The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), which is native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Western Hemisphere is now annually arrives in Korea. In this study, we developed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay, one of the main merits of which is a rapid identification of target species. Five among 11 FAW-specific loci tested successfully provided a consistent reaction when ten FAWs, which were collected from eight localities in four countries were tested, whereas the 13 non-target species were not amplified. To increase in-field applicability of the method all life stages, reaction time, and different periods after death was tested using the quick extracted DNA. Our FAW diagnostic protocol can be completed within 30 min, from the process of extracting genomic DNA from an egg or a 1st instar larva to species determination.

등에모기과(Ceratopogonidae)는 파리목(Diaptera)에 속하는 미소곤충이다. 이 중 사람과 반추류를 포함하는 척추동물을 흡혈하는 점등에모기속(Genus Culicoides)은 세계적으로 1,368종 이상이 보고되었으며 블루텅, 아프 리카 마역 등 60여개 이상의 질병을 매개하는 것으로 알려져 있다. 현재 국내에 서식하는 Culicoides는 37종이 보고되어있으며, 아카바네, 츄찬 등의 질병을 매개한 기록이 있다. 이에 기후변화에 따른 개체 발생양상과 분포 를 조사하고자 본 연구에서는 아열대화 및 해외유입을 고려하여 경상남도, 전라남도, 제주도 세 권역의 축사 15개 지역에서 5월부터 8월까지 유문등을 이용하여 채집하였다. 총 19종 103,365개체가 채집되었고 Culicoides arakaawae(83,922), Culicoides punctatus(11,184), Culicoides tainanus(3,298) 3종이 전체 채집량 중 95.2%를 차지하 였다. 각 샘플을 채집시기별, 종별, 지역별로 정리한 결과, 종다양성이 가장 높은 지역은 13종이 채집된 진주, 가장 낮은 곳은 3종이 채집된 제주5 지점이었다. 보관된 샘플은 유전자원 확보 및 바이러스보유검사 등의 추가실 험을 통해 국내 등에모기 연구를 위한 기초자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.

The subfamily Pselaphinae is one of the largest groups in the family Staphylinidae. Pselaphine beetles consists of 6 supertribes. The supertribe Faronitae consists of 30 genera worldwide, with 14 genera in Australia and New Zealand. While examining faronite specimens, we separated 366 specimens that did not belong to any known faronite genera. Species of this genus can be separated from other faronite genera by the foveal system, features of the aedeagus, and collection localities which are only collected in the southern part of Australia. Through this study, we describe seven new species and three new combinations that previously belonged to the genus Sagola.

Beetles are one of the most effective transportation for phoretic chelicerata. They use various methods to attach themselves to their hosts, such as developing ventral sucker plates, grasping with their claws and chelicerae, or hiding beneath the elytra. Recently, we discovered new species of two genera: Antennoseius (Mesostigmata: Blattisociidae) and Gaeolaelaps (Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) which are hiding under the elytra of Carabidae hosts. In this study, digital images of the beetles, and mites, along with brief diagnostic information and line-drawing plates will be provided.

Goniaceritae is the most speciose supertribe of the subfamily Pselaphinae with more than 3,000 species worldwide. Brachyglutini is the only tribe within New Zealand Goniaceritae, comprised of 8 genera. Physobryaxis Hetschko is monotypic genus of the subtribe Brachyglutina. Although the adults of P. inflatus is close to the members of genus Gastrobothrus Broun, 1882, it is characterized by median antebasal fovea and antebasal sulcus on pronotum. In this study, we report six species of Physobryaxis examining 21 specimens. Illustrations of the habitus, diagnostic characters including male genitalia, and key to the species are also provided. Additionally, we present a distributional map divided into areas based on Crosby’s code.

In the genus Acrobasis Zeller, 1839, there are 14 species known in Korea. In this study, we present Acrobasis rubrizonella (Ragonot, 1893) and Acrobasis subceltifoliella Yamanaka, 2006 from Korea for the first time. We hear provide diagnoses, descriptions, and images of the adults and genitalia of the two species.

Currently 41 valid species of the Pholcus phungiformes-group (Araneae: Pholcidae) have been known from Korea. In this study, four new species of this species-group were discovered from Gangwon-do and eastern Chungcheongbuk-do. These new species have common characteristics with Pholcus socheunensis, such as broad and membranous prolateral process and strongly curved pseudoappendix in male palp. The female of Pholcus montanus in the original description is the misidentification of a new species. Brief diagnosis, photographs and a distribution map of the new species and P. socheunensis with discussion on their sympatric distribution are provided.

The Eurytoma appendigaster species-group is a second large group within the genus Eurytoma Illiger found in the Palearctic region. This group comprises 44 species by Zerova, but in Korea, only one species, E. appendigaster (Swederus), has been previously reported. They are well-known for their predation on phytophagous insects, mainly the genus Tetramesa which is belonged to the family Eurytomidae and associated with grasses (Poaceae). In this study, we report seven species of the appendigaster species-group from Korea for the first time. Also, key to Korean species of appendigaster species-group and photos of diagnostic characteristics are provided.

Lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) catalyze the oxidative cleavage of glycosidic bonds in crystalline polysaccharides including chitin and cellulose. The recent discovery of LPMO family proteins in many insect species suggests that they presumably play a role in chitin degradation in the cuticle/exoskeleton, tracheae and peritrophic matrix during insect development. Insect LPMOs belong to auxiliary activity family 15 (AA15/LPMO15) and have been classified into at least four groups based on phylogenetic analysis. In this study, we identified, characterized and investigated the physiological functions of group I LPMO15 (MaLPMO15-1 and PhLPMO15-1) in two longhorn beetle species, Monochamus alternatus and Psacothea hilaris. In both species, depletion of LPMO15-1 transcripts in last instar larvae by RNAi had no effect on subsequent larval-pupal molting and the resulting pupae developed normally. However, adverse effects on their development were observed during the pupal-adult molting period. The pharate adults were unable to shed their old pupal cuticle and died entrapped in their exuviae probably due to a failure of degradation of the chitin in their old cuticle, which is critical for completion of the insect molting and continuous growth.

Rice serves as the staple food for many Asian countries. However, it faces a significant threat from various Hemiptera species, including Nilaparvata lugens, Sogatella furcifera, Laodelphax striatellus, and Nephotettix cincticeps, which can cause devastating diseases. These species are economically significant pests of rice. Traditional morphology-based methods have proven inefficient in accurately distinguishing these pests at the species level. In this study, we present a successful approach for designing species-specific primers and their application in both general and multiplex PCR as well as loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays, widely adopted molecular tools for species identification. Each primer set incorporates a species-specific sequence of at least 2 base pairs in both the forward and reverse primers. These primers have demonstrated exceptional diagnostic accuracy in conventional and multiplex PCR. Additionally, our study showcases the high sensitivity of LAMP, successfully achieving positive amplification with genomic DNA quantities ranging from 100pg to 10pg. In summary, these techniques provide an efficient means of diagnosing planthoppers in a large number of field-collected or individual samples.

The ladybird beetles have been used as biological control agents against several pest species. The aim of this study is to evaluate the compatibility between ladybird beetles and an entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin AAD16. The virulence of AAD16 strain was compared with that of commercial GHA strain on three developmental stages of two coccinellids; Harmonia axyridis Pallas and Chilocorus stigma Say. The topical application method was used for both adult and larval stage while dipping method was used for egg stage. The LT50 and mycosis rate for all life stages of two ladybird beetles tested were not significant between AAD16 and GHA strain. In larval stage, the mycosis rates of H. axyridis and C. stigma were 36 and 40% and 63 and 60% in AAD16 and GHA strain. In adult stage, the mycosis rates of H. axyridis (male and female) and C. stigma (unsexed) were 20, 23, and 23% and 26, 30, and 30% in AAD16 and GHA strain, respectively. Therefore, the two predatory coccinellids could be compatible with these two fungus strains due to their relatively lower mycosis rate.

In 2020, severe defoliation was reported in Abies holophylla plantations located in Hwacheon-gun, Gangwon-do. This damage was attributed to an outbreak of an unidentified sawfly species from the genus Cephalcia (Hymenoptera: Pamphiliidae). The larvae of this sawfly caused significant defoliation of the leaves. This pest has been identified as Cephalcia koreana Park & Jung, sp. nov., described as a new species in 2023. To investigate the occurrence pattern and density of C. koreana, we set up emergence traps and analyzed samples from affected branches. Our results showed that the density peaks for adults, eggs, and larvae were in mid-May, late May, and early June of 2021, respectively. However, their density decreased sharply after a notably cold spring period in 2022. Here, I aim to discuss the outbreaks of insect pests and their population dynamics.

한국에서 시설 딸기 해충을 방제하는 대표적인 방법은 살충제를 사용한 화학적 방법이다. 이는 농가에서 쉽게 접하고 처리 시기를 마음대로 조절할 수 있는 장점이 있지만, 방제 비용과 농업인부의 빈번한 화학살충제 노출이 큰 단점이다. 경주시 상평농원은 천적을 적극적으로 사용하는 농가로써 2020년부터 현재까지 4년간 4종의 천적 을 구매, 사육, 방사를 실시하였다. 방사한 천적은 점박이응애 방제용 칠레이리응애와 사막이리응애, 작은뿌리 파리 방제용 뿌리이리응애, 진딧물 방제용 콜레마니진딧벌이며, 농장의 규모는 재배동 1,250평, 육묘동 450평으 로 자가육묘를 하기에 1년 내내 딸기를 재배하는 농장이다. 본격적으로 천적을 활용하는 시기는 9월부터 이듬해 5월까지 약 9개월이다. 이 기간 동안 소요된 비용은 천적을 구매하고 자가사육하여 사용한 경우(154만원), 천적과 약제를 구매하여 같이 사용한 경우(240만원), 천적만 구매하여 사용한 경우(262만원), 약제만 처리(377만원) 순 으로 나타났다. 다만, 이 결과는 과학적으로 반복 및 재현 검증되지는 않았고, 각 농가의 천적과 해충의 생태에 대한 이해도와 작물 재배능력, 천적 사육능력에 따라 차이가 있을 수 있다.

