Soil ciliates were first reported in South Korea by Shin (1993), and currently, more than 100 species are known (Jung et al., 2017; Kwon et al., 2019). In the plant rhizo sphere, soil ciliates mineralize nutrients and play an important role in plant nutrition (Ekelund and Rønn, 1994; Li et al., 2010). They also regulate soil microbial biomass and community composition (Lousier and Bam forth, 1988; Gel’tser, 1991; AcostaMercado and Lynn, 2004), making them a reliable soil environmental bio marker (Foissner, 1987a; 1997; 1999; Li et al., 2010). The genus Anteholosticha Berger, 2003 is characterized by a continuous adoral zone of membranelles, three en larged frontal cirri, buccal cirrus or cirri, frontoterminal cirri, midventral pairs only, more midventral pairs than number of transverse cirri, one left and one right marginal rows, and caudal cirri lacking. Ten Anteholosticha species have been recorded in South Korea (Jung et al., 2017; Moon et al., 2017; Kim and Min, 2018). The genus Bakuella Agamaliev & Alekperov, 1976 is characterized by a continuous adoral zone of membrane lles, three frontal cirri, one or more buccal cirri, two or more frontoterminal cirri, midventral complex composed of midventral pairs and midventral rows, one left and one right marginal row, and transverse cirri (Berger, 2006). Three Bakuella species have been recorded in Korea (Jo et al., 2015; Kim et al., 2018): Bakuella (Bakuella) incheonesis Jo et al., 2015, Bakuella (Psuedobakuella) lit o ralis Jo et al., 2015, and Bakuella marina Agamaliev and Alekperov, 1976. Herein, we report two soil ciliate species new to Korean and provide morphological descriptions and the small sub unit ribosomal RNA (18S rRNA) gene sequences.
Diatoms are groups of eukaryotic unicellular micro algae and are some of the most common organic matter in an aquatic ecosystem. They play an important role as the primary producers in freshwater and marine environ ments, and they contribute significantly to the photosyn thesis activity on Earth (Lee et al., 2019). In addition, dia toms are used widely across the world for environmental monitoring because different species of diatom typically have specific habitat preferences, and they react quickly to environmental changes (Dixit et al., 1992; Round et al., 2007). For example, species like Cyclotella meneghiniana and Thalassiosira pseudonana (Baek et al., 2011; Adenan et al., 2013) have distinct ranges of pH and salinity where they will grow (Spaulding et al., 2019). In addition, they have ranges and tolerance for other environmental factors, such as nutrient concentration, suspended sediment, flow regime, elevation, and for different types of human distur bances (Spaulding et al., 2019). Hence, they are consid ered susceptible indicators of water quality and environ mental change. For these reasons, diatoms have received considerable attention from past and ongoing research (Dixit et al., 1992; Adenan et al., 2013; Hilaluddin et al., 2020). In general, diatoms have been discriminated morphologi cally by using a light microscope (LM) and scanning elec tron microscope (SEM). However, some diatoms may have few discernible structural differences when viewed with a microscope. In addition, different lineages have often adapted in similar ways to analogous habitats. As a result, there are many examples of diatoms species that look very similar at the microscopic level, but are not closely related (Graham et al., 2009). Since the early 1980s, molecular techniques by using carbohydrates, toxins, proteins, and nucleic acids as markers have been developed to detect and discriminate phytoplankton (Ebenezer et al., 2012; Sun et al., 2012). Among DNA based methods such as terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism, micro array, realtime PCR, the highthroughput sequencing (HTS) of smallsubunit rRNA genes from environmental DNA techniques has already been widely applied for the assessment of microbial diversity and microplanktonic community structure (Eiler et al., 2012; Ghiglione and Murray, 2012). These methods allowed high resolution and rapid analysis of microbial and phytoplankton com Journal of Species Research 10(1):4656, 2021
Although the high level of species diversity within the Pholcus phungiformes-group (Araneae: Pholcidae) in the Korean Peninsula has been recognized recently, taxonomic studies, including new species discovery, have not been conducted in western regions of South Korea. In this study, five additional species belonging to the Pholcus phungiformes-group discovered from Seoul and surrounding areas are described as new, viz., Pholcus seoulensis Lee Lee, sp. nov. Pholcus suraksanensis Lee Lee, sp. nov., Pholcus incheonensis Lee Lee, sp. nov., Pholcus seokmodoensis Lee Lee, sp. nov. and Pholcus chilgapsanensis Lee Lee, sp. nov. Detailed descriptions and geographic distributions are provided with accompanying photographs.
