The National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium (NMMBA; Chinese: 國立海洋生物博物館; pinyin: Guólì Hǎiyáng Shēngwù Bówùguǎn) is the most notable museum and research institution for marine biology in Taiwan, which located in Checheng Township, Pingtung County, Taiwan.In 2004, NMMBA cooperated with National Dong Hwa University to jointly establish NDHU College of Marine Sciences and Graduate Institute of Marine Biology, which was the first academic partnership between university and museum in Taiwan.
The recent review by Veron et al. (2025) posits that quantitative genomic evidence used to understand coral evolution should be secondary to species hypotheses derived from expert opinion based on field experience. The authors argue that morphological “biological entities” should take precedence over molecular evidence when conflicts arise. This perspective required the rejection of extensive, independent molecular datasets that have progressively converged on a robust evolutionary framework for reef corals. Here, we reaffirm how prioritising subjective visual assessments over quantitative genetic and genomic data is methodologically unsound and scientifically regressive. We reject the framing of this perspective as “morphology versus molecules”. Rather, it is a fundamental divergence between two opposing philosophies: a static system anchored in non-reproducible expert judgement, and an integrative framework where genetic data provide the necessary independent test of morphological hypotheses. We show how a reliance on “field entities” obscures true morphological patterns by failing to distinguish between phenotypic plasticity, convergence, and evolutionary divergence. Effective taxonomy requires species hypotheses to be testable, and to stand or fall on the strength of reproducible evidence. Such a framework does not replace morphology; it validates it by providing an explicit, testable basis for evaluating morphological hypotheses. The integration of testable, reproducible molecular analysis with other lines of evidence including morphology is the benchmark of modern taxonomy across all Kingdoms of Life. We address the logical inconsistencies in the general arguments put forward by Veron et al. (2025) and refute their specific rejection of recent Acropora species-level revision with reproducible data.
Chemical investigation of the soft coral Sclerophytum humesi led to the discovery of (±)-norsclerohumin A (1), a pair of enantiomeric norsesquiterpenoids possessing an unprecedented oxatricyclo[7.2.1.01,9]dodecane scaffold with a rare C5-O-C8 intramolecular ether-bridge. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analysis, including NMR, HRESIMS, ECD, and DP4+ analysis. A plausible biosynthetic pathway is proposed to account for the formation of the unique ether-bridged oxatricyclic framework and the generation of the enantiomeric pair (±)-norsclerohumin A. In addition, the absolute configuration of sinunorcaryophyllenol (2) was fully determined for the first time. Mechanistic studies revealed pronounced stereoselective inhibition of acetylcholinesterase (AChE), in which (-)-1b was far more potent than its antipode (+)-1a, with IC50 values of 10.08 ± 0.48 μM and 149.8 ± 1.02 μM, respectively. Enzyme kinetics showed that (-)-1b is a mixed-type AChE inhibitor (Ki = 6.61 μM), binding both the free enzyme and enzyme-substrate complex. Molecular docking indicated that its ether-bridged oxatricyclic skeleton fits optimally in the AChE active site, stabilizing key interactions within both the catalytic and peripheral binding regions. Importantly, (-)-1b displayed selective AChE inhibition without detectable cytotoxicity toward normal cells (IC50 > 256 μM), underscoring its favorable safety profile. Furthermore, pharmacokinetic predictions and quantum chemical parameters further suggest favorable drug-like properties, including high gastrointestinal absorption, blood-brain barrier permeability, and low risk of P-glycoprotein/cytochrome P450 interactions. These findings highlight the oxatricyclo[7.2.1.01,9]dodecane scaffold as a promising lead for neurotherapeutic development.
