日本におけるギボシムシ研究の現状と展望

概要

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Enteropneusts, acorn worms, are free-living vermiform marine invertebrates and classified into approximately 80 species. In Japan only seven species have been hitherto reported. Recently, we started taxonomical study of enteropneusts to clarify the fauna of Japanese enteropneusts. We have performed energetic sampling from 2005 by scuba diving and snorkeling in various seas in Japan, i.e., Izu Peninsula, Miura Peninsula, Noto Peninsula, and Okinawa Island. Then, we found 14 species belonging to seven genera. Three of those genera were new to Japan. One of 14 species was newly described as Balanoglossus simodensis by Miyamoto and Saito (2007), four of them were identified into previously reported species and the others are under consideration. This study shows that the fauna of Japanese enteropneusts is richer than that previously expected, and continuation of careful and vigorous sampling could bring us much information on the taxonomy and ecology of enteropneusts.
日本動物分類学会の論文
2008-08-20