Moss balls, despite their name, aren't actually "moss" but rather a species of filamentous green algae (Chlorophyta) that naturally grow into a round shape in just a few remote locations around the world. Until now, two species of alga forming moss balls, マリモ Marimo (Aegagropila linnaei) and タテヤママリモ Tateyama Marimo (Aegagropilopsis moravica) were found in Japan. Now, a third has been discovered.
According to National Museum of Nature and Science Senior Researcher 辻彰洋 Akihiro Tsuji, a 毬藻 marimo (also known as "Cladophora ball," "lake ball" or "moss ball") found in a water tank used to raise fish in a private residence in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, is a new Japanese species of Aegagropilopsis moss ball. It has been named モトスマリモ "Motosu Marimo" (Aegagropilopsis clavuligera) because it is presumed to have originated from a native Japanese bivalve mollusk found in 本栖湖 Lake Motosu, Yamanashi Prefecture.
The results of the genetic analysis showed that the sequence of the present alga is consistent with Aegagropilopsis clavuligera, which was first reported from Sri Lanka and found in tropical aquariums in the Netherlands and rivers in China, and that it is clearly distinct from "Marimo" (Aegagropila linnaei) and "Tateyama Marimo" (Aegagropilopsis moravica).
Since the genus Aegagropilopsis is known to live by attaching itself to bivalves, it is assumed that the alga attached itself to bivalves from Lake Motosu which the owner of the residence introduced for the purpose of raising a freshwater fish called the rosy bitterling (Rhodeus ocellatus), a brood parasite which lays its eggs in mussels where they develop in the gills.
It is not yet known whether this species was native to Lake Motosu or introduced as a non-native species. The researchers hope to clarify this and other details about the new species in a planned diving survey of the Five Lakes of the Mt. Fuji area.
Moss balls, despite their name, aren't actually "moss" but rather a species of filamentous green algae (Chlorophyta) that naturally grow into a round shape in just a few remote locations around the world. Until now, two species of alga forming moss balls, マリモ Marimo (Aegagropila linnaei) and タテヤママリモ Tateyama Marimo (Aegagropilopsis moravica) were found in Japan. Now, a third has been discovered.
According to National Museum of Nature and Science Senior Researcher 辻彰洋 Akihiro Tsuji, a 毬藻 marimo (also known as "Cladophora ball," "lake ball" or "moss ball") found in a water tank used to raise fish in a private residence in Kofu City, Yamanashi Prefecture, is a new Japanese species of Aegagropilopsis moss ball. It has been named モトスマリモ "Motosu Marimo" (Aegagropilopsis clavuligera) because it is presumed to have originated from a native Japanese bivalve mollusk found in 本栖湖 Lake Motosu, Yamanashi Prefecture.
The results of the genetic analysis showed that the sequence of the present alga is consistent with Aegagropilopsis clavuligera, which was first reported from Sri Lanka and found in tropical aquariums in the Netherlands and rivers in China, and that it is clearly distinct from "Marimo" (Aegagropila linnaei) and "Tateyama Marimo" (Aegagropilopsis moravica).
Since the genus Aegagropilopsis is known to live by attaching itself to bivalves, it is assumed that the alga attached itself to bivalves from Lake Motosu which the owner of the residence introduced for the purpose of raising a freshwater fish called the rosy bitterling (Rhodeus ocellatus), a brood parasite which lays its eggs in mussels where they develop in the gills.
It is not yet known whether this species was native to Lake Motosu or introduced as a non-native species. The researchers hope to clarify this and other details about the new species in a planned diving survey of the Five Lakes of the Mt. Fuji area.