• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.136-139
• /
• 2019

The pulmonate gastropod Ellobium chinense (Pfeiffer, 1864) is an endangered marine species along the South Korean coasts due to habitat destruction and population declines. We sequenced the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) of 25 E. chinense specimens collected from five coastal sites in South Korea, and identified 16 unique haplotypes. The maximum intraspecific variation among individuals was 1.6%, while interspecific differences from another ellobiid species, Auriculastra duplicata (Pfeiffer, 1854), ranged from 21.9 to 23.0%. Our barcoding data will be useful to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among pulmonate gastropods and infer the population genetic structure of E. chinense.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.228-231
• /
• 2020

Pseudohelice subquadrata (Dana, 1851) is endangered due to its restricted habitat; hence, it has been designated as a marine protected species and endangered species by law in Korea. It has been recorded only Jeju-do and Geomun-do, Republic of Korea. The present study, is the first report on a cytochrome c oxidase subunit I DNA barcode for P. subquadrata. The maximum intra-specific genetic distance among all P. subquadrata individuals was found to be 0.5%, whereas inter-genetic distance within the same genus was 17.2-21.5% compared with Helice tientsinensis (Rathbun, 1931), H. tridens (De Haan, 1835), H. epicure (Ng et al., 2018), and Helicana wuana (Rathbun, 1931). Our barcoding data can thus be used as reference for restoration and conservation studies on P. subquadrata, which are designated as marine protected species.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
• /
• v.36 no.2
• /
• pp.174-179
• /
• 2018

Clithon retropictus has been protected by the Ministry of Environment as an endangered species since 1998 and has been listed on the state red list of endangered species category II. It is viewed as a representative for all endangered species in the northeastern coastal waters of Korea. Most of the habitats of C. retropictus have been found to be in an unstable state because of development projects such as road construction, small stream development, irrigation for securing agricultural water, and flood prevention. These habitats are damaged by small stream maintenance projects and development, and the risk of damage is increasing and active efforts are needed in order to protect them. Although the Ministry of Environment is striving to preserve this endangered species, the habitat of C. retropictus is still facing external threats because it spreads to only a small area at high densities. Therefore, in order to protect the habitat of C. retropictus, a level II endangered species, it is urgent to make an effort to minimize habitat damage and to take measures for its protection.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
• /
• v.2 no.3
• /
• pp.166-169
• /
• 2021

The purpose of this study was to identify the natural habitat of Bulbophyllum inconspicuum Maxim. in Hongdo, Jeonnam Province, South Korea. A field investi gation was conducted between May 2019 and May 2021. The growth of B. inconspicuum species was confirmed in three known regions based on National Survey on the Distribution of Endangered Species. Additionally, in the area investigated, 37 new regions harboring B. inconspicuum were detected. The newly observed B. inconspicuum grew naturally on Quercus mongolica, Rhaphiolepis indica var. umbellata, Carpinus turczaninowii, and rocks. Most of them were found on southeast and southwest slopes with altitude above 250 m. As few as 10 up to hundreds of B. inconspicuum were found in clusters. Close to their habitat, Calanthe sieboldii Decne. ex Regel, C. aristulifera Rchb. f. and C. × kibanakirishima Maek. were also found. As Hongdo is an island, multiple endangered species were found together. Thus, once the habitat of a certain plant is discovered, it is very likely that illegal collection of several other species will also occur. Proactive internal and external measures are needed to preserve these species.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• /
• v.14 no.1
• /
• pp.43-54
• /
• 2011

Gene structure of copper/zinc-superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD; sod1) was characterized in Hemibarbus mylodon (Teleostei; Cypriniformes), an endangered freshwater fish species in Korean peninsula. Full-length cDNA of H. mylodon SOD1 consisted of a 796-bp open reading frame sequence encoding 154 amino acids, and the deduced polypeptide sequence shared high sequence homology with other orthologs, particularly with regard to metal-coordinating ligands. Genomic structure of the H. mylodon sod1 gene (hmsod1; 1,911 bp from the ATG start codon to the stop codon) was typical quinquepartite (i.e., five exons interrupted by four introns); the lengths of the exons were similar among species belonging to various taxonomic positions. The molecular phylogeny inferred from sod1 genes in the teleost lineage was in accordance with the conventional taxonomic assumptions. 5'-flanking upstream region of hmsod1, obtained using the genome walking method, contained typical TATA and CAAT boxes. It also showed various transcription factor binding motifs that may be potentially involved in stress/immune response (e.g., sites for activating proteins or nuclear factor kappa B) or metabolism of xenobiotic compounds (e.g., xenobiotic response element; XRE). The hmsod1 transcripts were ubiquitously detected among tissues, with the liver and spleen showing the highest and lowest expression, respectively. An experimental challenge with Edwardsiella tarda revealed significant upregulation of the hmsod1 in kidney (4.3-fold) and spleen (3.1-fold), based on a real-time RT-PCR assay. Information on the molecular characteristics of this key antioxidant enzyme gene could be a useful basis for a biomarker-based assay to understand cellular stresses in this endangered fish species.

• Journal of Aquaculture
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.196-200
• /
• 2008

Korean spotted barbel Hemibarbus mylodon, is an endangered and endemic freshwater species in the Korean peninsula. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) was used to analyze the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of three populations (Bukhan, Namhan and Imjin-river). Fifteen AFLP primer pairs produced 795 products of which 135 were polymorphic(17%). Percentages of polymorphic bands were similar among the three populations, with accounting 11.9%, 11.1%, and 13.4% for Bukhan, Namhan and Imjin-river populations, respectively. An average genetic similarity among the three populations was 0.969. The average heterozygosity (0.033-0.040) and genetic diversity (0.036-0.043) were significantly low. Pairwise distance and fixation index analyses of three populations also suggested quite a low genetic differentiation one another. These results would provide a fundamental baseline data to develop the effective strategy for the management and restoration of this endangered fish species.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.112-118
• /
• 2018

The purpose of this study is to analyze endangered species laws and systems in China from the viewpoint of the importance of protecting biodiversity and to propose suggestions for existing wildlife protection laws in China to improve efficacy. Since the People's Republic of China Wildlife Protection Act was promulgated and enforced in 1988, China has found that urgent amendments are necessary because of neglected management of the act. The content of the Wildlife Protection Act of China is not only monotonous and unsystematic, but also needs modification and supplementation because it is pre-modern and does not meet current demands. In comparison with other countries, the purpose of China's legislation, supervision system, scope of protection and public participation system differ. China's Wildlife Protection Act is also hindered by confusion in the legislative protection system, lack of an administrative compensation system, difficulties in implementation, deterioration of legal efficiency, lack of content and operations, and lack of a list of species that should be is protected. This paper proposes measures for improvement to solve this confusion in the legislative system for the endangered species protection law to establish a legal system suitable for the current situation in China.

• Journal of Species Research
• /
• v.9 no.1
• /
• pp.35-45
• /
• 2020

In 2016 and 2017, as part of a comprehensive investigation to identify the prokaryotic species in Korea, a total of 12 bacterial strains were isolated from the gastrointestinal tract and/or fecal samples of four endangered species, including reptile, bird, and marine and terrestrial mammals. Phylogenetic analysis with the 16S rRNA gene sequence was used to assign these strains to the phyla, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria or Proteobacteria. Furthermore, most of the strains Firmicutes belonged to the order Lactobacillales. Interestingly, 12 of the isolated strains have not been previously reported from the Korean Peninsula. Also, based on their high 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities(>98.7%) and formation of strong monophyletic clades with the closest type species, each isolated strain of isolates was assigned to an independent, predefined bacterial species. Gram-stain reaction, colony and cell morphology, biochemical characteristics, isolation source, and NIBR IDs are described in the species description section.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.44 no.2
• /
• pp.144-154
• /
• 2011

The fish community structure and inhabiting status of the endangered species Gobiobotia macrocephala and G. brevibarba were investigated at 10 stations in the Seom River, Korea from spring to autumn in 2010. During the survey, 37 species belonging to 10 families were found as inhabitants. A dominant species was Zacco platypus (36.2%), subdominant species were G. macrocephala (13.2%) and G. brevibarba (12.2%), and predominant species were Coreoleuciscus splendidus (8.1%) and Rhinogobius brunneus (4.9%). In addition, 18 species were endemic species to Korea; G. brevibarba and G. macrocephala were endangered species. The similarity index based on species composition and numbers clearly separated fish communities in the Seom River according to main sections, i.e., upper section (St. 1~3), middle section (St. 4~6) and lower section (St. 7~10). Dominance index gradually decreased toward the lower section, while diversity and species richness index gradually increased toward the downstream section. G. macrocephala resided in a fast-running downstream riffle with pebble and cobble substratum, while G. brevibarba inhabited the entire riffle with cobble substratum.

• Journal of Fisheries and Marine Sciences Education
• /
• v.26 no.6
• /
• pp.1278-1295
• /
• 2014

The Sixteenth Meeting of the Conferences of Parties of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which was held in March 2013 in Bangkok, Thailand, listed five shark species and one genus, and uplisted one sawfish species. All new species listings will be come into force of the eighteen months delay, on the fourteenth of September, 2014. The purpose of the delay is to support the preparation of the domestic measures on shark trade by the parties, as there has been no previous experience in trading the commercially exploited aquatic species in the CITES. The CITES Secretary-General has visited several potential shark trade countries to encourage and facilitate the implementation of the new CITES listings. The newly listed sharks have been caught as a target or non-target species by Korean distant water fisheries and introduced into Korea. So the establishment or change of the domestic laws, regulations, and measures for the implementation of the new CITES species must be prepared before the effective entry date. This paper is prepared to assess the effects of the trade of the CITES listed shark species, and to suggest effective government service measures for the management of Korean distant water fisheries. The Ministry of Environment (MOE) is the general Management Authority of the CITES, and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS) is in charge of the medical trade of CITES listed species in Korea. By law, all imported medicines and medical materials must be inspected by the MFDS during the customs examination; this kind of authority sharing is reasonable and effective way of providing government service. Similarly, the designation of new CITES Management Authority for the trade of commercially exploited aquatic CITES species is critical and the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF), which is now in charge of the trade of fisheries products, is the most appropriate governing body for this purpose in Korea. The revision of the National Plan of Action for Conservation and Management of Sharks, initially submitted to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 2011 as a practical guideline for shark conservation in all Korean fisheries, could be a effective measure to achieve unification of conservation of endangered species and sustainable use of fisheries stocks. The proper CITES measures for the trade of listed species, such as the establishment of the documenting system for Non-detriment Findings, domestic measures suitable for the "Introduction from the Sea" clause, species specific Harmonized System Codes for the customs service, and an effective shark catch data reporting system should be in place prior to the fourteenth of September 2014.