2021 Volume 109 Pages 19-31
Field observation and a review of 77 studies revealed that Typopeltis stimpsonii (Wood, 1862), a Japanese whipscorpion, exists in at least 20 prefectures of Japan. Phylogenetic analysis based on the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene (620 bp) divided the species into five genetic groups. According to the phylogenetic results, populations in the Okinawa Islands (Okinawajima, Izenajima, and Kumejima Islands) were genetically distinct from other Japanese populations. In contrast, populations in Honshu, Shikoku (Kagawa and Ehime Prefectures), and Fukuoka Prefecture may have been introduced by human activity. We also discussed the effect of sea currents (Kuroshio and Tsushima currents) on populations on the western side of Kyushu and the southern part of Shikoku (Kochi Prefecture).
