Sang-Hoon Han

National Institute of Biological Resources · Animal Resources Research Division

The genetic investigation of the archeological or museum samples, including endangered species, provides vital information necessary to plan, implement, and revisit conservation strategies. In South Korea, the Asian black bear went almost extinct in wild by 2002, without leaving any authentic specimens representing the native population. Recently r...

Bats are reservoir hosts of many zoonotic viruses and identification of viruses that they carry is important. This study aimed to use high throughput screening to identify the viruses in fecal guano of Taiwanese insectivorous bats caves in order to obtain more information on bat-derived pathogenic viruses in East Asia. Guano samples were collected...

Here, we report the complete mitogenome of Myotis frater with the GenBank accession number MH177276 as a first step to elucidate genetic characteristics of this species. Its mitogenome was 17,089 bp long and consisted of 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNA genes, 22 tRNA genes, and a control region. The gene order and composition of M. frater...

Many peninsulas in the temperate zone played an important role as refugia of various flora and fauna, and the southern Korean Peninsula also served as a refugium for many small mammals in East Asia during the Pleistocene. The Asian lesser white-toothed shrew, Crocidura shantungensis, is a widely distributed species in East Asia, and is an appropria...

We analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome for 26 individuals of the endemic Japanese weasel (Mustela itatsi) and 20 individuals of its continental sister species, the Siberian weasel (Mustela sibirica). These species diverged an estimated 1.19 Mya, in the Early Pleistocene. Mustela itatsi comprised two haplotype clades that diverged an estimate...

This study was carried out to reveal the genetic population structure of the Jeju Island population and the phylogenetic relationship of East Asian populations of the large-footed bat (Myotis macrodactylus) based on the genetic polymorphisms of mitochondrial cytochrome B (CYTB) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) gene sequences. A total of fourt...

Developmental changes in the vocal signals of serotine bats (Eptesicus serotinus) during their infancy were examined in this study. The analysis was conducted on 4 infant serotine bats from 1 to 40 days after their birth. Pulse duration (PD), pulse interval (PI), peak frequency (PF), maximum frequency (FMAX), minimum frequency (FMIN), and bandwidth...

The echolocation calls of bats can provide useful information about species that are generally difficult to observe in the field. In many cases characteristics of call structure can be used to identify species and also to obtain information about aspects of the bat's ecology. We describe and compare the echolocation call structure of 14 of the 21 b...

In this study, we analyzed two types of echolocation calls used by the parti-coloured bat, Vespertilio sinensis. Bats were captured in the Naejangsan National Park in October 2013. Call sounds of hand-released bats were recorded at the location of capture within the National Park. We analyzed pulse duration (PD), pulse interval (PI), peak frequency...

We have analyzed the external morphology and the environment of the foraging site of Vespertilio sinensis. The external morphology was analyzed by twelve parameters and the environment characteristics of the foraging site was analyzed using GIS 10.1 program. The wing membrane was inserted into the ankle of the hind foot and the wing ratio was 1.42,...

Between May and September 2014, a total of 226 serotine bats (Eptesicus serotinus) were captured and subsequently released at a site 50 km distant from the site of capture, in order to determine the homing ability of the bats and changes in the homing rate according to the season. The bats were captured from a nursery colony at a bridge in An-dong...

The Ussurian tube-nosed bat (Murina ussuriensis) is a registered endangered species that has not been observed in South Korea since 1960. We were able to capture three individuals of M. ussuriensis between 2011 and 2013 at Sobaeksan National Park. The discovery of this species was the first time within 50 years. To collect basic data on the M. ussu...

We examined the sequence variation of mitochondrial DNA control region and cytochrome b gene of the house mouse (Mus musculus sensu lato) drawn from ca. 200 localities, with 286 new samples drawn primarily from previously unsampled portions of their Eurasian distribution and with the objective of further clarifying evolutionary episodes of this spe...

As part of the 65(th) Medical Brigade, U.S. Army, arthropod-borne disease surveillance program and in collaboration with the Korea National Institute of Biological Resources (NIBR), bats were captured from caves and abandoned mines in the Republic of Korea. A total of 39 adult bat flies including five species of Nycteribiidae [Penicillidia jenynsii...

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is the most widely distributed terrestrial carnivore in the world, occurring throughout most of North America, Europe, Asia, and North Africa. In South Korea, however, this species has been drastically reduced due to habitat loss and poaching. Consequently, it is classified as an endangered species in Korea. As a first s...

We examined the phylogenetic status and history of the mountain hare Lepus timidus in and around Hokkaido using mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) sequences from 158 samples from Hokkaido and 14 from Sakhalin, as well as four samples from the Korean hare, L. coreanus. The phylogenetic analysis of the cyt b sequences generated in this study and obta...

To investigate the process of the population divergence of mammalian species endemic to continental islands, we studied the phylogeography of the Japanese weasel, Mustela itatsi, compared with its closely related continental species, the Siberian weasel M. sibirica, using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. Mustela itatsi is endemic to the...

We readjusted the list of Squamata, one of reptile groups distributed in Korea, based on the results of previous studies to define the taxonomic position. In consequence of our research, 6 familis, 17 genus and 25 species of Squamata are confirmed in Korea, 21 species and 24 species in South Korea and North Korea respectively. Comparing with the re...

A tick survey was conducted to determine the relative abundance and distribution of ticks associated with selected mammals in the Republic of Korea (ROK) during 2008-2009. A total of 918 ticks were collected from 76 mammals (6 families, 9 species) captured at 6 provinces and 3 Metropolitan Cities in ROK. Haemaphysalis longicornis (54.4%) was the mo...

