Dear Members of the Zoological Society of Japan

佐藤正典会員より書評依頼が届きました。書評執筆を希望される方は下記（１）（２）どちらの書籍かを明記いただき、zsj-society@zoology.or.jpまでお知らせください。
Please note that it will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Public Interest Incorporated Foundation, Zoological Society of Japan

From here
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▼Introduction of two new books and request for book reviews

(1) "Creatures of Hachi Tidal Flat: The Original Scenery of the Seto Inland Sea Remaining in Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture" edited by Yusuke Kondo, Osamu Otsuka, and Masanori Sato
Page 166
NextPublishing Authors Press
April 15, 2022, publication (ISBN-13: 978-4802082587)
On sale at Amazon (2,970 yen including tax, please refer to the site below)

Located around the mouth of the Kamo River in Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture, the "Hachi Tidal Flat" (area: 22 ha) is one of the few remaining "biodiversity hotspots" in the Seto Inland Sea, and was selected by the Ministry of the Environment (2013) as one of the "Important Wetlands in Japan 500." A total of 67 species of marine animals listed on the Ministry of the Environment's Red Lists (2017, 2020) have been confirmed here so far.
Horseshoe crab Tachypleus tridentatus (Leach, 1819) (Arthropoda), horseshoe crab flatworm Ectoplana limuli (Ijima & Kaburaki, 1916) (Platyhelminthes), Pegophysema bialata (Pilsbry, 1895) (Mollusca), parchment worm Chaetopterus cautus Marenzeller, 1879 (Annelida), and worm goby Taenioides snyderi Jordan & Hubbs, 1925 (Vertebrata).
The arrival of migratory birds, such as the common shelduck Tadorna tadorna (Linnaeus, 1758) (Vulnerable) and the dunlin Calidris alpina sakhalina (Vieillot, 1816) (Near Threatened), has also been confirmed on the tidal flats and surrounding salt marshes.
In June 2021, a plan was announced to construct a liquefied natural gas (LNG) thermal power plant (74,000 kW) and an LNG storage facility at the western end of this tidal flat. Under Hiroshima Prefecture's regulations, construction plans for thermal power plants with an output of 75,000 kW or more must undergo an environmental impact assessment in accordance with the national Environmental Impact Assessment Act. However, because the power generation scale of this project is set just below that threshold, construction is set to begin without an environmental impact assessment being conducted.
If this plan is implemented as is, it is expected that the natural environment and biodiversity of this tidal flat will be significantly damaged. Therefore, in September 2021, five academic societies (the Diversity Conservation Committee of the Malacological Society of Japan, the Nature Conservation Committee of the Society for Molluscan Diversity, the Chugoku-Shikoku Chapter of the Ecological Society of Japan, the Ichthyological Society of Japan, and the Nature Conservation Committee of the Japanese Association of Benthos) jointly submitted a petition requesting the implementation of an environmental impact assessment to the business operator, the Ministry of the Environment, Hiroshima Prefecture, and Takehara City (http://benthos-society.jp/hachi.pdf).
Despite biodiversity conservation being a globally important issue, it seems that the value of Hachi Tidal Flat, where many endangered species survive together, is not sufficiently recognized by society, including local residents.
In this situation, this book was urgently published to convey previous knowledge about the animals and plants inhabiting Hachi Tidal Flat and its surroundings in a way that is easy for the general public to understand. Experts on various biological groups (totaling 50 people) have joined forces to feature color photographs and explanatory text (morphological characteristics, habitats, ecology, etc.) for 345 species of animals and plants.
I think this will be useful as a guidebook for observing tidal flat creatures across Japan. Furthermore, by reading this book, I believe it will help readers understand the general functions of tidal flats, the connections among the animals and plants living there, and the significance of conserving tidal flats. As an introductory book to "Tidal Flat Science," it is a book that I hope many people—including students, teachers, nature enthusiasts, and researchers—will read.

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Table of Contents
Foreword: The Importance of Marine Biodiversity – Connections Among Living Things
Chapter 1: Tidal Flats of Japan
Column 1: Fish-rearing forests
Chapter 2 Interspecies Relationships of Tidal Flat Organisms
Chapter 3: History and Nature of Hachi Tidal Flat
Chapter 4: Hachi Tidal Flat and Its Surrounding Flora and Fauna
Introduction
Mammal
Birds
Fish
Column 2: Game Fish Around Hachi Tidal Flat
Column 3 Tidal flats and black porgy
Cephalochordata
Urochordata
Echinodermata
Brachiopoda
Arthropods
Column 4: History of Horseshoe Crab Conservation in the Seto Inland Sea
Column 5 Horseshoe Crab Conservation: Recent Developments - International Edition 2
Column 6: Lessons learned from planning the horseshoe crab exhibition at the Hiroshima University Museum Main Building
Column 7: Edible Tidal Flat Crustaceans
Kinorhyncha
Column 8 Meiobenthos
Annelida
Column 9: Annelids Used as Fishing Bait
Mollusk
Plathelminthes
Cnidaria
Sponges
Ciliate
seaweed
Seaweed
coastal plants
Column 10: Marine Invasive Species of Hiroshima Prefecture
Chapter 5: Environmental Issues Surrounding Tidal Flats and Their Future
Column 11: National Natural Monuments in the Waters Around Takehara: What Was Left Behind After Marine Sand Mining
Column 12: The Crossroads Facing Our Hometown Seas
Afterword
References
Index
List of species identified in and around Hachi Tideland
About the Author

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(2) Kagoshima University Research Center for the Pacific Islands Booklet No. 20, "Polychaetes Inhabiting Rivers of the Ryukyu Archipelago," authored by Masanori Sato
Page 86
Publisher: Kagoshima University International Center for Island Studies
Publisher: Hokuto Shobo http://gyokyo.co.jp/
Published March 20, 2022 (ISBN-978-4-89290-065-5)
List price: 990 yen (tax included)

In the small rivers of the Ryukyu Islands, the habitats where polychaetes can live are very narrow and limited, yet a wide variety of species inhabit these confined areas. For some species widely distributed across the Japanese archipelago, this region represents the southern limit of their distribution. Additionally, there are endemic species of the Ryukyu Islands that are not found on mainland Japan. In this book, while introducing past research on these species, we hope to convey the charm of polychaetes as living organisms and the joy of studying them. Furthermore, we hope to raise awareness among many people about the importance of brackish water areas (the transitional zones between rivers and the sea), which are the main habitats for these polychaetes.

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Table of Contents
I. Introduction
II What kind of creature is the ragworm
(Column 1) Definition of Brackish Water and Salinity
III Rivers of the Ryukyu Islands as Habitats for Polychaetes
IV Two types of Neanthes japonica
(Column 2) The "Eating Methods" of Ragworms and Their Amphibious Nature
V Itome
(Column 3) Vietnamese Ragworm Dishes
VI Newly Discovered Species
VII. Environmental Destruction by Humans and the Risk of Extinction of Polychaetes
VIII. Conclusion
IX References