The taxonomy of the East Asian moles of genera Euroscaptor, Parascaptor and Scaptochirus, distributing in the Himalayas to China were controversial both in the generic and specific levels. These genera were named as more than ten species since the beginning of the description by Brian Houghton Hodgson in 1841. Several explorers had the expedition to this area and brought the specimens of these moles to European and American Museums and named them. One of the purpose of this paper is to review the historical note on the discoveries of Asian mole species as the compass to situate the taxonomic problem of these moles. As a matter of taxonomic evaluation, the problem of the usage of dental formula as the generic diagnosis is discussed in the reference of the examples of recent taxonomic works. Distribution of these East Asian talpids are scattered in the mountain regions like plot according from the collecting records by museums. Current museum collections are not enough to examine their local and individual variations. Therefore, active collecting in the future works will enable the reevaluation of taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships through comprehensive studies of morphology, karyology and molecular phylogeny.

The European representatives of the subfamily Talpinae belong to the monophyletic genus Talpa. Five out of the nine species of Talpa occur in Western Europe. A wide central area is occupied by Talpa europaea, while the small sized Talpa caeca occurs in southern Europe. Three endemic species are restricted to the peripheral areas of the genus range and show a parapatric distribution with respect to T. europaea, i.e. the Iberian T. occidentalis, the southern Italian T. romana and the Balkan T. stankovici. The karyotypes of moles are very conservative, with the majority of the species showing 2n = 34. Allozyme data first allowed to assess the specific status of endemic taxa and the low levels of heterozygosity. Nei's genetic distances suggest that T. occidentalis, T. romana and T. stankovici early diverged from an europaea–caeca line. Preliminary results from mtDNA analyses strongly support the monophyly of Western European moles, but are still not able to solve the relationships within this clade. Estimates of time of divergences indicate a basal split of an Eastern and a Western lineage during the Miocene-Pliocene transition, while the divergence among the Western European moles should have occurred in association to the Pliocene-Pleistocene climatic oscillations.

Japanese talpid moles exhibit a remarkable degree of species richness and geographic complexity, and as such, have attracted much research interest by morphologists, cytogeneticists, and molecular phylogeneticists. However, a consensus hypothesis pertaining to the evolutionary history and biogeography of this group remains elusive. Recent phylogenetic studies utilizing nucleotide sequences have provided reasonably consistent branching patterns for Japanese talpids, but have generally suffered from a lack of closely related South-East Asian species for sound biogeographic interpretations. As an initial step in achieving this goal, we constructed phylogenetic trees using publicly accessible mitochondrial and nuclear sequences from seven Japanese taxa, and those of related insular and continental species for which nucleotide data is available. The resultant trees support the view that four lineages (Euroscaptor mizura, Mogera tokuade species group [M. tokudae and M. etigo], M. imaizumii, and M. wogura) migrated separately, and in this order, from the continental Asian mainland to Japan. The close relationship of M. tokudae and M. etigo suggests these lineages diverged recently through a vicariant event between Sado Island and Echigo plain. The origin of the two endemic lineages of Japanese shrew-moles, Urotrichus talpoides and Dymecodon pilirostris, remains ambiguous. Further analyses on intra-species diversity are necessary to fully solve the evolutionary histories of Japanese moles and shrew-moles.

There are six species of moles, Euroscaptor mizura, Mogera uchidai, M. tokudae, M. echigo, M. imaizumii and M. wogura, in Talpidae in Japan, and the diverse talpid fauna has been interested in for a long time. Aspects on the taxonomy, morphology, ecology and conservation of them were reviewed briefly.