Whereas freshwater ecosystems cover only less than 1% of the Earth’s surface, fresh waters are vulnerable to climate change and thus considered to be indicators for global warming. As prokaryotic microorganisms inhabiting freshwater ecosystems play an essential role in ecosystem functioning, it is important to cultivate key microbial taxa for the elucidation of their physiology, metabolism, and ecological niches. In 2006, National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) launched the research program of ‘The Survey of Korean Indigenous Species,’ and in 2016, the Nakdonggang National Institute of Biological Resources (NNIBR) also started a similar research grant named ‘Survey of freshwater organisms and specimen collection (Prokaryotes)”. Owing to these research programs, many unrecorded or new prokaryotic species have been discovered from diverse freshwater ecosystems on the Korean Peninsula (i.e, Jeon et al., 2017; NIBR, 2017; Joung et al., 2018; Joung et al., 2019). The study reported herein is a part of the research program supported by NNIBR, focusing on the isolation of unrecorded bacterial species from diverse habitats of the Han River watershed. In 2020, we targeted to isolate previously unrecorded bacterial species in water or sediment samples collected from eight different Han River watershed stations (Hanpo, Anyang, Gyeongan, and Hadong streams; Chungju, Cheongpyong, and Soyang lakes; and Janghang wetland). Bacterial cultivation was conducted under aerobic conditions, except for samples collected from the Gyeongan stream and the Janghang wetland, which were conducted under anaerobic conditions. Journal of Species Research 10(3):227-236, 2021
The phylum Firmicutes is one of the major phyla in the domain Bacteria. Firmicutes species are generally Gram-positive bacteria with a low G +C content and known to make up a high proportion of human gut microbiota that plays an important role in health maintenance (Qin et al., 2010). At the time of writing, based on 16S rRNA gene sequences, the phylum Firmicutes comprises seven classes with validly published names (https://lpsn. dsmz.de/phylum/firmicutes): Bacilli, Clostridia, Culicoidibacteria, Erysipelotrichia, Limnochordia, Negativicutes and Thermolithobacteria. The class Bacilli is divided into two orders Bacillales and Lactobacillales. The formation of endospores is one of the characteristics of the order Bacillales, whereas the order Lactobacillales does not form endospores and produces lactic acid (Ludwig et al., 2009). In this study, bacterial strains belonging to the phylum Firmicutes were isolated from various environments during the investigation of indigenous bacterial species in Korea. As a result, 20 strains representing unrecorded bacterial species in Korea are described.
particularly under light microscopy (LM). Thereafter, the correct identification of diatoms based on thorough morphological investigation is essential for better understanding of biodiversity of the Korean marine benthic diatoms. In the present study, we report the detailed information of the morphology and biogeography of two small-sized diatoms Tidal flats are well developed in and around the Yellow Sea of Northeast Asia, and benthic diatoms are the most important primary producers in corresponding habitats. In the present study, the taxonomy and distribution of small negligible diatom species from Northeast Asian tidal flats are investigated for better understanding of the diversity of Korean marine benthic diatoms. The presence of Plagiogrammopsis minima and Diploneis aestuarii , which may have been ignored and/or misidentified due to their small size, were identified by both means of light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Plagiogrammopsis minima has never been reported from Korea before the present study, while Diploneis aestuarii was only once mentioned without any photographic information. Accordingly, we provide the morphological characteristics of the two species in detail with LM and SEM observation. Information on the regional distribution of the two species is also provided. Results of the present study contribute to the better understanding of the biodiversity of the Korean marine benthic diatoms.
