The family Monotomidae Laporte includes about 240 species placed in 33 genera worldwide and five species in three genera have been recorded to date in the Korean Peninsula. Mimemodes Reitter contains 15 species occurring worldwide including nine Palaearctic species, of which five are recorded in Japan. In the Korean Peninsula, the genus and a single species, Mimemodes emmerichi Mader, were first recorded by Kang et al. In the present study, we report an additional Korean species of the genus, namely Mimemodes cribratus (Reitter). We provide a redescription, images of habitus and diagnostic characters of the species along with a key to Korean species of Monotomidae.

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), is one of the most important pest species devastating many horticultural and ornamental crops and fruit trees. In the present study, a field strain was collected in January 2001 and has been selected for sixteen years with acequinocyl. The resistance ratio calculated from the LC50 of eggs and adults was 191- and 4,237-fold, respectively. The laboratory-selected acequinocyl resistance (LSAR16) strain was screened with 11 acaricides for cross-resistance. The detoxifying enzyme activities and quantitative real-time PCR analysis were performed in the LSAR16 strain. Crossing experiments revealed that LSAR16 strain was inherited maternally, incompletely dominant and monogenic. Most importantly, we identified two new point-mutations at mitochondrial cytb from acequinocyl resistant T. urticae.

Beauveria bassiana (Bb) is a potential biopesticide against western flower thrips. To understand molecular characteristics of two Bb isolates (ERL836 and JEF-007), whole genome sequencing and RNA-seq were performed. The whole genome of Bb ERL836 was sequenced (3,934,801,443 bp) using Pacbio sequencing and 15 contigs were analyzed. To understand the molecular mechanisms of pathogenicity in two Bb genome (before infection and after infection), next generation sequencing (NGS) was analyzed to compare transcriptomes. A result of differentially expressed gene (DEG) showed that 2,689 contigs were up-regulated and 2,619 contigs were down-regulated. Randomly selected five genes were validated to be highly up-regulated. This work can provide an understanding of the interaction between Bb and westetn flower thrips.

The susceptibility of the Frankliniella occidentalis and Frankliniella intonsa was evaluated using 46 commercial insecticides. There were 10 kinds of insecticides as benfuracarb, chlorfenapyr, spinetoram, spinosad, abamectin + chlorfenapyr, abamectin + emamectin benzoate, chlorfenapyr + clothianidin, chlorfenapyr + imidacloprid, clothianidin + spinetoram and dinotefuran + spinetoram, which showed more than 90% mortality against both thrips, F. occidentalis and F. intonsa. Since the F. intonsa is more susceptible than F. occidentalis, it is considered that both thrips can be controlled by insecticides that show insecticidal activity on the F. occidentalis. The effect by the elapsed time after treatment of 10 kinds of insecticides was analyzed as LT50 and LT95 values. Benfuracarb was the fastest in 4.3 h (LT50) and 14 h (LT95), and spinetoram showed the most late time at 13.5 h (LT50) and 62.3 h (LT95), respectively.

현재 국내에 서식하는 곤충병원선충에 대한 라이브러리 사업이 계획되고 있다. 이 과정 중에 현재까지 Steinernema와 Heterorhabditis 속에 속한 12 분류군을 정리하고 있다. 이 가운데 7 분류군이 증식되었고 4 분류군이 선충과 공생세균의 동정이 실시되고 있다. 이들 4 분류군은 모두 Steinernema 속한 종으로 판단된다. 이들 Steinernema 선충의 감염태는 파밤나방(Spodoptera exigua) 5 령 유충에 대해서 차등성있는 살충력을 나타내어 유전적 차이를 암시하였다.

국내에 서식하는 곤충병원선충 유래 공생세균에 대한 라이브러리 사업이 진행되고 있다. 이 과정 중에 현재까지 4 분류군의 공생세균이 감염된 곤충의 혈림프로 부터 분리되었다. 생화학 특성 분석 결과 이들 세균은 모두 장내세균의 특징을 지니고 있었다. 이들 모두는 파밤나방에 대한 높은 살충력을 지녔으며 Xenorhabdus 속의 균주 특성을 지니고 있었다. 이들의 종 동정은 16S rDNA 서열을 바탕으로 확인하였고, 이러한 동정 결과는 이들 세균의 성장에 이용되는 탄소원 특성으로 뒷받침하였다. 현재까지 동정 결과는 X. bovienii 한 종이 이들 공생세균에 포함되어 있다.

Japanese pine sawyer, Monochamus alternatus Hope (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in forest is considered as a serious forest pest in pine trees. In this study, we collected entomopathogenic fungi from soil and assessed their virulence against the adults of the inset using a spray method in laboratory condition. Two entomopathogeinc fungi isolates showed high virulence against the adults. In the concentration of 1.0 × 107conidia/ml, the mortality rate of the adults were 53% and 60%. In semi-field condition, one isolate showed a virulence of 60% against the adult. Consequently, we confirmed the possibility of the fungal isolates in controlling the beetles. In near the future, we will investigate several factors which is possibly related to the control of the forest insect pest using entomopathogenic fungi in field conditions, given the importance of fungal formulation and practical application methods.