Cembrane-type diterpenes are among the most common natural marine substances in the soft coral Sinularia flexibilis. Cembranoids from the soft coral S. flexibilis exhibited interesting biological activities, especially the anti-inflammatory effect. To establish a stable source S. flexibilis and protect its natural habitat, we used aquaculture technology to farm the coral in large quantities since 2016 and isolated several bioactive natural products. However, by 2022, the bioactive compound content in cultured S. flexibilis had declined by over 50 % compared to wild-type levels, indicating a progressive loss associated with extended culture duration. We used high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to analyze the changes in the contents of cembranoids in the wild-type and cultured S. flexibilis. The results revealed the cultured S. flexibilis contained much fewer cembranoids than the wild-type soft coral. To investigate the relationship between S. flexibilis and its associated microorganisms and explore whether the composition of microorganisms affects the content of cembranoids in the soft coral, we used next-generation sequencing technology to analyze the 16S and 18S rRNA genes of prokaryotic and eukaryotic communities associated with wild-type and cultured S. flexibilis and elucidate the differences. Additionally, next-generation sequencing of the coral-associated microbiota revealed significant differences in the bacterial phyla composition between the wild and cultured S. flexibilis. Wild-type coral harbored at least 27 distinct bacterial phyla, while the cultured coral contained at least 23. Wild S. flexibilis exhibited higher proportions of Proteobacteria and Spirochaetota, while cultured coral showed higher abundance of Firmicutes and Bacteroidota. At the family level, we also observed notable differences between the wild and cultured corals. The dominant bacterial families in the wild coral included Spongiibacteraceae (33.50 %), Endozoicomonadaceae (23.22 %), Spirochaetaceae (11.94 %), Terasakiellaceae (4.30 %), Phycisphaeraceae (3.89 %), and Comamonadaceae (2.89 %). In contrast, the major families in the cultured corals were Bacillaceae (29.76 %), Chitinibacteraceae (10.60 %), Terasakiellaceae (6.27 %), SAR324 clade (5.84 %), Enterobacteriaceae (5.43 %), Lachnospiraceae (3.73 %), Flavobacteriaceae (3.11 %), and Helicobacteraceae (3.08 %). Except for Terasakiellaceae, the major bacterial families in the wild coral were almost entirely different from those in the cultured S. flexibilis. These findings suggested that changes in the coralassociated microbiota may be one of the key factors contributing to the observed decline in the production of bioactive natural products in cultured corals.
Two pairs of enantiomeric diterpenoids, (±)-sclerofish A (1) and (±)-sclerofish B (2), featuring a rare 4/7/6-fused tricyclic framework, were isolated from the soft coral Sclerophytum humesi by molecular networking-guided isolation. Their structures were elucidated by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses, including NMR, HRESIMS, TDDFT-ECD, and DP4+ analysis. A plausible biogenetic pathway, originating from geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) was proposed to rationalize the formation of the unusual bicyclo[4.3.14,8]decane subunit and the resulting 4/7/6-fused skeleton. Compound 1a/1b exhibited inhibition of Huh-7 cells with IC50 values of 5.1 ± 0.9 and 4.9 ± 0.3 μM, respectively, and showed selective cytotoxicity toward cancer cells (SI > 9.7), whereas compound 2a/2b displayed comparatively weaker activity. These findings expand the structural diversity of xeniaphyllane-type diterpenoids and highlight the soft coral S. humesi as a valuable source of structurally unique and biologically relevant marine natural products.
As part of a survey of the remarkable diversity of Facetotecta (“y-larvae”) at an Okinawan (Japan) hotspot locality, a very small and relatively abundant species of this group, Hansenocaris lenticula sp. nov. (formerly designated as “Type K”), is described based on last-stage lecithotrophic nauplii and cyprids reared from the plankton. Among the now 18 formally described species of Facetotecta, this is the fourth for which both nauplii and cyprids are known, and it has the smallest lecithotrophic nauplii yet reported for this group. The nauplii of H. lenticula sp. nov. are distinguished by their small size (approximately 0.2 mm long), flat, trapezoidal labrum, very small antennal and mandibular endopods, and significantly dorso-ventrally bent body with a conically tapered trunk region ending in small, conical furcal and dorsocaudal spines, the latter being slightly smaller than the former. The cyprids can be recognized by their small size, unique labral armature (three similarly sized distal hooks), relatively low number of plates/facets on the telson (three to seven plates per row) and reduced setation of the furcal rami (two very unequal blade-like setae). Potentially diagnostic aspects of the cuticular ornamentation of both larval stages (pores, setae, ridge-bounded plates/facets) are discussed, as well as potential commonalities with other y-larvae, but a detailed comparison is postponed until more facetotectan species have been described in detail. This study reconfirms our earlier assertion that lecithotrophic y-nauplii from Okinawa are relatively easy to distinguish from each other, while the discrimination of their cyprids requires more detailed microscopy, including SEM.