The Asiatic black bear is one of the most endangered mammals in South Korea owing to population declines resulting from human exploitation and habitat fragmentation. To restore the black bear population in South Korea, 27 bear cubs from North Korea and Russian Far East (Primorsky Krai) were imported and released into Jirisan National Park, a reserv...

In this study, we analyzed the pulse-duration, pulse-interval and peak-frequency of echolocation call in three species as Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, Pipistrellus abramus, and Myotis macrodactylus. The peak frequency and pulse duration for above mentioned species were 69 kHz, 47 kHz and 49 kHz and , and for R. ferrumequinum, P. abramus and M. macrod...

Otter populations are declining throughout the world and most otter species are considered endangered. Molecular methods are suitable tools for population genetic research on endangered species. In the present study, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) sequence of the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra. The mitochondrial DNA sequence...

The genetic structure of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) in Japan was studied to understand the events that occurred during its evolution. The left domain of the mitochondrial control region (about 240 bp) was sequenced, defining 27 haplotypes that consisted of 23 haplotypes from 333 bears in Japan and 22 bears in the Asian continent. The...

During the autumn and early winter of 2004, mass sightings of the Asiatic black bear, Ursus thibetanus, were recorded near human residences from northern to western Honshu. These mass sightings were caused by the failure of acorn crops, which serve as an important food source for bear over-wintering. We analyzed hairs from 95 bear individuals colle...

In the present paper, we describe the mitochondrial genome sequence of the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus ussuricus) with particular emphasis on the control region (CR), and compared with mitochondrial genomes on molecular relationships among the bears. The mitochondrial genome sequence of U. thibetanus ussuricus was 16,700 bp in size with mo...

We estimated phylogenetic relationships among shrews of the Sorex caecutiens/shinto group (Eulipotyphla, Soricidae) from various locations through its range, based on restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) spacer region. Seven rDNA-RFLP repetitive types (repetypes) were recognized among 15...

We investigated the morphological relationships among eight populations of Sorex caecutiens/ shinto group in East Asia using 11 cranial and dental characters and four external characters. Univariate and multivariate analyses of these characters failed to distinguish S. caecutiens and S. shinto. Morphological characters were, in fact, continuous bet...

We examined sequence variation in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (1140 bp, n = 73) and control region (842–851 bp, n = 74) in the Eurasian harvest mouse (Micromys minutus (Pallas, 1771)), with samples drawn from across its range, from Western Europe to Japan. Phylogeographic analyses revealed region-specific haplotype groupings combined with o...

Articles

Karyotypes of Sorex caecutiens from Cheju Island of Korea were examined with conventional staining and G-banding by trypsin treatment stained with Giemsa (GTG). The diploid and fundamental autosomal arm numbers were 42 and 66, respectively. The autosomal complement in the karyotype comprised six pairs of metacentrics, seven pairs of submetacentrics...

Phylogenetical positions of Sorex specimens unassigned to species from Cheju Island, Korea, and S. caecutiens from southern Korean Peninsula were investigated based on full nucleotide sequences (1,140 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene, comparing specimens of the S. caecutiens/shinto group from locations throughout its range. In the phyloge...

Apodemus peninsulae is a field mouse that inhabits the broad-leafed forests of temperate Eurasia. We examined the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in 57 in dividuals of A. peninsulae from northeastern Asia, including Siberia, Primorye, Magadan region, Sakhalin, Hokkaido, and the Korean Peninsula. The genealogy of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in A....

Molecular phylogeny of crocidurine shrews (Insectivora, Soricidae) in northeastern Asia was investigated to confirm the taxonomic status of unidentified specimens of Crocidura from Cheju Island, South Korea. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by neighbor-joining (NJ) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods, based on mitochondrial cytochrome b gene seq...

We revised the taxonomic status of a white-toothed shrew (Insectivora, Mammalia) on Cheju Island, South Korea, which has been regarded as Japanese white-toothed shrew, Crocidura dsinezumi, by analyzing karyotype and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) for the nuclear ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) spacer regions. Karyotype of a specimen of C...

We compared partial sequences (402 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in 68 individuals of martens (Martes), weasels (Mustela) and their relatives from the Northern Hemisphere to identify the modes of geographic differentiation in each species. We then compared complete sequences (1140 bp) of the gene in 17 species of the family Mustelidae...

Taxonomic analysis has previously revealed that the species of moles that inhabit Japan are characterized by exceptional species richness and a high level of endemism. Here, we focused on the evolutionary history of the four Japanese mole species of the genera Euroscapter and Mogera, examining mitochondrial cytochrome b (cyt b) gene sequences and c...

Phylogenetic relationships among various species of red-backed voles (Clethrionomys and Eothenomys) from areas surrounding the Sea of Japan were assessed by examining variation in the nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). The rDNA data indicated at least six phylogenetically distinct lineages represented by C. rufocanus, C. re...

The conventional and G- and Q-banded karyotypes of the Korean red-backed vole Eothenomys regulus (2n=56) are described here for the first time. The autosomes were found to be composed of 26 pairs of acrocentrics and one pair of metacentrics, as in other species of red-backed voles. Side-by-side pair-matching analysis revealed that the G-banding pat...

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacers and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were examined in red-backed voles collected in Hokkaido (Japan), and Korea. These voles have been classified into six species on the basis of morphological characteristics, such as dental morphology. The RFLPs of the rDNA allowed...

Restriction fragment variations in nuclear ribosomal DNA (rDNA) spacers, and in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), were examined in a total of 14 individuals of the two Korean subspecies of the striped field mouse : Apodemus agrarius coreae, collected from the mainland and Jindo and Geoje islands, and A. a. chejuensis collected from Cheju Island. Analysis...