First molecular detection of Hemolivia and Hepatozoon parasites in reptile-associated ticks on Iriomote Island, Japan

Hepatozoon and Hemolivia are members of the haemogregarines and are reported in reptiles and reptile-associated ticks. However, no studies have reported on Hepatozoon and Hemolivia in Japanese reptile-associated ticks. This study aimed to molecularly identify and to characterize Hepatozoon and Hemolivia in Japanese reptile-associated ticks, Amblyomma geoemydae (Cantor, 1847) and Amblyomma nitidum (Hirst & Hirst, 1910). A total of 41 and 75 DNA samples from A. geoemydae and A. nitidum ticks, respectively, were used for screening of Hepatozoon and Hemolivia with polymerase chain reaction targeting 18S rDNA. As a result, Hemolivia and Hepatozoon were detected in two A. geoemydae and one A. nitidum, respectively. The sequences of Hemolivia spp. showed a 99.5% (1,050/1,055 bp) identity with Hemolivia parvula (KR069083), and the Hemolivia spp. were located in the same clade as H. parvula in the phylogenetic tree. The sequences of Hepatozoon sp. showed a 98.4% (1,521/1,545 bp) identity with Hepatozoon colubri (MN723844), and the Hepatozoon sp. was distinct from validated Hepatozoon species in the tree. Our findings highlight the first molecular record of Hemolivia in Japan and present the first detection of Hepatozoon in A. nitidum. Further investigations on these tick-borne protozoa are required to understand their life cycle and pathogenicity

Dietary Habits of the Introduced Cane Toad Bufo marinus (Amphibia: Bufonidae) on Ishigakijima, Southern Ryukyus, Japan.

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyWe examined dietary habits of the introduced cane toad Bufo marinus at three sites representing different types of habitats (pond, forest, and rice paddy) on Ishigakijima Island, southern Ryukyus, Japan. Stomach contents analysis revealed that the toad mostly utilizes terrestrial arthropods, of which hymenopterans (mostly ants), adult coleopterans, hemipterans, and araneans dominated in the frequency of occurrence, hymenopterans in the numerical proportion, and larval lepidopterans, adult coleopterans, and larval dipterans in the volumetric proportion. Comparisons in taxonomic composition of the toad’s stomach contents and pitfall and sweeping net samples suggested ignorance or avoidance of Amphipoda by the toad. Our results suggest the possibility of considerable predation pressure of B. marinus upon the native arthropods, and ants in particular, on Ishigakijima Island

琉球列島近海におけるクロボシウミヘビの生息情報とハビタットについて

We provide a list of Hydrophis ornatus (Gray, 1842) observed during occasionally conducted field works between 2002 and 2014 in the Ryukyu Islands. Stomach contents of two snakes were also examined. Most of the snakes were observed from relatively enclosed bay-like waters with muddy to sandy substratum. Results of our surveys suggest that H. ornatus is more common than previously thought. It was also observed that H. ornatus often crawled into a burrow at the bottom by their head. One of the captured snakes contained a small goby, Oplopomus oplopomus (Valenciennes, 1837), in its stomach, which inhibits in muddy and sandy bottom of the sea. The habitat of H. ornatus appears to be related to its dietary habits.琉球列島近海で多数のクロボシウミヘビが観察された．そのほとんどは外海に面したサンゴ礁周辺ではなく, 泥底や砂底の浅海域で目撃された. また, 捕獲された標本の胃内から砂泥環境に生息するケショウハゼ1個体が得られた. クロボシウミヘビの琉球列島における生息はこれまで稀であると認識されてきたが, 本調査結果から, 本種は砂泥底質の浅海域を主なハビタットとして生息し, その生息密度はさほど小さくないことが示唆された