Scuticociliates are a speciose group and very common in coastal habitats (Carey, 1992; Lynn, 2008). Most of them are free-living, but some parasitize marine metazoans such as fish and crustaceans (Grolière and Leglise, 1977; Lom and Dykova, 1992; Song et al., 2003; 2009). According to the list of Korean ciliates made by Kwon et al. (2019), only 10 scuticociliate species were reported in Korea, since most Korean taxonomists have been focusing on the class Spirotrichea, which counts for about 60% of the list. In this study, I focused on the Korean scuticociliates to understand their diversity, resulting in the identification of four species from coastal water samples. Two species belong to the genus Pleuronema, which is very common in coastal habitats and comprises more than 20 species (Dujardin, 1841; Carey, 1992; Song et al., 2009; Wang et al., 2009; Pan et al., 2016). In contrast, the other two genera, Eurystomatella and Schizocalyptra, are relatively uncommon and recently investigated (Long et al., 2007; Wang et al., 2008b; Miao et al., 2010). For instance, the family Eurystomatellidae consists of only two monotypic genera (Fan et al., 2009; Miao et al., 2010; Zhang et al., 2019), while the genus Schizocalyptra comprises five species (Dragesco, 1968; Fernandez-Leborans and Novillo, 1994; Long et al., 2007; Wang et al., 2008b).
Global mean temperature has risen by approximately 0.85°C over the last 130 years, and is likely to increase by 1.9-5.2°C depending on the level of greenhouse gas emissions until the end of the 21st century (National Institute of Meteorological Sciences, 2019). Species faced with climate change are responding in several different ways (e.g., geological range changes and phenological shifts) through species-specific physiological thresholds of temperature and precipitation tolerance (Walther et al., 2002; Cahill et al., 2014). In some cases, species that fail to adapt to the new climate regimes may go extinct (Wiens, 2016). The rate of future warming is likely to be faster (Loarie et al., 2009), exceeding the adaptability of species and leading to biodiversity decreases (Dawson et al., 2011; Richman et al., 2020). Subalpine and alpine ecosystems represent one of the most vulnerable regions due to climate change (Conlisk et al., 2017; Adhikari et al., 2018). With general warming trends, to the extent that dispersal and resource availability allow, plant species are expected to shift toward higher latitudes and elevations (Parmesan and Yohe, 2003; Chen et al., 2011). Walther (2003) reported that the tree-line position had shifted upward by around 130 m (min. 5 m to max. 375 m) over the past 50 years. Plants in the subalpine zone must survive by shifting upward to habitats with suitable climatic conditions, but species or populations already distributed at the mountain peak no longer have a niche (Wiens, 2016; Shin et al., 2021). In addition, the rate of warming is amplified with elevation so that high-mountain environments experience more rapid changes in temperature than environments at lower elevations (Mountain Research Initiative EDW Working Group, 2015). These trends in high-mountain climates increase the vulnerability of subalpine plants with limited Journal of Species Research 10(3):246-254, 2021
The family Leuconidae Sars, 1878, is composed of 20 genera with 171 species worldwide (WoRMS, 2021). Among them, four species belonging to genera Eudorella Norman, 1867 and Nippoleucon Watling, 1991 have been recorded in Korea: Eudorella hwanghaensis Hong & Park, 1999, Eudorella pacifica Hart, 1930, Nippoleucon hinumensis (Gamô, 1967), and Nippoleucon projectus Lee & Lee, 2006 (Hong & Park, 1999; Lee & Lee, 2003; 2006). The genus Pseudoleucon Zimmer, 1903 was established within the family Leuconidae to include Pseudo leucon sorex Zimmer, 1903 described originally from southern Japanese waters. After that, Pseudoleucon jap onicus Gamô, 1964 was recorded from the same waters based on female specimens (Zimmer, 1903; Gamô, 1964). During the study on the cumacean specimens collected from the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the western sea (Yellow Sea) of Korea, we found P. japonicus, previously not recorded in Korean waters. In this study, P. jap onicus is added to the Korean cumacean fauna, with the first description and illustrations of a male. MaterIals and Methods
