Limited distribution of Caenorhabditis japonica in Japan

A species-specific and female host-biased phoretic association between the nematode Caenorhabditis japonica and the shield bug Parastrachia japonensis has been identified, with C. japonica exhibiting a limited distribution in Japan. The study surveyed nematodes from P. japonensis across islands ranging from Kyushu to Okinawa, revealing that C. japonica was present in six sampled populations from Kyushu, Amami Oshima, and Tokunoshima Islands but absent from those on Okinawa Island. This limited distribution suggests the origin of C. japonica and its restricted phoretic association with P. japonensis in this region.

Yoshiga, T. (2018). Caenorhabditis japonica の限定された日本での分布. Nematological Research (Japanese Journal of Nematology), 48(2), 71–73. https://doi.org/10.3725/jjn.48.71