A global reptile assessment highlights shared conservation needs of tetrapods

Comprehensive assessments of species? extinction risks have documented the extinction crisis1 and underpinned strategies for reducing those risks2. Global assessments reveal that, among tetrapods, 40.7% of amphibians, 25.4% of mammals and 13.6% of birds are threatened with extinction3. Because global assessments have been lacking, reptiles have been omitted from conservation-prioritization analyses that encompass other tetrapods4,5,6,7. Reptiles are unusually diverse in arid regions, suggesting that they may have different conservation needs6. Here we provide a comprehensive extinction-risk assessment of reptiles and show that at least 1,829 out of 10,196 species (21.1%) are threatened?confirming a previous extrapolation8 and representing 15.6 billion years of phylogenetic diversity. Reptiles are threatened by the same major factors that threaten other tetrapods?agriculture, logging, urban development and invasive species?although the threat posed by climate change remains uncertain. Reptiles inhabiting forests, where these threats are strongest, are more threatened than those in arid habitats, contrary to our prediction. Birds, mammals and amphibians are unexpectedly good surrogates for the conservation of reptiles, although threatened reptiles with the smallest ranges tend to be isolated from other threatened tetrapods. Although some reptiles?including most species of crocodiles and turtles?require urgent, targeted action to prevent extinctions, efforts to protect other tetrapods, such as habitat preservation and control of trade and invasive species, will probably also benefit many reptiles.Fil: Cox, Neil. No especifíca;Fil: Young, Bruce E.. No especifíca;Fil: Bowles, Philip. No especifíca;Fil: Fernandez, Miguel. George Mason University; Estados Unidos. Universidad Mayor de San Andrés; BoliviaFil: Marin, Julie. Universite de Paris 13-Nord; FranciaFil: Rapacciuolo, Giovanni. California Academy of Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Böhm, Monika. The Zoological Society of London; Reino UnidoFil: Brooks, Thomas M.. University of The Philippines; Filipinas. University of Tasmania; AustraliaFil: Hedges, S. Blair. Temple University; Estados UnidosFil: Hilton Taylor, Craig. Biodiversity Assessment & Knowledge Team; Reino UnidoFil: Hoffmann, Michael. The Zoological Society of London; Reino UnidoFil: Jenkins, Richard K. B.. Biodiversity Assessment & Knowledge Team; Reino UnidoFil: Tognelli, Marcelo F.. No especifíca;Fil: Alexander, Graham J.. University of the Witwatersrand; SudáfricaFil: Allison, Allen. Bishop Museum; Estados UnidosFil: Ananjeva, Natalia B.. Zoological Institute; RusiaFil: Auliya, Mark. Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig; AlemaniaFil: Avila, Luciano Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Centro Nacional Patagónico. Instituto Patagónico para el Estudio de los Ecosistemas Continentales; ArgentinaFil: Chapple, David G.. Monash University; AustraliaFil: Cisneros Heredia, Diego F.. Universidad San Francisco de Quito; EcuadorFil: Cogger, Harold G.. Australian Museum Research Institute; AustraliaFil: Colli, Guarino Rinaldi. Universidade do Brasília; BrasilFil: de Silva, Anslem. No especifíca;Fil: Eisemberg, Carla C.. Charles Darwin University; AustraliaFil: Els, Johannes. Government of Sharjah; Emiratos Arabes UnidosFil: Fong G, Ansel. Centro Oriental de Biodiversidad y Ecosistemas; CubaFil: Grant, Tandora D.. No especifíca;Fil: Hitchmough, Rodney A.. No especifíca;Fil: Iskandar, Djoko T.. Institut Teknologi Bandung; IndonesiaFil: Kidera, Noriko. Okayama University of Science; Japón. National Institute for Environmental Studies; JapónFil: Martins Pimentel, Márcio. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Meiri, Shai. Universitat Tel Aviv; IsraelFil: Mitchell, Nicola J.. University of Western Australia; AustraliaFil: Molur, Sanjay. No especifíca;Fil: Nogueira, Cristiano de C.. Universidade de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Ortiz, Juan Carlos. Universidad de Concepción; ChileFil: Penner, Johannes. Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde Stuttgart; AlemaniaFil: Rhodin, Anders G. J.. Chelonian Research Foundation; Estados UnidosFil: Rivas, Gilson A.. Universidad del Zulia; VenezuelaFil: Rödel, Mark-Oliver. Staatliches Museum fur Naturkunde Stuttgart; AlemaniaFil: Roll, Uri. Ben Gurion University of the Negev; IsraelFil: Sanders, Kate L.. University of Adelaide; AustraliaFil: Santos Barrera, Georgina. Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México; MéxicoFil: Shea, Glenn M.. University of Western Sydney; AustraliaFil: Spawls, Stephen. No especifíca;Fil: Stuart, Bryan L.. North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences; Estados UnidosFil: Tolley, Krystal A.. University of the Witwatersrand; SudáfricaFil: Trape, Jean-François. Institut de Recherche Pour Le Développement Dakar; SenegalFil: Vidal, Marcela A.. Universidad del Bio Bio; ChileFil: Wagner, Philipp. No especifíca;Fil: Wallace, Bryan P.. No especifíca;Fil: Xie, Yan. Chinese Academy of Sciences; República de Chin