The phylum Actinobacteria is one of the largest groups in the domain Bacteria (Goodfellow, 2012). In recent years, a proper hierarchical classification system for this group was established based on genome analysis. Conse quently, on August 2020, the phylum Actinobacteria con sisted of 6 classes, 46 orders, 78 families and more than 400 genera [LPSN (https://www.bacterio.net/); Salam et al., 2020]. Members of the phylum Actinobacteria showed great diversity in terms of their habitat, morphology and physi o logy (Goodfellow and Williams, 1983). Actinobacterial species are relatively abundant in terrestrial and aquatic environments where they are involved in the decomposi tion and recycling of organic matter (Servin et al., 2008). In addition to their saprophytic property, several genera, such as Mycobacterium, Corynebacterium (Dangle et al., 2019) and Clavibacter (Hwang et al., 2019), are patho genic to animals (including humans) and plants (Qin et al., 2011). Also, endophytic actinobacteria have been isolated from a variety of healthy plants (Qin et al., 2011). In Korea, 329 species with valid names were isolated from various natural environments, fermented foods, waste water, compost and clinical specimens [LPSN (https:// www.bacterio.net/); Bae et al., 2016]. Moreover, 249 un Journal of Species Research 10(1):2345, 2021
The family Heterorhabdidae Sars (1902), a typical mesozooplankton from the epipelagic to the bathypelagic zone, is ecologically important in pelagic marine ecosystems because of its high abundance and the various feeding habits as particle feeders or carnivores (Harding, 1974; Hopkins, 1985; Ohtsuka et al., 1997). The members of this family are easily distinguished from other calanoid families owing to their specialized characters in the left caudal ramus (i.e., fused with the anal segment and with greatly elongated marginal seta) and the presence of a large and plumose inner lobe in the basis of male right leg 5 (Park, 2000). This family consists of 67 species in eight genera worldwide (Walter and Boxshall, 2020) and is the first record of the family Heterorhabdidae from Korea. Heterorhabdus Giesbrecht, 1898 is the most common and species-rich genus in the family. This genus was first established by Claus (1863) based on Heterochaeta spin ifrons Claus, 1863 and H. papilligera Claus, 1863. Giesbrecht and Schmeil (1898) later changed from Hetero chaeta to Heterorhabdus because the name Heterochaeta was already occupied. Wolfenden (1911) erected the genus Alloiorhabdus for two heterorhabdid species, Heterorhab dus austrinus Giesbrecht, 1902 and Alloiorhabdus medius Wolfenden, 1911. However, the genus was placed in synonymy with Heterorhabdus. Recently, the genus was redefined by Park (2000) based on the most important characters, including the spiny papilla on the sternite of the first pedigerous somite and a saber or falciform spine on the coxa of maxilliped. Park (2000) also divided the genus into four species groups (spinifrons, papilliger, fistulosus, and abyssalis) using the morphological similarities in the maxilliped, maxilla, and the fifth leg of male among the recognized species. Heterorhabdus papilliger has been reported from the epipelagic zone in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, Japan, New Zealand, North America, and Indonesia, after the first description from the Mediterranean Sea. Although this species is widely distributed Journal of Species Research 10(1):78-85, 2021
