At its board meeting held on Saturday, June 13, the Board of Directors of the Zoological Society of Japan accepted a proposal from the Editorial Board of ZS and decided to confer the 2009 Zoological Science Award on the following six papers. In addition, starting this year, it has been decided that the Fujii Prize—established in 2003 through a donation from the late member Ryozo Fujii—will be awarded to all papers receiving the paper award. Accordingly, the annual prize money of 300,000 yen will be split among the six papers this year, awarding 50,000 yen per paper.
Until 2016, the Fujii Prize of 300,000 yen was awarded annually to a paper selected for the Zoological Science Award.

ZS Editorial Committee: Yoshitaka Oka (Editor-in-Chief, University of Tokyo), Peter W.H. Holland (University of Oxford), Mark Konishi (Caltech), Takema Fukatsu (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology), Shigeru Kuratani (RIKEN), Hideharu Numata (Osaka City University), Hidetoshi Ota (University of Hyogo), Mitsuru Sakaizumi (Niigata University), Chikako Shingyoji (University of Tokyo), Yoshio Takei (University of Tokyo)

ZOOLOGICAL SCIENCE AWARD

1) Development and Growth of the Feather Star Oxycomanthus japonicus to Sexual Maturity
Tomoko F. Shibata, Atsuko Sato, Tatsuo Oji and Koji Akasaka
Zoological Science 25: 1075-1083 (2008)
Feather stars occupy a position of great importance in understanding the evolution of the body plan of echinoderms and deuterostomes. This paper establishes for the first time a system for successfully rearing the Japanese feather star in large quantities over a long period in a healthy state up to sexual maturity, and observes its reproduction, ontogenesis, and growth over a period of seven years. Reporting such achievements in sea lilies, an echinoderm group for which such fundamental information has been almost entirely lacking despite their evolutionary biological interest, is of immense value, and it is strongly anticipated that this paper will contribute to the future development of evolutionary developmental biology research using feather stars as experimental materials.

2) Fluorescent Pigment Distinguishes Between Sibling Snail Species
Keiichi Seki, Amporn Wiwegweaw and Takahiro Asami
Zoological Science 25: 1212-1219 (2008)
This paper reveals that two sibling species of snails, which have incomplete reproductive isolation and are difficult to distinguish by shell morphology, can be identified only by the pigment granules in their mantle. This pigment is secreted together with mucus, and in captivity, this color difference disappears in about a month, making it a diagnostic trait dependent on environmental factors. Nevertheless, through crossing experiments, allozyme allele frequencies, and detailed examination of genitalia, the study clarifies that they are distinct species with different population genetic structures. It is of interest from both natural history and zoological perspectives, due to the phenomenal intrigue of an environmentally dependent diagnostic trait and the extensive use of various analyses on terrestrial mollusks, which are not easily handled experimentally.

3) Spring Migration Routes of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) that Winter in Japan, Determined from Satellite Telemetry
Noriyuki Yamaguchi, Emiko Hiraoka, Masaki Fujita, Naoya Hijikata, Mutsuyuki Ueta, Kentaro Takagi, Satoshi Konno, Miwa Okuyama, Yuki Watanabe, Yuichi Osa, Emiko Morishita, Ken-ichi Tokita, Katsuyoshi Umada, Go Fujita and Hiroyoshi Higuchi
Zoological Science 25: 875-881 (2008)
This paper uses satellites to individually identify and track migratory mallards over a wide range to obtain fundamental biological data on their migration routes and temporal movement patterns, and infers the life history of mallards from these results. This research evaluates the relative importance of each stopover site based on the number of individual birds staying at each location and the duration of their stay, analyzes habitat environments using satellite images and geographic information systems, and clarifies conservation issues at breeding, stopover, and wintering grounds. At the same time, by understanding the life history of mallards—which have the potential to transmit low or highly pathogenic avian influenza—it can contribute to social demands by shedding light on virus infection routes and aiding in infection control measures.

4) Stimulatory Effects of Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 on Expression of Gonadotropin Subunit Genes and Release of Follicle-stimulating Hormone and Luteinizing Hormone in Masu Salmon Pituitary Cells Early in Gametogenesis
Shunji Furukuma, Takeshi Onuma, Penny Swanson, Qiong Luo, Nobuhisa Koide, Houji Okada, Akihisa Urano and Hironori Ando
Zoological Science 25: 88-98 (2008)
This paper analyzes the role of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), which has the action of inducing the expression of gonadotropin subunit genes and a cooperative promoting action with GnRH on gonadotropin secretion, in the pituitary gland of masu salmon during sexual maturation. Using a culture system, it was revealed that IGF-1 directly regulates the transcription and secretion of pituitary gonadotropins (LH, FSH) during the early gametogenesis stage. The relationship between mRNA levels and hormone levels was carefully analyzed using absolute quantification via real-time PCR, and a comprehensive analysis was conducted using animals at various stages. The significance of this paper lies in demonstrating the direct involvement of IGF-1 in the reproductive functions of fish.

5) The Novel Mutant scl of the Medaka Fish, Oryzias latipes, Shows No Secondary Sex Characters
Tadashi Sato, Aya Suzuki, Naoki Shibata, Mitsuru Sakaizumi and Satoshi Hamaguchi
Zoological Science 25: 299-306 (2008)
In this paper, we discovered a medaka mutant that exhibits neither male nor secondary sexual characteristics. A search for the causative gene of this mutation revealed a loss-of-function in p450c17, a steroidogenic enzyme gene required for the biosynthesis of both estrogens and androgens. These results are of great interest, as they indicate that this mutant medaka can serve as a useful experimental system for addressing important issues in reproductive endocrinology, such as the role of androgens in vertebrate spermatogenesis and the role of estrogens in ovarian development, differentiation, and sex determination.

6) Unexpectedly high diversity of Monoporella
Matthew H. Dick
Zoological Science 25: 36-52 (2008)
In this paper, as many as six new species are described at once using informative and persuasive text along with appropriate figures, while demonstrating the unprecedentedly high species diversity of the corresponding taxon (bryozoans of the genus Monoporella) in the region where the specimens were collected (the western Aleutian Islands). Furthermore, two excellent hypotheses regarding the causes of this high species diversity in the western Aleutian Islands are proposed and discussed along with their respective rationales. This work is also highly commendable for demonstrating a model for descriptive taxonomy-based papers in general zoological journals like this one (by developing discussions that appeal to a broad readership).