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Assistant Professor TAKAHASHI Daiki and his research team have discovered a new plant species in the World Natural Heritage area in northern Okinawa Island
It has been named "Yambaru Karatsu"
Points
- The plant previously identified as Thalictrum aquilegifolium in Okinawa Island has been revealed to be a new species endemic to the northern region of Okinawa Island (Yambaru area) and has been named "Yambaru Karatsu" (scientific name: Thalictrum yambaruense).
- Morphological surveys and genetic analyses revealed that this species is closely related to Thalictrum formosanum, endemic to Taiwan, and is distinctly different from Thalictrum aquilegifolium.
- The natural habitat of Yambaru Karatsu is limited to a single location, with fewer than 50 individuals, making urgent conservation efforts necessary.
Abstract
The perennial herb Thalictrum aquilegifolium (Ranunculaceae) is distributed throughout the Eurasian continent and in Japan from Hokkaido to Kyushu. In 1997, this species was found from the World Natural Heritage area in northern Okinawa Island (Yambaru area). However, morphological surveys and genetic analyses have revealed that the "Thalictrum aquilegifolium" in northern Okinawa Island should be a new species, named as "Yambaru Karatsu." This species has only been confirmed to grow at a single location on Okinawa Island, with fewer than 50 individuals, necessitating urgent conservation efforts.
This finding is the result of an international collaboration of MICHIMOTO Kanae, a graduate student at the Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University; Professor MAKI Masayuki and Assistant Professor ITO Takuro from the Botanical Gardens, Tohoku University Museum; Professor Emeritus YOKOTA Masatsugu from the University of the Ryukyus; ABE Atsushi, Director of the Okinawa Churashima Foundation Research Center; Associate Professor FUJII Shinji from the University of Human Environments; Assistant Professor TAKAHASHI Daiki from Kyushu University; Lecturer KAKISHIMA Satoshi from Showa University School of Medicine; and Chih-Chieh Yu from National Taiwan University (at the time of research, currently at the Field Museum of Natural History).
These findings were published online on March 28, 2025, in the specialized journal Phytotaxa, which focuses on plant taxonomy.
Paper Information
Title: New Species of Thalictrum (Ranunculaceae) from Okinawa Island in Japan and Its Phylogenetic Implications
Authors: Kanae Michimoto*, Masatsugu Yokota, Atsushi Abe, Shinji Fujii, Daiki Takahashi, Satoshi Kakishima, Chih Chieh Yu, Takuro Ito, Masayuki Maki
Corresponding Author: Kanae Michimoto, Ph.D. Candidate, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University
Journal: PHYTOTAXA
DOI：10.11646/phytotaxa.696.1.3
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