• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.217-225
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• 2021

The family Platycephalidae is a taxonomic group of economically important demersal flathead fishes that predominantly occupy tropical or temperate estuaries and coastal environments of the Indo-Pacific oceans and the Mediterranean Sea. In this study, we for the first time analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of the flathead Platycephalus cultellatus Richardson, 1846 from Vietnam by Next Generation Sequencing method. Its mitogenome was 16,641 bp in total length, comprising 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNA genes. The gene composition and order of the mitogenome were identical to those of typical vertebrates. The phylogenetic trees were reconstructed based on the concatenated nucleotide sequence matrix of 13 PCGs and the partial sequence of a DNA barcoding marker, cox1 in order to determine its molecular phylogenetic position among the order Scorpaeniformes. The phylogenetic result revealed that P. cultellatus formed a monophyletic group with species belonging to the same family and consistently clustered with one nominal species, P. indicus, and two Platycephalus sp. specimens. Besides, the cox1 tree confirmed the taxonomic validity of our specimen by forming a monophyletic clade with its conspecific specimens. The mitogenome of P. cultellatus analyzed in this study will contribute valuable information for further study on taxonomy and phylogeny of flatheads.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.392-404
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• 2021

Rotifers collected from mosses, leaf litter, soil, and wetland at six different locations in Korea were investigated. Ten species belonging to six genera in four families of monogonont and bdelloid rotifers were new to Korea: Habrotrocha scepanotrochoides De Koning, 1947, H. tripus (Murray, 1907), Lecane opias (Harring and Myers, 1926), L. perpusilla (Hauer, 1929), Macrotrachela decora (Bryce, 1912), Otostephanos auriculatus auriculatus(Murray, 1911), O. torquatus amoenus Milne, 1916, Scepanotrocha corniculata Bryce, 1910, S. simplex De Koning, 1947, and Testudinella brevicaudata Yamamoto, 1951. Among these 10 Korean new records, Habrotrocha scepanotrochoides, H. tripus, Macrotrachela decora, Otostephanos auriculatus auriculatus, O. torquatus amoenus, Scepanotrocha corniculata, and S. simplex were new to Asia as well. The present study is the first report of the genus Scepanotrocha Bryce, 1910 from Korea. Here, diagnostic characteristics and photomicrographs are provided for each Korean new record. In addition, a partial sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (mtCOX1) for S. simplex is presented.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 2023

We conducted a taxonomic study of bdelloid rotifers found from terrestrial habitats such as mosses, leaf litter and soil at four different locations in Korea. The study resulted in four new Korean records belonging to two genera in two families, Habrotrochidae and Philodinidae, of bdelloid rotifers: Habrotrocha soror Donner, 1950; H. thienemanni rubella Donner, 1951; H. valida Milne, 1916 and Philodina nitida nitida Milne, 1916. These new Korean records are rare and have very limited distributions. Habrotrocha thienemanni rubella and H. valida were not found again after their original descriptions until the present study. The present study is the third record for both H. soror and P. nitida nitida. All these four new Korean records are new to Asian fauna as well. Here, diagnostic characteristics and photomicrographs are provided for each new Korean record. In addition, a partial sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (mtCOX1) for P. nitida nitida is presented.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.83-87
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• 2023

Nysius plebeius is a major lygaeid pest of various cereal crops and ornamental plants in East Asian countries, including Korea. The complete mitochondrial genome of N. plebeius was characterized and found to comprise a total of 17,367 bp, which included 13 protein-coding genes, NADH dehydrogenase components (complex I, ND), cytochrome oxidase subunits (complex VI, COX), cytochrome oxidase b (CYPB), two ATP synthases, two ribosomal RNA genes, and 22 transfer RNAs. The GC content of 23%. It showed high sequence similarity to other Lygaeidae species, such as N. cymoides (94.5%), N. fuscovittatus (91.7%), and an unknown Nysius species (94.1%). This new N. plebeius mitochondrial genome can be widely used for evolutionary studies of Lygaeidae and to improve pest management practices.

