Four species of Yanjiestheria and a new species Neodiestheria yamajiensis sp. n. from the Inakura Formation at Yamaji of Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture have been first described in this paper. Three conchostracan forms from the Wakino Subgroup in Kokura area, Kitakyushu City have been restudied and revised in taxa. They are Orthestheria kokurensis (Kusumi), Orthestheriopsis imamurai (Kusumi), and O. wakinoica sp. n. Based on this research, the correlation of the Lower Cretaceous volcano-sedimentary strata has been rediscussed.

In this paper, twenty-four species of nonmarine Cretaceous ostracods in 7 genera (Cypridea, Rhinocypris, Ziziphocypris, Mongolocypris, Timiriasevia, Candona and Darwinula) are described from Kitakyushu, Yamaguchi, Hiroshima, Okayama and Hida areas of SW Japan. Eighteen forms of them arc from the Lower Cretaceous rocks and 6 forms from the Upper Cretaceous. Based on their appearance, the correlation concerning Cretaceous ostracod-bearing strata between eastern China and southwestern Japan has also been discussed.

A newly discovered specimen of Minohellenus macrocheilus is described. Four acute spines on the frontal margin of the specimen suggest the problem of the diagnoses of the genus Minohellenus Karasawa, 1990 and Itoigawaia Karasawa el al., 1992.

A new species of Thitarodes Viette is named and described: Thitarodes nipponensis. Its morphology is described and figured.

In order to reappraise the interrelationships of genera in the tribe Troidini, and to test the resultant theory of troidine evolution against biogeographical data a cladistic analysis of troidine genera was performed. Data were obtained mainly from immature stages, providing characters that appeared to be more reliable than many "traditional" adult characters. A single cladogram hypothesising phylogenetic relationships of the troidine genera was generated. This differs markedly from cladograms obtained in previous studies that used only adult characters. However, the cladogram appears to fit well biogeographical data for the Troidini in terms of vicariance biogeography, especially as this relates to the general hypotheses of Gondwanaland fragmentation and continental drift events advanced by recent geological studies. The genus Ornithoptera is shown to be distinct from Troides. Based on input data drawn equally from immature stages and adult characters, a single cladogram hypothesising the likely phylogeny of Ornithoptera species was generated. With minor weighting of a single important adult character (male forewing upperside sex-brand), a further two cladograms were generated, one of which is similar to hypotheses proposed by previous workers. Based on these findings, and on ecological data, notably larval foodplant relations with Aristolochiaceae, as well as present-day biogeographical data, a new theory of the origin and evolution of Ornithoptera is presented which fits well Gondwanan vicariance events ascertained by geological studies: essentially that Ornithoptera evolved on northward drifting Australia, allopatrically from Troides on the Indian plate, and therefore that Ornithoptera did not reach the Australian subregion via Troides-like ancestors in Southeast Asia as has been previously postulated.

Eight frogs, Rana ornativentris, with supernumerary forelimbs were found in June 1995 at two sites in a hilly area, Yamada Greenery Area, in Kitakyushu City, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. Seven of them were tadpoles just before completion of metamorphosis and they were found in 59 tadpoles collected from one site. Therefore the occurrence ratio of the individuals with supernumerary limbs was 11.9%. The other collected at another site was a young frog just after metamorphosis. The study on the cause of this abnormality is needed.

A pterosaurian wing-finger phalanx is reported from the early Late Cretaceous Mifune Group, Central Kyushu, Japan. This is the first report of pterosaur remains from Southwest Japan, and only the second occurrence from Japan. The presence of the pterosaur adds to the rich vertebrate fauna of the Mifune District, which includes carnivorous and herbivorous dinosaurs, turtles, crocodiles, mammals and fishes.

Variations in sex expression and the reproductive function of Eurya japonica Thunb., evergreen broad-leaf understorey species, were investigated at a Quercus serrata secondary forest in Okayama City and at a burnt pine forest in Kure City, southwestern Japan. A few individuals (1.5–16.4% of flowering individuals) produced flowers similar to hermaphrodite flowers in shape (hermaphrodite-type flowers), whereas most of individuals did either male or female flowers. Trends in the data for germination test of seeds and pollen grains and observed state of pollen production in hermaphrodite-type flowers indicated that hermaphrodite-type flowers were divided into two types according to their reproductive function: hermaphrodite flowers which produced both fertile seeds and pollen grains; and ‘pseudo-hermaphrodite’ flowers, functionally female ones, which produced fertile seeds and no pollen grains. Individuals having hermaphrodite flowers always had male flowers. Individuals having pseudo-hermaphrodite flowers, on the other hand, always had female flowers. Thus, sex expression of individuals was classified into three types: male individuals which produced only male flowers (44.8–53.6% of flowering individuals); female individuals which produces only female flowers (32.4–44.8%) and those which produced both female and pseudo-hermaphrodite flowers (2.3–19.6%); and andromonoecious individuals which produced both male and hermaphrodite flowers (1.8–6.5%). Therefore, sex types of E. japonica was classified as polygamodioecy from a functional view point.