noted. Past knowledge of zoantharians from this island is sparse, and only one species has previously been reported; Palythoa tuberculosa. In our survey, we also noted Palythoa tuberculosa, along with two other zoantharian species recorded for the first time from this island (Palythoa mutuki and Zoanthus sansibaricus).硫黄鳥島におけるスナギンチャク類の過去の記録はPalythoa tuberculosaイワスナギンチャク1種と少ない. 最近実施したサンゴ礁生態調査において,イワスナギンチャクに加え, 硫黄鳥島初記録となるPalythoa mutuki とZoanthus sansibaricusキクマメスナギンチャクも記録した.論文http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_650

Species Diversity of Shallow Water Zoanthids (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia) in Florida

Shallow water zooxanthellate zoanthids are a common component of the coral reef ecosystems of the Caribbean. Despite this, their species diversity remains poorly understood. In this study, collected Palythoa, Zoanthus, Isaurus, and Terrazoanthus specimens from the waters of Florida were phylogenetically examined to obtain a better understanding of zoanthid species diversity in the Caribbean. Surprisingly, the results from analyses utilizing three DNA markers (mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA, cytochrome oxidase subunit I, and the internal transcribed spacer of ribosomal DNA) showed the presence of at least eleven species, of which up to four appear undescribed. Additionally, the presence of the genus Terrazoanthus in the Caribbean was confirmed for the first time. Attempts to match phylogenetic species or clades with original literature were hampered by vague and short original descriptions, and it is clear that for Atlantic Palythoa and Zoanthus species an in-depth and multidisciplinary investigation is needed to reconcile recent phylogenetic results such as in this study with traditional taxonomy. Furthermore, most shallow water zoanthid species from Florida were observed to have close, sister-species relationships with previously investigated species in the Pacific Ocean. These results indicate that many brachycnemic zoanthid species likely had a Caribbean-Pacific distribution until the formation of the Isthmus of Panama. However, due to inadvertent redescriptions, overall species diversity in these two common genera is likely much lower than literature indicates

Same but different?:Zoantharian assemblages (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia) in Bonaire and Curaçao, southern Caribbean

Marine community datasets are key to the effective management and conservation of marine ecosystems, including coral reefs, which are increasingly threatened by a myriad of stressors. Although community information exists for many comparatively well-studied taxa, other common groups remain to be examined for even such basic information. In this study, we report on the zoantharian communities (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) on the reefs of Bonaire in the southern Caribbean, and compare current results from 30, 20, 10, and 5 m depths to recent similar surveys from nearby Curaçao. The surveys revealed a total of 17 zoantharian species and epibiotic associations on the reefs of Bonaire. Additionally, results showed that while zoantharian assemblages around Bonaire at shallow 5 and 10 m depths, dominated by Palythoa spp., were similar to those found on Curaçao, diversity and numbers of zoantharians were higher at 20 and 30 m due to more abundant epibiotic Parazoanthidae species associated with sponges. Differences in assemblage structure were seen in deeper 20 and 30 m depths between the two islands, implying that conservation of deeper reef slopes, or along depth gradients, may need to be independently considered and addressed for each location. Analyses with environmental parameters on the Bonaire dataset indicate the potential importance of coral reef rugosity and physical structure in shaping these zoantharian communities, aspects that should be focused on in more detail in future research

Morphological and phylogenetic diversity of <i>Waminoa</i> and similar flatworms (Acoelomorpha) in the western Pacific Ocean

The genus Waminoa currently contains two described species, which each contains two types of endosymbiotic algae. Warninoa individuals are basically brown in body color, derived from these algal symbionts, and their body shape has been described as "discoid to obcordate". They have been found as associates of various anthozoans (Cnidaria) in the Indo-Pacific Ocean and the Red Sea. In order to reveal the diversity of the genus Wanunoa and their hosts, we conducted phylogenetic and morphological analyses on acoelomate flatworms specimens collected from Japan, Palau and Indonesia. At least 18 Waminoa morphotypes were found on at least 20 anthozoan host species, and two specimens were found on species of two sea stars. Overall, there were two main body shapes of specimens; obcordate, as seen in W. Titus and W. brickneri, and the other molar-like with an elongated body. These two body shapes each represented a separate Glade in 18S rDNA and mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) phylogenetic trees, with W. brickneri included in the obcordate subclade. Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD) analyses on COI sequences of our specimens revealed the presence of at least five operational taxonomic units (OTUs). These five OTUs consisted of one large group of all obcordate animals, three OTUs consisting of one specimen each within the molar-like Glade, and one large group of the remaining molar-like specimens. Both clades contain numerous morphotypes and were associated with a variety of hosts. Finally, based on genetic distances, the molar-like specimens are considered as an unnamed genus group separate from Waminoa, which needs to be clarified in future studies

Museum collections as untapped sources of undescribed diversity of sponge-zoantharian associations with the description of six new species of <i>Umimayanthus</i> (Zoantharia: Parazoanthidae) from Western Australia and eastern Indonesia