• ALGAE
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.265-274
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• 2015

Thorea indica sp. nov. is described from the Sai River, Uttar Pradesh, India (26°39′00.7″ N, 80°47′38.3″ E). Its classification is based on molecular sequences of the plastid-encoded RuBisCO large-subunit gene, rbcL and the barcode region of the mitochondrial encoded cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1, cox1, and morphological data. The sequence analyses confirm a new species of Thorea. The cox1 barcode sequence had 90.4-90.8% identity with Thorea sp. from Australia and Thorea hispida from Hawaii and China. Based on rbcL sequences the Indian specimen was positioned in a major clade with high support (>95 bootstrap and 0.95 posterior probability) containing two other species: T. okadae from Japan and T. hispida from the continental USA, Hawaii, the UK, and China. The divergences among these sequences were T. indica vs. T. okadae (2.8%) and T. indica vs. T. hispida (2.9-3.4%). The comparison of morphological characters of Thorea from India was not conclusive due to the inadequate descriptions in previous reports: most specimens reported as T. hispida fit within the circumscription of T. indica as described here. The previous report of T. siamensis from the Sai River is incorrect and the specimens fit within our description of T. indica. Thorea indica and T. okadae can be distinguished by minor morphometric characters and sexuality (dioecious vs. monoecious).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.52 no.6
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• pp.673-676
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• 2014

Until 2012, a total of 48 cases of diphyllobothriasis had been reported in Korea, all of which were morphologically identified as Diphyllobothrium latum. However, some of these specimens were analyzed by nucleotide sequencing of the mitochondrial cox1 gene, which showed that all were D. nihonkaiense, not D. latum. After that, 3 further cases of diphyllobothriasis were confirmed as D. nihonkaiense. In the present study, 3 new cases of D. nihonkaiense were detected from 2011 through 2013. The hosts were infected through consumption of salmonid fishes, such as the trout or salmon, and 2 of them experienced severe diarrhea prior to proglottid passage. All of the tapeworms were confirmed to be D. nihonkaiense by genetic identification. This proved again that most diphyllobothriasis in Korea have been caused by D. nihonkaiense.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.363-371
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• 2020

A taxonomic study on bdelloid rotifers collected from mosses and/or leaf litter at four different locations in Korea resulted in five new Korean records and a new species, Philodina wonkimi n. sp. Philodina wonkimi n. sp. is easily distinguished from its congeners by the very long antenna which is much longer than the height of the pseudosegment carrying a dorsal antenna in creeping. Among the five new Korean records, two species- and two subspecies-level taxa are new to Asia as well. Adineta rhomboidea Bērzinš, 1950 has been reported from only three European countries including the type locality, and is recorded outside Europe for the first time. Present study is the fourth record for Philodina eurystephana Schulte, 1954. In addition, a partial sequence of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene (mtCOX1) for P. wonkimi n. sp. is provided here.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.54 no.2
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• pp.181-185
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• 2016

Human sparganosis is a zoonotic disease caused by infection with larval forms (procercoid/plerocercoid) of Spirometra spp. The purpose of this study was to identify Spirometra spp. of infected snakes using a multiplex PCR assay and phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequence data from the spargana of terrestrial snakes obtained from Korea and China. A total of 283 snakes were obtained that included 4 species of Colubridae comprising Rhabdophis tigrinus tigrinus (n=150), Dinodon rufozonatum rufozonatum (n=64), Elaphe davidi (n=2), and Elaphe schrenkii (n=7), and 1 species of Viperidae, Agkistrodon saxatilis (n=60). The snakes were collected from the provinces of Chungbuk, Chungnam, and Gyeongbuk in Korea (n=161), and from China (n=122). The overall infection rate with spargana was 83% (235/283). The highest was recorded for D. rufozonatum rufozonatum (100%), followed by A. saxatilis (85%) and R. tigrinus tigrinus (80%), with a negative result for E. davidi (0%) and E. schrenkii (0%). The sequence identities between the spargana from snakes (n=50) and Spirometra erinaceieuropaei (KJ599680) or S. decipiens (KJ599679) control specimens were 90.8% and 99.2%, respectively. Pairwise genetic distances between spargana (n=50) and S. decipiens ranged from 0.0080 to 0.0107, while those between spargana and S. erinaceieuropaei ranged from 0.1070 to 0.1096. In this study, all of the 904 spargana analyzed were identified as S. decipiens either by a multiplex PCR assay (n=854) or mitochondrial cox1 sequence analysis (n=50).

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.55-59
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• 2013

Twelve 924 bp cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) mitochondrial DNA sequences from Taenia asiatica isolates from Thailand were aligned and compared with multiple sequence isolates from Thailand and 6 other countries from the GenBank database. The genetic divergence of T. asiatica was also compared with Taenia saginata database sequences from 6 different countries in Asia, including Thailand, and 3 countries from other continents. The results showed that there were minor genetic variations within T. asiatica species, while high intraspecies variation was found in T. saginata. There were only 2 haplotypes and 1 polymorphic site found in T. asiatica, but 8 haplotypes and 9 polymorphic sites in T.saginata. Haplotype diversity was very low, 0.067, in T. asiatica and high, 0.700, in T. saginata. The very low genetic diversity suggested that T. asiatica may be at a risk due to the loss of potential adaptive alleles, resulting in reduced viability and decreased responses to environmental changes, which may endanger the species.