| Budget Amount *help |
¥5,460,000 (Direct Cost: ¥4,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,260,000)
Fiscal Year 2013: ¥1,560,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,200,000、Indirect Cost: ¥360,000)
Fiscal Year 2012: ¥1,820,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,400,000、Indirect Cost: ¥420,000)
Fiscal Year 2011: ¥2,080,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥480,000)
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
Faunal survey of land snails in Palau (Belau) islands was conducted. During the surveys, 174 land snail species of 21 families were collected. Among them, at least 160 species were endemic and most of them are new to science. Family Diplommatinidae is the most species-rich group which shows extensive endemic radiation within the islands. I revised taxonomy of the family and proposed a new system based on anatomical characters. 32 new species or subspecies were also described.
It is remarkable that most of the endemic land snails are still extant in Palau. In other Pacific islands, the endemic land snails have been already extinct or critically endangered. Some Palau-endemic species are suggested to be extinct in Peleliu and Angaur islands. Possible cause of the extinction is environmental destruction during the World War II. Land snails which inhabit limestone rocks or forests on limestone islands are more vulnerable than land snails inhabiting on volcanic soils.
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