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Nakano Lab
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A lab that explores evolution through marine animals such as placozoans and Xenoturbella.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring animal evolution through animals with simple bodies.
The Nakano Lab (Evolutionary Zoology) mainly uses placozoans, Xenoturbella, and acoels as research materials, and studies the diversity of marine animals and the evolution of metazoans and deuterostomes.
The lab is located at the Shimoda Marine Research Center, University of Tsukuba.
Sagami Bay and Suruga Bay are rich in animal diversity even by world standards, and many animal species can be collected near the center.
The lab is planning research that takes advantage of this characteristic.
Key terms
- Placozoans
- Amoeba-like marine animals about 0.5 mm in diameter. They lack organs and most tissues, and have no nerve cells or muscle cells.
- Xenoturbella
- Marine animals about 1 cm long. They have no anus and almost no major organs, such as a central nervous system or reproductive organs.
- Phylum Xenacoelomorpha
- A new phylum within the deuterostomes, to which Xenoturbella belongs.
NewsLab news
“Animal Systematics,” with chapters on the phylum Placozoa and others written by Associate Professor Nakano, has been published
“Color Illustrated: Small Beautiful Creatures in the Water,” partly written by Associate Professor Nakano, has been published
A paper on the development of the sea slug Hypselodoris festiva (Aoumiushi) has been published, and a press release was issued
“Zukan NEO POCKET Plankton,” partly written by Associate Professor Nakano, has been published
ResearchResearch themes
With the broad goals of understanding deuterostome evolution, metazoan evolution, and marine animal diversity, the lab studies marine animals such as placozoans and Xenoturbella. It investigates animals with simple body plans and animals whose development is barely known, from the perspectives of morphology, development, ecology, and phylogeny.
*Illustrative imageBiology of Placozoans
Placozoans are marine animals about 0.5 mm in diameter that lack organs and most tissues. With the main aims of observing their developmental process and establishing strains capable of sexual reproduction, the lab studies the morphology, reproduction, ecology, and phylogeny of placozoans collected in Shimoda.
*Illustrative imageBiology of Xenoturbella
Xenoturbella are marine animals about 1 cm long, with no anus and almost no major organs. Their phylogenetic position was long a mystery, but in 2011 the lab, together with collaborators, showed that they belong to the phylum Xenacoelomorpha, a new phylum within the deuterostomes.
*Illustrative imageDiversity of Marine Animal Larvae
The lab describes the modes of development and larval types of species whose development is barely known, and examines them from a comparative embryological perspective. It aims to clarify the diversity of larval types and to elucidate the origin and evolution of metazoan larval types. It plans to focus especially on acoels, Ctenoplana (creeping ctenophores), and stalked crinoids.
MembersFaculty
The Nakano Lab consists of faculty, master's program students, and technical assistants.As of 2026
- Associate ProfessorHiroaki Nakano
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “PSM V41 D632 Private room at the marine biology laboratory” 作者不詳 / Public domain (cropped)
- Biology of Placozoans: “Trichoplax mic” Oliver Voigt / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
- Biology of Xenoturbella: “Xenoturbella churro” MBARI / CC BY 4.0 (cropped)
- Diversity of Marine Animal Larvae: “Comb jelly 2” Bruno C. Vellutini / CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped)
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