Climate change and biological invasions are the greatest threats to biodiversity, agriculture, health and the global economy. Tomato leafminer(Tuta absoluta) (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is one of the most important threats to agriculture worldwide. This pest is characterized by rapid reproduction, strong dispersal ability, and highly overlapping of generations. Plants are damaged by direct feeding on leaves, stems, buds, calyces, young ripe fruits and by the invasion of secondary pathogens which enter through the wounds made by the pest. Since it invaded Spain in 2006, it has spread to Europe, the Mediterranean region, and, in 2010, to some countries in Central Asia and Southeast Asia. In East Asia, Tomato leafminer was first detected in China in Yili, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in 2017. There is a possibility that this pest will invade South Korea as well. This study provides this by the use of MaxEnt algorithm for modelling the potential geographical distribution of Tomato Leafminer in South Korea Using presence-only data.

• Ji-won Jeong(Department of Plant Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju) Corresponding author
• Jinsol Hong(Ojeong Resilience Institute, Korea University, Seoul)
• Taechul Park(Department of Plant Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju)
• SoEun Eom(Department of Plant Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju)
• Kimoon Son(Department of Plant Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju)
• Kijong Cho(Department of Environmental Science & Ecological Engineering, Korea University)
• Jung-Joon Park(Department of Plant Medicine, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Institute of Agriculture and Life Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju)