Papers - MURASE Atsunobu
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Ran Tabayashi, Ryuya Sakamoto, Yukiya Ogata, Atsunobu Murase, Shinjiro Nagatomo
Nature and Environment in Miyazaki ( 10 ) 61 - 62 2025.12
Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)
A photographic specimen of a juvenile of Redfin Emperor, Monotaxis heterodon (Lethrinidae), was collected at Meotoura Beach, Kushima City, Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan (31º29'29.1"N, 131º23'07.7"E; 9.5–15.1 m depth; 18°C) on 10 January 2013. Previously, the verifiable Japanese record of this species has been known from Okinawa Prefecture. Therefore, the present photo specimen represents the first record from Miyazaki Prefecture.
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Record of Pseudalutarius nasicornis from Miyazaki Prefecture
Motoi Iwakura, Takumi Kurihara, Yukiya Ogata, Atsunobu Murase
Nature and Environment in Miyazaki ( 10 ) 58 - 60 2025.12
Authorship：Last author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)
A single specimen (44.0 mm standard length) of the Rhinoceros Leatherjacket, Pseudalutarius nasicornis (TEMMINCK & SCHLEGEL 1850), was collected from Kadogawa Bay (Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan). This specimen represents the first reliable record of the species from the prefecture.
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Ota Y, Sakamoto R, Ogata Y, Kurihara T, Murase A
55 385 - 392 2025.11
Authorship：Last author, Corresponding author Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Pensoft Publishers
Zostera japonica Ascherson et Graebner, 1907 is a dominant seagrass species that forms coastal habitats in the northwestern Pacific. Bare areas adjacent to these seagrass beds are also recognized as fish habitat. However, few studies have comparatively evaluated the ecological importance of Z. japonica beds and adjacent bare ground within estuarine environments. We conducted seine net sampling to compare ichthyofaunal composition between Z. japonica beds and adjacent bare ground in a small temperate estuary in Kyushu, southern Japan, during three summer seasons (2015, 2016, and 2019), when seagrass growth is at its peak. Fish species richness and the abundance of the predominant species, Redigobius bikolanus (Herre, 1927), were significantly higher in the seagrass beds than over bare ground. Additionally, the size distribution of R. bikolanus was broader in seagrass beds. PERMANOVA analysis revealed a significant difference in abundance-based species composition between the two habitats, and SIMPER analysis identified three species that contributed most to this distinction: R. bikolanus and Gerres japonicus Bleeker, 1854 (both more abundant in seagrass beds), and Gymnogobius breunigii (Steindachner, 1880) (more abundant over bare ground). These findings imply that Z. japonica beds enhance fish diversity and serve as key habitats for dominant fish species, while adjacent bare ground also supports specific fish communities. The results underscore the importance of conservation efforts within estuaries that account for the ecological roles of both seagrass and bare substrates.
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Takumi Kurihara, Yukiya Ogata, Atsunobu Murase
Biogeography 28 ( 0 ) 7 - 12 2025.10
Authorship：Last author Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Biogeographical Society of Japan
Three specimens of the Ishikawa Icefish Neosalangichthys ishikawae (Wakiya & Takahasi, 1913) (42.6–51.0 mm in standard length) were recently collected from coastal surf zones adjacent to Miyazaki and Nobeoka cities, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan. Although the most southerly extent of the species distribution has been regarded as the Hyuga Nada area (east coast of Kyushu between Oita and Kagoshima prefectures) or Miyazaki Beach (located between Miyazaki Port and the Hitotsuse-gawa river), such records have been based on specimens for which detailed localities were unknown, in addition to an unsupported photograph. Accordingly, the present specimens represent the first voucher-based records of the species from Miyazaki Prefecture, the Miyazaki City specimen being the southernmost verified example of the species.
DOI： 10.11358/biogeo.28.7
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Murase A., Yamasaki Y., Mukai M., Ikehara Y., Ogata Y., Inoue K.
Marine Ecology 46 ( 4 ) 2025.7
Authorship：Lead author, Corresponding author Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：Marine Ecology
Estuarine lagoons provide nursery habitats for marine fishes; however, small lagoons (< 1 km<sup>2</sup>) have been overlooked. To evaluate the nursery function of small estuarine lagoons (SELs) for temperate marine fish, this study used seining on the coast of the northwestern Pacific (Kyushu, temperate Japan) during the juvenile seasons (winter and spring) to perform juvenile sampling at two scales and an abundance/size comparison of blackfin seabass (Lateolabrax latus). As a preliminary survey, habitat-scale (inside vs. outside lagoon habitats) sampling was attempted in two SELs during February and April. Subsequently, seascape-scale sampling was undertaken during the juvenile season (January–May). The seascape consisted of two types of estuaries (lagoons and rivers) and sandy beaches (embayed and exposed). A preliminary survey showed no clear difference in abundance among the habitats, but significantly larger juveniles were observed inside than outside the two SELs. In the seascape survey, peak juvenile abundance during the first half of the study period was concentrated in habitats other than the lagoon estuary, whereas no peak was recorded during the second half. Moreover, the lagoon estuary was significantly larger than the marine habitats, and the monthly occurrence of juveniles was continuous in the lagoon estuary but intermittent in the riverine estuary. These results imply that seabass juveniles utilize the SEL habitat as they grow, highlighting the potential nursery function of estuarine lagoons for marine fish, even at a small scale.
DOI： 10.1111/maec.70031
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Haruno Morimoto, Motoi Iwakura, Takumi Kurihara, Atsunobu Murase
Ichthy, Natural History of Fishes of Japan 55 ( 0 ) 9 - 14 2025.5
Authorship：Last author, Corresponding author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Kagoshima University Museum
The present study surveyed stomach contents of Coreoperca kawamebari which domestically introduced into the Gokase River System (northern Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan) to understand the predation impacts on native diadromous shrimps. The stomach contents comparison before/after season of diadromous shrimp migration revealed that percent volume and frequency of a diadromous shrimp (Paratya compressa) in the stomachs of larger C. kawamebari (> 50 mm in standard length) tended to increase after migration season. Furthermore, shrimp and fish individuals were found in the stomachs of smaller C. kawamebari specimens than previously reported. According to these results, C. kawamebari should be considered as a domestic invasive species that might have an impact on diadromous animal populations, and strict caution is required regarding the introduction and occurrence of this species in waters connected to the sea.
Other Link： https://www.museum.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/ichthy/INHFJ_2025_055_009.pdf
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Yukiya Ogata, Sara Tatezawa, Hironari Saito, Atsunobu Murase
Ichthy, Natural History of Fishes of Japan 54 ( 0 ) 1 - 8 2025.4
Authorship：Last author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Kagoshima University Museum
The bull shark (Carcharhinus leucas) is a harmful species for humans as well as the “Vulnerable” species of the IUCN Red List. Therefore, it is necessary to accumulate the scientific data in distribution and habitat utilization to establish policies that balance both public safety and conservation of this endangered predator. After the publication in photographic record of the species from an estuary of Japanese mainland (Oyodo River System, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu), the information was disseminated publicly through the various social networking services (SNSs) and mass medias. As a result, some citizen viewers of these medias contacted an ichthyologist (the first author) providing additional photographs of the carp suspected to be preyed on by the bull shark and a shark individual (caught from the same river system) being the first specimen record of the species from Japanese mainland. The present study reports these new materials related to the bull shark occurrence as an example of scientific contribution of SNSs and mass medias to enhance public interests on citizen science and accumulate information in publicly important species.
Other Link： https://www.museum.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/ichthy/INHFJ_2025_054_001.pdf
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Hironari Saito, Yukiya Ogata, Masaaki Wada, Atsunobu Murase
Ichthy, Natural History of Fishes of Japan 53 ( 0 ) 16 - 22 2025.3
Authorship：Last author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Kagoshima University Museum
A single specimen of Bathygobius panayensis (Jordan and Seale, 1907) (37.8 mm in standard length), a poorly known gobiid species, was collected from Kadogawa Bay (32°28′37.90′′N, 131°39′59.26′′E), northern Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan in September 2022. The species is known only from the holotype from Panay Island, Philippines. Thus, the present specimen from Japan is the second record of the species and remarkably updates a distribution range. The present study provided detailed description and color images of the Japanese specimen, revealing that following diagnostic characters to be distinguished B. panayensis from other congeners: second dorsal fin rays I, 10; anal fin rays I, 8; pectoral fin rays 19 or 20 with uppermost four rays free and bifurcated; longitudinal scale rows 40 or 41; transverse scale rows 13 or 14; predorsal scales undeveloped (if present, a single cycloid scale embedded under mucus layer); white spots longitudinally present along body axis; reddish-brown spots scattered on dorsal/caudal fins and dorsal surface of body. New standard Japanese name “Bozu-kumo-haze” was proposed for the species referring one of the distinctive characters (almost no scales on head and predorsal region).
Other Link： https://www.museum.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/ichthy/INHFJ_2025_053_016.pdf
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Mining internet-based biodiversity data for application to conservation science Reviewed
Miyazaki Yusuke, Murase Atsunobu, Senou Hiroshi
Biogeography 27 ( 0 ) 9 - 19 2025.1
Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：日本生物地理学会
WEB上に散在する潜在的自然史資料の発掘とその活用．
宮崎佑介・村瀬敦宣・瀬能 宏．
ソーシャルメディア（SNS）・ブログ・個人サイト等のWEBサイトには，時間や場所の属性情報が付随する多数の生物多様性情報（画像や動画等）がアップロードされている．本研究では，このようなWEB上に散在するデータを「潜在的自然史資料」とみなし，神奈川県立生命の星・地球博物館の「魚類写真資料データベース」への情報統合を試みた．この公立自然史博物館を中心に据えた生物多様性データ統合の試行に基づき，博物館法における「博物館」の定義の中で機関の目的として掲げられている三本柱（資料の収集と保管・調査研究・普及教育）を体系化するとともに市民の保全意識を向上することができる概念モデルを構築した．まず，Twitter（現X）や「ＷＥＢさかな図鑑」といったSNSにアップロードされている魚類の画像のうち，採捕・観察された年月日や地点の情報があるものを対象に，市民（画像提供者）の同意を得たうえで「魚類写真資料データベース」に登録する．次に，登録した画像を魚類分類学・生物地理学・生態学・保全生物学の領域における研究に活用する．最後に，これらの同定結果や研究成果の普及教育を，博物館における展示，新聞・雑誌・テレビ番組などのマスメディアを通じてフィードバックする．これら3ステップを循環させることで，生物多様性データの蓄積と市民科学者の参加促進の加速が期待できる．本稿では，この概念モデルの概要を，関連する課題（例：科学への貢献を意図していなかった市民が主な対象である点）とともに解説し，生物多様性保全にデジタル市民科学を活用する価値について論じた．DOI： 10.11358/biogeo.27.9
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Non-native fishes recorded from inland waters of Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, southern Japan
Naoto Obaru, Yukiya Ogata, Takumi Kurihara, Yusuke Saiki, Takashi Ihara, Shobu Ishimatsu, Tsuyoshi Saito, Hiroshi Senou and Atsunobu Murase
Nature and Environment in Miyazaki ( 9 ) 33 - 42 2024.12
Authorship：Last author, Corresponding author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)
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Takumi Kurihara, Yukiya Ogata, Naoto Obaru, Atsunobu Murase
Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan 79 68 - 75 2024.12
Authorship：Last author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Biogeographical Society of Japan
A single specimen (42.0 mm standard length) of a cool-temperate rockfish species, Sebastes schlegelii Hilgendorf, 1880 (Sebastidae) was collected from Nobeoka City, Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan. Although its southernmost distribution on the Pacific coast of Japan has been known as the Hyuga Nada (east coasts of Oita, Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures), this record was based on species list without specific voucher, having been unclear in terms of sampling location and species identification. Therefore, the present specimen from Nobeoka City represents the first reliable record of the species from Miyazaki Prefecture. However, the occurrence from the city may be accidental because the present specimen is considered to be immature based on size and no specimens of the species have been recorded since 2015 in the marine ichthyofaunal surveys of the prefecture.
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First Japanese specimen record of the Blue-eyed Rock Crab, Percnon affine (Percnidae), from Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan Reviewed
Hironari Saito, Atsunobu Murase
Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan 79 64 - 67 2024.12
Authorship：Last author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Biogeographical Society of Japan
A single specimen (23.6 mm in carapace length, 21.6 mm in carapace width) of the Blue-eyed Rock Crab, Percnon affine (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Percnidae) was collected from a tide pool on the rocky shore of Nichinan City, Miyazaki Prefecture, southern Japan. Previous distributional records of the species have been known from widespread areas in the Indo-Pacific, while its records have been limited to Taiwan and southward. The present specimen represents the first record of the species from Japanese waters, updating the distribution limit ca. 1500 km northeast. A new Japanese name was proposed based on its characteristics.
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Yukiya Ogata, Toshiki Kishi, Yumika Kishi and Atsunobu Murase
Biogeography 26 34 - 38 2024.9
Authorship：Last author Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：日本生物地理学会
イソギンポ科タテガミカエルウオ属魚類の1種マーカスミノカエルウオCirripectes quagga (Fowler & Ball, 1924)の１個体（標準体長43.2 mm）が宮崎県北部に位置する門川湾内の岩礁域において採集された．この標本記録は，これまでの分布北限であった沖永良部島から約630 km北北西に記録を更新するものである．本研究では，門川湾産の本種の標本について詳細な形態記載を行った．
Other Link： https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/biogeo/26/0/26_34/_pdf/-char/ja
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Hironari Saito, Atsunobu Murase
Ichthy, Natural History of Fishes of Japan 46 ( 0 ) 31 - 33 2024.7
Authorship：Last author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Kagoshima University Museum
Two specimens of the Sunrise Rockskipper, Alticus orientalis Tomiyama, 1955 (Blenniidae), collected at Marcus Island (Minamitori-shima island), the easternmost island of Japan were found from the oldest fish specimen collection in Japan at ZUMT (Department of Zoology, the University Museum, the University of Tokyo). Previous distributional records of the species have been known from Izu, Bonin and Volcano islands located ca. 200–1100 km south of central Japan. Thus, the present specimens represent the first record of the species from Marcus Island, updating the distribution limit ca. 1200 km eastward.
Other Link： https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/ichthy/46/0/46_31/_pdf/-char/ja
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Yukiya Ogata and Atsunobu Murase
Nature and Environment in Miyazaki ( 8 ) 56 - 61 2023.12
Authorship：Last author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)
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Preliminary study of the native freshwater fish fauna of Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, southern Japan Reviewed
Yusuke Saiki, Yukiya Ogata Naoto Obaru, Takumi Kurihara, Hironari Saito, Takashi Ihara, Shobu Ishimatsu, Tsuyoshi Saito, Atsunobu Murase
Bulletin of the Biogeographical Society of Japan 78 67 - 77 2023.12
Authorship：Last author, Corresponding author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Biogeographical Society of Japan
A field survey of the freshwater ichthyofauna of Miyazaki Prefecture, eastern Kyushu, southern Japan during 2015–2023 revealed a picture of the present diversity of native freshwater fishes in the region. Sampling conducted at 16 sites (15 river systems and a rice field) recorded 15 species (7 families) of native freshwater fishes, the species richness being similar to those found in past comprehensive ichthyofaunal studies, although the cyprinid Carassius buergeri buergeri had not been recorded previously and the salmonid Oncorhynchus masou ishikawae was not recorded on this occasion. These departures from previous studies may be due to earlier non-recognition of the former and the unique habitat of the latter. Accordingly, the native freshwater fish diversity of Miyazaki Prefecture appears to be relatively stable, although neither the population status of each species has been considered (from abundance data), nor the impact of human disturbance, including the invasion of exotic species. Both aspects still require investigation for future local fish conservation and habitat management.