Selaginellaceae is an ancient group of lycopods comprising some 700-750 living species in one genus, Selag inella P. Beauv. (Jermy, 1990). The most often referred infrageneric classification was proposed by Jermy (1986), with five subgenera: Subg. Selaginella (2 species), Subg. Tetragonostachys Jermy (ca. 50 species), Subg. Ericeto rum Jermy (3 species), Subg. Heterostachys Baker (ca. 60 species), and Subg. Stachygynandrum (P. Beauv. ex Mirb.) Baker (ca. 600 species). More recently, Weststrand and Korall (2016) proposed a new infrageneric classification of Selaginella, which classified Selaginella into seven subgenera: Subg. Selaginella (2 species), Subg. Rupestrae Weststrand & Korall (ca. 50 species), Subg. Lepidophyl lae (Li Bing Zhang & X.M.Zhou) Weststrand & Korall (2 species), Subg. Gymnogynum (P.Beauv.) Weststrand & Korall (ca. 40 species), Subg. Exaltatae Weststrand & Korall (3 species), Subg. Ericetorum Jermy (4 species), and Subg. Stachygynandrum (P.Beauv. ex Mirb.) Baker (ca. 600 species). The majority of Selaginella species have uniform, monomorphic sporophylls (isosporophyllous), approximately 10% species have dimorphic sporophylls (anisosporophylls). South China to Southeast Asia is the diversity center of anisosporphyllous Selaginella, with more than 36 species distributed in China alone (Zhang, 2004; Zhang et al., 2013). Recently, a few anisosporophyllous species have been newly reported from China (Sun et al., 2015; Shalimov et al., 2019). Taxonomy of the anisosporophyllous species is often difficult because most species are small plants with minute and obscure characters, even the status of dimorphism of sporophylls is obscure and sometimes only slightly different from isosporophylls. Molecular phylogeny has resolved the isosporophyll species and the anisosporophyll species being separate lineages (Korall et al., 1999; 2000; 2004) at least for the majority of Old World species (except S. bisulcata Spring and S. pennata (D. Don) Spring). Selaginella vaginata Spring (synonym: Selaginella compta Hand.-Mazz.) belongs to Subg. Heterostachys Baker in Jermy’s classification (1986) and Subg. Stachyg ynandrum (P.Beauv. ex Mirb.) Baker in Weststrand and Korall (2016). This species is widely distributed from Journal of Species Research 9(3):221-232, 2020
Since the Nagoya Protocol and the Convention on Biological Diversity, securing and managing of biological resources have become more important (Buck & Hamilton, 2011). In order to be competitive with national biological resources, various biological resources should be secured. However, to date, systematic research on domestic freshwater biological resources is insufficient. Freshwater basins are expected to have high diversity due to their diverse environmental conditions. According to the Korean Society of Ecology, reported in 1994, it is estimated that 100,000 native species inhabit Korea, while 52,628 species have been reported (National species list of Korea, 2019); so there is an urgent need to study unreported species. In particular, prokaryotes are a resource of biological industry and have the highest industrial value, but reported species are less than 1% of the estimated species. Most aerobic prokaryotes are being investigated among reported species. Although anaerobic prokaryotic microorganisms derived from freshwater environment are actively being studied globally due to their high novelty as biological resources, there are few cases of purely isolated culture in Korea. In the present study, we attempted to isolate anaerobic microorganisms from freshwater and sediment in the Geum River of Korea. Here, 37 unreported species belonging to the classes Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteo bacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacteroidia, Flavobac teriia, Bacilli, Clostridia, and Fusobacteriia are reported and described.
