A capture survey of the oriental weather loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus conducted widely throughout Iriomote Island, Japan in spring 2011, resulted in a single individual caught in a paddy field. It is likely that the distribution and density of the loach on Iriomote Island are extremely limited, the population being close to extinction, although a questionnaire survey of local people indicated formerly high densities. A phylogenetic analysis based on the haplotype of the mitochondrial DNA (control region) determined from the sampled individual and three additional samples, showed a deviation from the three major clades/subclades recognized in previous studies, suggesting that Iriomote Island population was genetically differentiated from those in other regions.