The hard tick, Haemaphysalis longicornis (Ixodida: Ixodidae) is one of the vectors of severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus (SFTSV) causing in humans, however little consideration was given to the biological control of the pest. Therefore, this study provides a screening method to select entomopathogenic fungi, having high virulence against H. longicornis. The virulence test was conducted by dipping method with a conidial suspension (1×107 conidia/ml). As a result, cadavers of H. longicornis infected with entomopathogenic fungi were obtained by this method. Based on this results, we selected several isolates having high virulence to H. longicornis. We suggest that, selected isolates in this study can be used for the control of H. longicornis.

꽃매미(Lycorma delicatula)는 중국 남부와 동남아시아 지역에서 비롯된 국내 침입해충으로 식물을 흡즙하고 배설물 을 배출하여 식물의 광합성을 저해하거나, 그을음병 등을 유발시켜 주로 농작물에 피해를 주는 해충이다. 본 연구에서 는 종분포모델 중 MaxEnt를 이용하여 꽃매미의 분포에 영향을 미치는 요소 분석하고, 잠재적서식지와 향후 꽃매미의 확산을 예측하였으며, 환경변수 데이터는 WorldClim 에서 PCP85의 Bioclim과 Socioeconomic data and applications center 에서 인구의 밀도와 이동범위 자료를 활용하였다. 결과로 잠재서식지 예측에는 기온의 계절적 변동과 인구밀도가 가장 기여도가 높았다. 예측된 잠재서식지는 주로 경기도, 충청도, 전라도, 경상북도와 동해안 인근지역이며 전반적으로 대한민국 전체에 넓게 분포되어 있는 것으로 예측되었다. 현재와 2050년도의 잠재서식지 확산을 비교했을 때 전 지역에서 확산되는 것으로 보이고, 특히 경상북도 지역의 확산이 넓을 것으로 예측되었다.

오리엔탈과실파리는 동남아시아에서 유래한 주요 검역해충으로써 북쪽으로 중국 본토, 인도의 고위도 지역 및 중국남부의 고지대까지 그 범위가 확산되고 있다. 우리는 오리엔탈과실파리의 알려진 분포와 계절적 발생동향, 확산경로로부터 오리엔탈과실파리가 월동가능한 상한선을 결정하였다. 이 상한선으로부터 CLIMEX의 종 매개변수를 결정하고 RCP8.5 기후변화 시나리오를 따르는 국내 미래 기후도를 이용하여 오리엔탈과실파리에 대한 향후 우리나라 의 기후적합성을 검정하였다. 국내에서의 기후적합성의 검토는 이 해충의 잠재적인 정착능력과 영향에 대한 중요한 정보를 제공한다.

Insulin/IGF signaling (IIS) regulates different physiological processes such as metabolism, trehalose level, growth, and reproduction. Four IIS components are identified from the bean pod borer, Maruca vitrata (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). RNA interference (RNAi) of insulin receptor (InR), Forkhead Box O (FOXO), Target of Rapamycin (TOR) or Akt led to ovary dysfunction. Especially, the RNAi treatment significantly reduced the stem cell division in the germarium. However, an addition of a porcine insulin stimulated the cell division. Immature diets significantly influenced on the ovarian stem cell development.

Eicosanoids play crucial roles in mediating insect immune responses. PLA2 releases arachidonic acid (AA) from phospholipids (PLs) and AA is usually used for biosynthesis of eicosanoids. However, AA is little (less than 0.05%) detected in insect PLs. In contrast, insect PLs have a lot of other C18 PUFAs (linoleic acid and linolenic acid). A new hypothesis is that AA is synthesized from C18 precursor by subsequent desaturation and elongation reactions. We predicted several fatty acyl desaturases (DESs) from Spodoptera exigua. Some specific DES inhibitors inhibited eicosanoid-mediated immune responses. Subsequent AA precursor analysis suggests that AA may be synthesized from linolenic acid via the omega-6 pathway.

The entomopathogenic bacteria Xenorhabdus/Photorhabdus inhibit insect immune responses by inhibiting eicosanoid biosynthesis. Especially, the bacterial secondary metabolites inhibit PLA2 that release eicosanoid biosynthesis precursors. Some organic extracts of the bacteria-cultured broth possessed PLA2 inhibitory activity. This study used butanol to extract the metabolites and showed that the extract possessed potent inhibitory activity against insect immunity. The inhibition was reversed by the addition of eicosanoid biosynthesis precursor, suggesting PLA2 inhibition. Furthermore, sub-fractionation of the butanol extract separated the secondary metabolites and the fractions exhibited differential PLA2 inhibition. The active fractions appeared to contain novel compounds that are not known in PLA2 inhibition of these bacteria.

Phospholipase A2 (PLA2) hydrolyzes fatty acids from phospholipids at sn-2 position. Two immune-associated PLA2s are known in Spodoptera exigua. Both are calcium-independent cellular PLA2 (iPLA2A and iPLA2B). These iPLA2s are inducible to immune challenge using different epitopes such as virus, Gram+, Gram- bacteria, and fungi. However, their expression profiles are different between these two iPLA2s. Especially, immune challenge with Gram+ bacteria and fungi significantly up-regulated these iPLA2 expression, suggesting their expression under Toll signal pathway. RNA interferences of Toll or IMD signal components are being investigated.