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Yukiya Ogata and Atsunobu Murase
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 80 e80 2023.10
Authorship：Last author Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal)
Photographs of a single shark specimen (1040 mm in total length) caught in the Oyodo River estuary, Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan, by a recreational angler and uploaded to the social networking service Facebook, were identified as a juvenile specimen of the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas. The photographic record, now deposited in the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History collection, represents the northernmost record of this species in the western Pacific Ocean. Although C. leucas is known to utilize primarily tropical estuarine habitats as nursery grounds, a few reports exist regarding the utilization of subtropical and warm-temperate latitude estuaries, as in this case. From the perspectives of species conservation and shark-bite mitigation in warm-temperate latitudes, further information on C. leucas occurrence around its northern distribution limit is required.
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Yukiya Ogata and Atsunobu Murase
Biogeography 25 22 - 27 2023.9
Authorship：Last author Language：English Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：日本生物地理学会
アカエイ科魚類ヒョウモンオトメエイHimantura leoparda Manjaji-Matsumoto & Last, 2008が，宮崎県北部に位置する門川湾で底曳網により1個体漁獲された．本種はスエズ運河を介した人為的移入と推定される地中海からの記録があるものの，インド・太平洋域における自然分布の北限はこれまで沖縄島とされてきた．したがって，本研究の記載標本はそれを更新するものとなる．
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Atsunobu Murase, Fuga Shibuya, Shinjiro Nagatomo, Yukiya Ogata, Ryosei Ooe, Hiroyuki Motomura, Hiroshi Senou
Ichthy, Natural History of Fishes of Japan 33 ( 0 ) 33 - 114 2023.6
Authorship：Lead author, Corresponding author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Kagoshima University Museum
Miyazaki Prefecture is located on the Pacific side of Kyushu, southern Japan, and is also biogeographically situated in the transitional zone between the temperate and subtropical zones. While previous studies have positioned the northern part of the prefecture as the warm-temperate zone and have revealed its ichthyofauna and biogeographic composition, with occurrence of tropical species accounting for almost half of the assemblage in terms of taxonomic richness, comprehensive ichthyofaunal information in the southern part of the prefecture has been unclear. The present study examined underwater photographs of fishes taken during recreational scuba diving at several sites (Miyazaki, Nichinan and Kushima cities) of southern Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, southern Japan, from 2005 to 2012, to understand the overview of species composition and biogeographic characteristics of southern Miyazaki Prefecture. Examination of the underwater photographs confirmed the presence of 296 species (including three unidentified species) of fishes, of which three species (1.0 % in total number of identified species), 84 (28.7 %), and 206 (70.3 %) representing cool-temperate, warm-temperate, and tropical species, respectively. The fact that tropical species are almost 1.5 times higher than those in northern part of the prefecture in terms of species diversity supports the hypothesis that northern and southern coasts of the prefecture are biogeographically different, with the former located in the warm-temperate zone and the latter in the transitional zone between the warm-temperate and subtropical zones. Color photograph and a list of vouchers of each fish species recorded in this study were provided.
Other Link： https://www.museum.kagoshima-u.ac.jp/ichthy/INHFJ_2023_033_033.pdf
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Yukiya Ogata, Ryosei Ooe, Yuta Ichii, Atsunobu Murase
Japanese Journal of Ichthyology advpub ( 0 ) 2023.6
Authorship：Last author Language：Japanese Publishing type：Research paper (scientific journal) Publisher：The Ichthyological Society of Japan
Four collected gobiid specimens (55.3–87.6 mm in standard length) and a single photographed and released individual, from the coast of Miyazaki Prefecture, Kyushu, southern Japan, were identified as the endemic Japanese species <i>Siphonogobius</i> nue Shibukawa and Iwata, 1998, characterized by a simple infraorbital canal extending below the eye, and the oculoscapular canal between pore’s A' and L' lacking other pores, except for pore D. The species has been recorded to date from the Pacific coast of Honshu, northeastern Japan (between Fukushima and Shizuoka prefectures), the present specimens representing the southernmost known record of the species. A detailed description and color photograph of the Kyushu specimens is provided.
DOI： 10.11369/jji.23-011