This study investigated unrecorded freshwater bacterial species in Korea. Water and sediment samples were collected from the Nakdong River basin from 2020-2022. Bacterial isolates obtained through the conventional culture method with commercial media were subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing to identify unrecorded bacterial species. Results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the bacterial isolates revealed that a total of 44 bacterial isolates shared 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities of more than 98.65%, with validly published bacterial species not reported in Korea yet. These isolates were phylogenetically assigned to 4 phyla, 7 classes, 21 orders, 33 families, and 42 genera. A total of 2, 6, 12, and 24 species belonged to phyla Bacillota, Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, and Pseudomonadota, respectively. Here, we provide details of these 44 unrecorded bacterial species, including Gram staining, colony and cellular morphologies, biochemical properties, and phylogenetic position.

Neoporphyra kitoi Ma. Abe, N. Kikuchi, Tamaki, Tom. Sato, Murase, Fujiyoshi & Mas. Kobayashi has been known as an endemic species in Japan. Its high temperature tolerance suggests that it could be advantageous for cultivation. In this study, we collected it from the Ulleungdo island, Korea and transferred it into Pyropia for a new combination, identified as Pyropia kitoi (Ma. Abe, N. Kikuchi, Tamaki, Tom. Sato, Murase, Fujiyoshi & Mas. Kobayashi) D.J. Kim, T.O. Cho & B.Y. Won comb. nov. based on morphological and molecular analyses. Pyropia kitoi is also reported as a new record species in the list of Korean macroalgal flora. Although we didn’t observe the emergence of new blades from the rhizoidal cells, which is a key character for this species, our molecular analysis of rbcL revealed that our samples from Korea were congruent with “Neoporphyra kitoi” from Japan and were nested within the clade of Pyropia. The gene sequence divergence between the Korean and Japanese samples was 0-0.2%.

In 2022, research for native prokaryotic species in Korea reported 10 unrecorded bacterial strains affiliated to phyla Actinomycetota, Bacillota, and Pseudomonadota. The strains formed monophyletic clades with the most closely related species (with ≥98.7% sequence similarity) in the 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Among them, four species of the phylum Actinomycetota, two species of the phylum Bacillota, and four species of the phylum Pseudomonadota have not been reported in Korea, suggesting unrecorded species in Korea. Information on strains such as Gram staining reaction, colony and cell morphology, biochemical characteristics, and isolation sources were provided in the species description.

The aquarium pet trade is a source of potentially invasive crayfish species, which can be subsequently intentionally or unintentionally introduced into new environments. There were 34 species of freshwater crayfish imported into Korea for ornamental purposes. Starting with 1 species in 2008, it shows a trend of continuous increase every year with the maximum of 25 species in 2020. The number of freshwater crayfish imported into Korea for ornamental purposes was 1,172,159, with an annual average of 78,144 being imported. The population also recorded a record high in 2017 with a 38% increase in population imports compared to the previous year. Among the 34 pet crayfish imported into Korea, four species classified as high-risk and managed in the US and Europe were American crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), Cherax quadricarinatus, Cherax cainii, and Cherax destructor. In addition to American crayfish (P. clarkii), 3 types of high-risk invasive crayfish are designated as legally managed species by conducting an ecological risk assessment, raising awareness among importers, retailers and consumers through awareness-raising education on freshwater crayfish, and measures for route management such as species identification and improvement of labeling methods are needed.

The bitterling (Cyprinidae, Acheilongnathinae) is a temperate freshwater fish with a unique spawning symbiosis with host mussels. Female bitterlings use their extended ovipositors to lay eggs on the gills of mussels through the mussel's exhalant siphon. In the present study, in April of 2020, we investigated spawning frequencies and patterns of three bitterling fish species in host mussel species in the Nakdong River basin (Hoecheon). During field surveys, a total of four bitterling and three mussel species were found. We observed bitterling's spawning eggs/larvae in the three mussel species: Anodonta arcaeformis (proportion spawned: 45.5%), Corbicula fluminea (12.1%), and Nodularia douglasiae (45.2%). The number of bitterlings’ eggs/larvae per mussel ranged from 1 to 58. Using our developed genetic markers, we identified the eggs/ larvae of each bitterling species in each mussel species (except for A. macropterus): A. arcaeformis (spawned by Acheilognathus yamatsutae), C. fluminea (A. yamatsutae and Tanakia latimarginata), and N. douglasiae (A. yamatsutae, Rhodeus uyekii, and T. latimarginata). Approximately 57.6% of N. douglasiae mussel individuals had eggs/ larvae of more than one bitterling species, suggesting that interspecific competition for occupying spawning grounds is intense. This is the first report on bitterling’s spawning events in the Asian clam C. fluminea from Korea; however, it should be ascertained whether bitterling’s embryo undergoes successful development inside the small mussel and leaves as a free-swimming juvenile. In addition, the importance of its conservation as a new host mussel species for bitterling fishes needs to be studied further.