Chrysochroa fulgidissima is the most beautiful Korean beetle and valuable insect in traditional culture because of ancient fulgidissima's adornments in Korea and Japan. The species is also recognized as very rare in the Korean fauna. However, we recently realized that the Korean population has been applied to Ch. fulgidissima without detailed taxonomic approaches since Japanese colonial rule of Korea. Therefore, we investigated 76 dried specimens belonging to seven populations collected from N. Vietnam, E. China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea through morphological and molecular taxonomy using DNA barcoding of COI and 16S rRNA. As the result, the Korean population is strongly formed a monophyletic branch divided from other populations by genetic divergence of each 10.2%~11.7% in DNA barcoding and 6.4%~7.9% in 16S rRNA, and as well as fine structure in the male genitalia. It is allowed to us that the Korean population, which has been underestimated at species discrimination in morphology, may be considered as a novel species.

• Taeman HAN(Applied Entomology Division, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science, Division of Entomology, School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University)
• Taehwa KANG(Applied Entomology Division, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science)
• Yongbo LEE(Applied Entomology Division, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science)
• Jongchel JEONG(Seodaemun Museum of Natural History)
• Hyojung CHUNG(Department of Agricultural Biology, Kyungpook National University)
• Seunghwan LEE(Division of Entomology, School of Agricultural Biotechnology, Seoul National University)
• Ki-Gyoung KIM(Biological Resources Research Department, National Institute of Biological Resources)
• Haechul PARK(Applied Entomology Division, Department of Agricultural Biology, National Academy of Agricultural Science)