Original Research ArticleThe Japanese Red Data book marine mollusk Japonacteon nipponensis and a Japonacteon population from Russia belong to the same species: Molecular evidence and recommendations for conservation

The marine gastropod Japonacteon nipponensis is a representative species of endangered tidal flat environments in northeastern Asia. It is rated near-threatened in Japanese Red Data Books. A population of a closely similar species had also been recognized in the Russian part of the Sea of Japan at a single locality in Sukhodol Bay and was recently distinguished taxonomically as a subspecies distinct from the Japanese populations. Here we present for the first time molecular evidence that confirms that both populations represent J. nipponensis with little genetic distance. The Russian population of this near-threatened species will be included in a forthcoming edition of the Red Data Book of Russia.Tidal flats in Japan and elsewhere in Asia have been seriously impacted in recent years by intensive coastal development. Although the sole known locality of this species in Russia in Sukhodol Bay is still intact, there are plans to construct a large coal terminal on the bay. The presence not only of this particular species but also of others specifically associated with this particular kind of biotope make it desirable to protect the whole habitat of Sukhodol Bay and surrounding localities in the Russian part of the Sea of Japan.