A prostaglandin (PG), PGE2, mediates both cellular and humoral immune responses of insects. Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) biosynthesizes PGE2 by an unknown enzyme. This study predicted the enzyme, which is a novel membrane-bound prostaglandin E synthase-2 (mPGES-2). The transcriptional expression analysis showed the mPGES-2 is inducible to immune challenge. After RNA interference (RNAi), the hemocyte nodulation and expression of eleven antimicrobial peptides were significantly impaired. The RNAi effect was rescued by addition of PGE2 suggesting that mPGES-2 is crucial for immune responses mediated by PGE2.

Entomopathogenic fungi have been known as promising candidates for biological control of insect pests. Recently, researchers consider the fungal thermotolerance in formulations and field applications. In this study, we investigated the production of thermotolerant Isaria javanica and I.fumosorosea conidia through grain-based solid cultures and exposure to light stress. As results, of the ten grain substrates, Italian millet, rice, perilla seed and sesame, rice, sorghum produced highly thermotolerant conidia in the strains. The two strains were exposed to a light stress and a heat stress. And they showed enhanced thermal stability compared to control, when exposed to 45°C for 2 hours. This work suggests that heat-resistant entomopathogenic fungal conidia can be produced by grain-based solid cultures and exposure to light stress.

Melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a serious insect pest of various crops in the world. The management of this pest mainly have relied on chemical agents. However, the overuse of chemical agents for long times causes insect resistance, and negative effects on environment. Therefore, alternative control methods, such as biological control, that are less harmful to the environment and have different mode of action are needed to control this pest. In this study, we isolated entomopathogenic fungi from Korean soil, and characterized them via morphological and molecular identifications and pathogenicity check against Tenebrio molitor larvae. The isolated fungi were subjected to virulence assay against T. Palmi with a conidial suspension of 1×107 conidia/ml in laboratory conditions. This entomopathogenic fungi library would be a good resource to select effective strains for the control of T. palmi in fields.

Bacterial cells communicate with each other through their specific chemical languages, by which bacteria regulate a set of genes in a multicellular behavior, including antibiotics, biofilm, motility, and virulence. The twitter communication in Gram positive bacteria is mediated by diffusible signal molecules, N-acyl homoserine lactones (HSLs), that differ with respect to the length, saturation and substitutions of the side-chain. In Gram negative bacteria, diffusible peptides control the physiological phenotypes. In this presentation, some general examples of bacterial twitter communication, such as Vibrio fischeri, Burkholderia glumae, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and Serratia marcescens will be presented. The contribution of bacterial communication to pathogenicity of Pantoea ananatis, our model bacterium causing bacterial rice sheath rot and onion center rot diseases, will mainly be discussed.

Entomopathogenic fungi play an important natural role in regulating their insect host populations, and their ecology was also associated with plant and soil. These microorganisms have been living by reacting to insect, plant and environmental factor. The advanced bioinformatics technology such as next-generation sequencing and RNA sequencing has revolutionized in understanding of entomopathogenic fungi. Recently studies provided a lot of information on evolutionary relationships and virulence-related characteristics. We are starting to know where these microorganisms from is, and how they live in nature. The bioinformatics technology will give us further our understanding of the natural roles of these fungi in nature.

풍뎅이상과(Superfamily Scarabaeoidea) 곤충은 딱정벌레목 중 큰 범주를 차지하는 cosmopolitan 그룹으로, 전 세계에 약 3만종 이상이 분포한다. 성충은 더듬이 끝이 납작해져 겹쳐진 모양을 하고 있는 특징 외에 땅을 파기에 적합한 큰 기절과 발달한 전경절의 외치, 미절판으로 변형된 8번째 등쪽 배마디와 4개의 말피기관을 가지며, 유충은 몸체가 C자 모양으로 굽은 형태로 전형적인 굼벵이로 불린다. 풍뎅이류는 과수 및 농업해충의 역할을 하는 식식성 곤충이거나 배설물이나 사체의 분해자 역할을 하는 분식성 곤충이 대부분이며, 일부는 식용 및 기능성 물질 활용종으로 주목받고 있는 등 생태적․기능적으로 중요한 곤충군이다. 분류학적 연구에 있어 풍뎅이상과 곤충은 단계통을 이룬다는 여러 증거가 있지만, 자매그룹에 대한 논란은 여전하다. 풍뎅이상과 내 여러 아과들의 관계 구명을 위해 몇몇 학자들이 형태적․분자적 연구를 수행해 왔고 일부 정리된 의견을 제시하고 있으나, 편의에 따라 조금씩 다른 분류체계를 따르고 있는 경우가 있다. 본 기회를 통해 풍뎅이류의 상위분류에 대한 동향을 소개하고, 한국산 풍뎅이류의 현 분류체계에 대한 개선방안을 고찰하고자 한다.