Beringia is the region spanning eastern Asia and northwestern North America that remained ice-free during the full glacial events of the Pleistocene. Numerous questions persist regarding the importance of this region in the evolution of northern faunas. Beringia has been implicated as both a high latitude refugium and as the crossroads (Bering Land Bridge) of the northern continents for boreal mammals. The Beringian Coevolution Project (BCP) is an international collaboration that has provided material to assess the pattern and timing of faunal exchange across the crossroads of the northern continents and the potential impact of past climatic events on differentiation. Mammals and associated parasite specimens have been collected and preserved from more than 200 field sites in eastern Russia, Alaska and northwestern Canada since 1999. Previously, fossils and taxonomic comparisons between Asia and North America mammals have shed light on these events. Molecular phylogenetics based on BCP specimens is now being used to trace the history of faunal exchange and diversification. We have found substantial phylogeographic structure in the Arctic and in Beringia in mustelid carnivores, arvicoline rodents, arctic hares and soricine shrews, including spatially concordant clades and contact zones across taxa that correspond to the edges of Beringia. Among the tapeworms of these mammalian hosts, new perspectives on diversity have also been developed. Arostrilepis horrida (Hymenolepididae) was considered to represent a single widespread and morphologically variable species occurring in a diversity of voles and lemmings in eastern and western Beringia and more broadly across the Holarctic region. The BCP has demonstrated a complex of at least 10 species that are poorly differentiated morphologically. The diversity of Paranoplocephala spp. and Anolocephaloides spp. (Anoplocephalidae) in Beringia included relatively few widespread and morphologically variable species in arvicolines. BCP collections have changed this perspective, allowing the recognition of a series of highly endemic species of Paranoplocephala that demonstrate very narrow host specificity, and additional species complexes among arvicolines. Thus, extensive, previously unrecognized, diversity for tapeworms of 2 major families characterizes the Beringian fauna. By elucidating evolutionary relationships and phylogeographic variation among populations, species and assemblages, refined views of the sequence and timing of biotic expansion, geographic colonization and impact of episodic climate change have been developed for Beringia. Ultimately, Beringia was a determining factor in the structure and biogeography of terrestrial faunas across the Nearctic and Neotropical regions during the Pliocene and Quaternary.

Phylogeography aims to investigate the evolutionary history of taxa using the geographical distribution of genetic lineages. This requires substantial input from comparative data on fossil distributions and climatic and geological changes that may have lead to modern pattern. This task may be relatively straightforward in systems that involve refugial habitats, or static habitats and emergent barriers. However, in many systems there are significant challenges to explaining modern patterns, and these have often been ignored or sidelined in past studies. Northern Australia is such a system, and has been subject to large-scale repetitive movements of habitats superimposed on the development of arid barriers and fluctuating sea levels. Phylogeographic methods in combination with detailed environmental reconstructions and ancient DNA may provide a revealing case study of a region likely to yield many complex patterns of evolution.

The genus Crocidura is one of the largest genera among mammals and widely distributed in Eurasia, Africa, and Southeast Asia. We review the recent advances in taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of this genus in East and Southeast Asia. Sympatric distributions of two or more species are known in several localities. Karyotypes of East and Southeast Asian species are divided into several groups. From karyological comparison and molecular phylogeny, those groups are suggested to have formed by geographical isolation in islands and in the continent in East and Southeast Asia. To clarify evolutionary history of East and Southeast Asian species, comprehensive studies with the West Asian and European species from karyological and molecular approaches are desired.

The numbers of emerging infections in the human population that are zoonotic in origin appear to be increasing. The zoonotic reservoir appears to largely consist of mammals, as opposed to other animals. As such, we review, through presenting examples, whether there are certain groups of mammals that may form a greater source of zoonotic infection than others. In addition, we review whether we can identify certain parasites or pathogens that are most likely to emerge as zoonotic infections. In discussing these ideas we propose a five step process describing the nature of the species barrier. For successful zoonotic emergence to occur we conclude that whilst human-mammal exposure may form the first step in emergence the infection process relies on a series of complex intra-host interactions which require further investigation via a multi-disciplinary approach.

Bovine tuberculosis is a serious disease of cattle in the UK where the Eurasian badger (Meles meles) is implicated as a source of infection. We describe a long-term ecological and epidemiological study of a high density badger population at Woodchester Park, and review some of the principal results. Options for management of transmission to cattle include culling or vaccinating badgers, and changes to cattle husbandry practices to minimise interactions. The results of intensive field studies suggest that the social disturbance created by culling may have counter-productive epidemiological consequences. Badger vaccination and changes to farm husbandry practices require considerable further research before their impact on cattle herd breakdown rates can be quantified.

Hantaviruses have been isolated from rodents of the family Muridae, in North Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. A cladistic analysis of ninety-three strains isolated from rodents enabled a review their geographic distribution. Particularly, the association with their hosts questions the presence of hantaviruses in South Asia from where murid rodents are considered to originate. Several hantaviruses have been recorded from South Asia. Also, serological surveys carried out to detect evidence of hantavirus in human populations, or in wild rodents revealed positive samples in Thailand and Cambodia. After confirmation of a first human case in Thailand, a question arises: what is the real importance of hantaviruses for human health in South-East Asia? The results of our study suggests that new viruses, different hosts and different human syndromes may be expected to be discovered in the future especially in southeastern Asia where murid rodents are endemic and highly diversified and where was already proved their potential danger for Human health, with populations regularly exposed to their contact.

In this review we combine various sources of information from community assemblages to studies in comparative phylogeography, in order to understand the processes that are responsible for the current distribution of hosts and parasites. By using Apodemus sylvaticus and its parasites in the western Palaearctic as an illustrating model, we highlight that (i) parasite species richness increases with host biogeographical range; (ii) the geographic range of parasite and host species is positively correlated with the local population abundance; (iii) there is covariance between local species richness of assemblages of hosts and corresponding assemblages of parasites; (iv) host and parasite species in depauperate assemblages constitute subset samples occurring in richer assemblages, related to the life cycle of the parasites and the phylogeography of the host; (v) the presence/absence of certain parasite species can inform about host ecology and geographic origin; (vi) congruence between parasite and host phylogenetic trees can be seen as the co-evolutionary complement of the macroecological patterns. Eventually, we suggest that all these patterns are related and provide an overview and a framework for further geographic studies of host-parasite interactions.

I am investigating alien rodents that occur within Japanese Islands for their parasitic nematodes, because some alien nematodes derived from such alien hosts could become highly pathogenic agents to human and livestock, and because the parasites potentially could switch their hosts to and having a negative impact on native host-parasite relationships that have evolved as a result of adaptive radiation or co-speciation between the native rodents and parasitic nematodes. I am generalizing the patterns of host-parasite associations, and providing 4 types: alien rodents and alien nematodes such as Callosciurus erythraeus and Brevistriata callosciuri, and Myocastor coypus and Strongyloides myopotami; alien rodents and native nematodes such as Rattus rattus and Heligmosomoides kurilensis shifted from Apodemus speciosus; native rodents and alien nematodes such as Apodemus argenteus and Heligmosomoides polygyrus shifted from Mus musculus; native rodents and native nematodes such as Apodemus spp. and Heligmosomoides spp. Hence, aberrant host-parasite relationships due to the presence of alien rodents and/or nematodes comprise the 1st, 2nd and 3rd groups. These relationships should be discriminated from the native host-parasite relationships within Japanese natural ecosystem. Some potential strategies including monitoring survey for reduction of risk affected by the aberrant relationships were discussed.

Hokkaido is the northernmost island and the only endemic area of alveolar echinococcosis caused by Echinococcus multilocularis in Japan. The first human case was reported in 1937. After the discovery of this disease, various epidemiological surveys have been conducted on Echinococcus multilocularis in animals. Accumulated longitudinal epidemiological data clearly showed the geographic changes of endemic areas in Hokkaido during the last 70 years. The expansion of the endemic area and the increase of the prevalence of the parasite in foxes have increased the risk of infection for residents in this region during the last two decades. This paper reviews the epidemiological situation and control options of this parasite in animals after a brief description on the historical background of this disease in Hokkaido.

We summarized the data from the past three ITC (now IMC) meetings to examine the potential trends in presentation of parasites of mammals at the meeting. The lists include titles and authors of papers given in symposia, poster sessions, and oral presentations related to diseases, zoonoses, parasites, and causative agents of diseases of sylvatic mammals. Our analysis shows that there has been an increase in the number of papers (from 2.8% in 1997 to 5.1% in 2005) presented at the International Mammalogical Meetings. We also show that there are potentially more than 27,000 species of parasites (broadly defined) currently inhabiting the more than 5,400 species of extant mammals. To understand ecological biodiversity, it is necessary to know the complete mammal, including both ecto- and endosymbionts, and the systematics of the mammal itself.

A total of 21 papers were presented to the Session 34 titled “Current status of cetaceans and other marine mammals in the North Pacific and other accessory seas”. A total of 23 cetacean species occurred mainly in the western North Pacific and other accessory seas was assessed their population status. Reliable abundance estimates for some of baleen whales, such as common minke whales (Okhotsk-west Pacific stock) and Bryde's whales (western stock) which are in relatively good population status, are available based line transect methodology endorsed by the Scientific Committee of IWC. On the other hand, it was very concerned that western gray whales are in critically endangered status. It was noted that population of Steller sea lions have been depleted but magnitude of depletion are different by area. Current research activities on cetaceans and other marine mammals in Asian waters were reviewed with inviting reports from China, Korea, Thailand and USA. Topics of cetacean researches in other oceans; North Atlantic and Antarctic were also comparatively reviewed, it was noted that Norway has incorporated multi specific management system for cetacean harvest and Japanese research take provides long-term monitoring Antarctic ecosystem. Some of ongoing advanced research projects in Japan were also reviewed.