The zoantharian genus Umimayanthus consists largely of species that live in obligate symbioses with sponges. Although zoantharians have often been overlooked in field collecting campaigns and in research, sponges are usually well-collected, and many natural history museums harbor numerous sponge specimens. Thus, these sponge collections may also include previously overlooked zoantharian species. Such is the case in this research, in which we examined sponge specimens in museum collections from Western Australia and eastern Indonesia. Based on our morphological and molecular analyses, we herein describe six species of Umimayanthus new to science, and redescribe another species described over a century ago. These species can be distinguished by their sponge associations, gross polyp and colony morphology, and depth ranges. Based on these findings, it appears that the Central Indo-Pacific region of Western Australia and Indonesia can be considered a hotspot for sponge-associated zoantharian diversity. We provide a key for the identification of all formally described species in the genus, but caution that there are likely more Umimayanthus species awaiting discovery.</p

リュウキュウニセマメスナギンチャク Neozoanthus uchina Reimer, Irei & Fujii, 2012 の八重山諸島からの報告

A single zoanthid specimen closely resembling Neozoanthus uchina Reimer, Irei & Fujii, 2012 (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Zoantharia:Neozoanthidae) was recently collected from shallow mesophotic waters (38 m) in Nagura Bay, Ishigaki Island, southern Ryukyu Islands, Japan. Phylogenetic analyses indicate a small but significant difference in mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA sequences between this specimen and the other two Pacific species of Neozoanthus, N.uchina from the central Ryukyu Islands and N.caleyi Reimer, Irei & Fujii, 2012 from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. This single specimen is the first distributional record of this genus in the northern hemisphere south of Okinawa Island, Japan. We briefly discuss the possibility identity of this specimen, and preliminarily designate it as Neozoanthus cf. uchina based on morphological similarities (partial sand encrustation, tentacle count) with N. uchina. Future research into Neozoanthus in the Yaeyama Islands is needed to clearly ascertain its true status. Furthermore, this research demonstrates deeper mesophotic regions may harbor unknown zoanthid diversity.石垣島名蔵湾の中深度上部 (水深38m)より, リュウキュウニセマメスナギンチャク\nNeozoanthus uchina Reimer, Irei&Fujii,2012( 刺胞動物門: 花虫綱: スナギンチャク目:Neozoanthidae 科) に似た標本が得られた. 系統解析の結果, この標本と 中琉球産リュウキュウニセマメスナギンチャク, 及びオーストラリア・グレートバリアリーフ産N. caleyi の間には,ミトコンドリア16S リボゾーマルDNA に若干\nの違いがみられた. 今回のニセマメスナギンチャク属の石垣島からの報告は, 北半球の沖縄島以南では最初の分布記録である. 本報告では,石垣産標本の分類学的位置について, リュウキュウニセマメスナギンチャク, あるいはその亜種, もしくは未記載種である可能性についても検討したが, 形態的な類似性と標本数が限られている事から, 暫定的にNeozoanthus cf.uchinaとして扱うことにした.八重山諸島に分布するニセマメスナギンチャク類の分類学的な位置を正確に決定するためにはさらなる調査が必要であるが,本研究により,中深度深部における未知なスナギンチャク類が存在する可能性が示唆された.論文http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_650

ダルマスナギンチャク属（花虫綱：六放サンゴ亜綱：スナギンチャク目）の日本初記録

A single specimen of Sphenopus marsupialis (Gmelin, 1791) was discovered within a reserve aquarium at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in February 2016. Although the exact collection locality is not known the specimen clearly came from a sandy area of shallow coral reef waters around Motobu, Okinawa, Japan. Previously reported from the Central Indo-Pacific up to Taiwan, this specimen represents the first recorded occurrence of Sphenopus from Japanese waters based on a specimen with certain identification, as well as the northernmost record of the genus.2016年2月, 沖縄美ら海水族館の予備水槽にてダルマスナギンチャクSphenopus marsupialis (Gmelin, 1791) の生体が確認された. 当該標本は沖縄県本部町周辺の浅い砂礫底で採集されたが, その詳細な位置は定かではない. ダルマスナギンチャク属はこれまでに中央インド太平洋から台湾まで採集の記録があるが, 日本より標本を基にして正確に同定されたのは, 本報が初めてであり, かつ属の北限の記録である.論文http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_650

Anemonefish are better taxonomists than humans

The symbiosis between giant sea anemones, algae of the family Symbiodiniaceae, and anemonefish is an iconic example of a mutualistic trio1,2. Molecular analyses have shown that giant sea anemones hosting anemonefish belong to three clades: Entacmaea, Stichodactyla, and Heteractis3,4,5 (Figure 1A). Associations among 28 species of anemonefish and 10 species of giant sea anemone hosts are complex. Some fish species are highly specialized to only one anemone species (e.g., Amphiprion frenatus with Entacmaea quadricolor), whereas others are more generalist (e.g., Amphiprion clarkii)1,2,6. Reasons for host preferences are obscured, among other things, by the lack of resolution in the giant sea anemone phylogeny. Here, we generated a transcriptomic dataset from 55 sea anemones collected from southern Japan to reconstruct these phylogenetic relationships. We observed that the bubble-tip sea anemone E. quadricolor, currently considered a single species, can be separated into at least four cryptic lineages (A–D). Surprisingly, these lineages can be precisely distinguished by observing their association with anemonefish: A. frenatus only associates with lineage D, whereas A. clarkii lives in the other three lineages.journal articl