The first study on Korean bryophytes was published by Cardot (1904) based on specimens collected by French Father Faurie. Cardot (1904) reported 98 species from Korea, and 34 of them were new species. Following that and before the Korean War, Japanese researchers were responsible for most bryophyte studies in Korea. From the late 1950s to the 1960s, a study on Korean bryophytes was published by Won Shic Hong. In the 1970s and 1980s, Du-Mun Choe released a study on a flora of bryophytes of Korea. In 1980, Korea’s first illustrated book on bryophytes was published. For approximately 20 years until 2000s, research on bryophytes of Korea has remained dormant. Lee and Choi (2012) summarized the history of research on bryophytes of Korea. Table 1 shows various lists of Korean mosses published since 1980. Korea’s first illustrated book on bryophytes was published by Choe (1980), and Choe and Choi (1980) reported 484 moss species in Korea. A list of Hepaticae of Korea was reported by Hong (1997). In 1991, the Sporic Plants of Joseon, Volume 9 written by Ho-Jun Hwang was published in North Korea. Except these studies, there were no studies concerning lists of bryophytes of the Korea until 2007. Based on the study of Choe and Choi (1980), Park and Choi (2007) reported a “New List of Bryophytes in Korea” by presenting an overview of bryophytes surveyed in Mt. Baekdu by Park (1997). In 2012, the National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR) published a “National List of Species of Korea Mosses & Liverworts”. In case of Park and Choi (2007) and NIBR (2012), the lists of bryophytes compiled a lot of literature. However, some literature was not listed, and some species described in the literature were not recognized. And, although many species were newly added to the moss checklist of Korea, references or specimens were not included. Thus, this study has reviewed references for each species and updates the moss checklist of Korea by compiling papers published until September 2020. As the result, there are 775 taxa listed to the list of mosses of Korea, which can be classified into 56 families, 250 genera, 728 species, 7 subspecies, 38 varieties, and 2 forma. Additionally, this study cites specimens collected in Jeju Island, Samcheok, Gangwon Province, and Socheong Island collected from 2015 to 2018. About 1,593 specimens were collected, and identified as 338 species. The specimens newly secured through this study have been preserved at the herbarium of the National Institute of Biological Resources (KB). Some of the duplicate specimens are preserved at the Journal of Species Research 9(4):377-412, 2020
Terrestrial and inland water habitats show an extraordinary high ciliate diversity suggesting that the majority of ciliate species are yet to be discovered (Foissner et al., 2002; 2008). For example, Foissner et al. (2002) identified 365 ciliate species, including newly established taxa only from the Namib Desert. Also, 459 terrestrial and semiterrestrial ciliate species were collected from Venezuela and the Galápagos (Foissner, 2016). Likewise, many species have been described from Korean terrestrial and inland water (Moon et al., 2017; Jung et al., 2017; 2018; 2019; Kim et al., 2019a; 2019b). In the present study, we discovered 16 species from terrestrial moss or soil, one from limnetic and one from brackish water. Also, a brief description, remarks, and photomicrographs are provided for each species.
The order Rhabdocoela is a species-rich group of microturbellarian flatworms occurring in marine and freshwater habitats around the world. Although more than 1,500 species have been recorded globally, there are no records of rhabdocoels from Korean waters. Moreover, only 18 species are known from adjacent areas, most of which are described in a few studies focusing on the East Sea in Russia and Japan (Nasonov, 1932; Evdonin, 1968; 1970a; 1970b; 1971; 1977; Ax, 1992; 2008; Takeda and Kajihara, 2018). Undoubtedly, this is but a small fraction of the actual number of species in this area as the diverse coastal areas of the marginal seas surrounding the Korean Peninsula represent an important, yet mostly underexplored part of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. Rhabdocoels fall within two clades: the Kalyptorhynchia with a proboscis (Tessens et al., 2014), and the Dalytyphloplanida without a proboscis (Van Steenkiste et al., 2013). Most kalyptorhynchs are eukalyptorhynchs (with an undivided proboscis) as opposed to the less taxon-rich schizorhynchs (with a split proboscis). Polycystididae is by far the most species-rich eukalyptorhynch family and representatives are characterized by very complex and variable male and female atrial organs (Artois and Schockaert, 2003; 2005). Many taxa of polycystidids are commonly found in marine sediments and on seaweeds. Here we report on the polycystidid Alcha sinensis Wang & Hu, 2019 from Korea, which is also the first record of a rhabdocoel from the Yellow Sea and the Korean Peninsula. We provide new details on the morphology of its prostate stylet type III and discuss its importance as a diagnostic character. Finally, we provide a thorough comparison with the original specimens of A. sinensis from southern China and with its only other congeneric species Alcha evelinae Marcus, 1949.
