Mirinae is the most diverse subfamily within the family Miridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), and includes more than 4,000 species. In Korea, mirids were first recorded from Jeju Island in the mid-1960s. Since that study, numerous plant bug species from the Korean peninsula have been newly recognized and described. Previously, 101 species of Mirini were recorded from Korean peninsula. In this study, we provide an additional information of Mirini in Korea with a description of new species and new records.

Seasonal distribution of disease vector species including mosquitoes and ticks plays a key role in establishing risk managementof vector-borne disease. However, environmental factors affecting abundance and distribution of vector species are notcurrently well understood. Therefore, we conducted a two-year field sampling to address the population dynamics of mosquitoesand ticks in Gyeonggi-do in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, the population density was highest in May for ticks (e.g. Haemaphysalislongicornis) and June for mosquitoes (e.g. Aedes vexans), whereas both pest groups peaked in August in 2016. Culexpipens (82.3% Species Ratio), Ae. vexans (77.3% SR), and Anopheles sinesis sp. (45.3% SR) were the most dominantspecies in urban area, cow shed and wild bird refuge, respectively. For ticks, H. longicornis (47.7% SR) was the mostdominant throughout four potential habitats.

Different types of insect-borne plant viruses can modify their hosts and vectors in distinct manners. Therefore, interactionsbetween two types of viruses co-existing in a field are known to be complex to predict. Obtaining empirical data byconducting field experiments, however, requires numerous biotic and abiotic factors to be controlled, and is therefore hardto execute. Thus, we designed an individual based model to simulate the transmission pattern of two viruses, using potatoes(Solanum tuberosum) for host plant, aphids (Myzus persicae) for virus vector, potato leafroll virus and potato virus Yfor different types of plant viruses. More specifically, we aimed to investigate the effect of the following on the spreadof the plant viruses: dispersal by winged-form aphids, initial number of virus-infected seed potatoes, and indirect interactionsbetween two viruses by affecting life traits of the vectors.

Vertical transmission of symbiont is known as the most effective way to deliver their offspring. However, it has beenreported that the bean bug, Riptortus pedestris, acquires its gut symbiont, Burkholderia sp., from its environment (e.g.soil) during the 2nd instar nymphal stage. Nevertheless, it is not unknown how they locate their symbiont. For this reason,dual-choice experiments were conducted in both solitary (a nymph) and group conditions (100 nymphs) to investigatewhether or not R. pedestris has preference on Burkholderia sp. treated or untreated solution in laboratory conditions. Inthese experiments, there was no significant difference in the preference between the two treatments. We are testing inthe Y-tube olfactometer system to evaluate the response of R. pedestris on possible chemical cues from Burkholderia sp..

Our understanding of dust emission, interaction, and evolution, is evolving. In recent years, electric dipole emission by spinning dust has been suggested to explain the anomalous microwave excess (AME), appearing between 10 and 90 Ghz. The observed frequencies suggest that spinning grains should be on the order of 10nm in size, hinting at polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon molecules (PAHs). We present data from the AKARI/Infrared Camera (IRC) due to its high sensitivity to the PAH bands. By inspecting the IRC data for a few AME regions, we nd a preliminary indication that regions well-tted by a spinning- dust model have a higher 9 m than 18 m intensity vs. non-spinning-dust regions. Ongoing eorts to improve the analysis by using DustEM and including data from the AKARI Far Infrared Surveyor (FIS), IRAS, and Planck High Frequency Instrument (HFI) are described.

A total of nine Korean indigenous goats were used in a cross-over arrangement to give nine replicates per treatment, and they were housed individually assigned to 1 of 9 dietary treatments. Nine treatments were 0, 500, and 1000 ppm of quercetin supplementation in diets by mixing roughage and concentrate with different ratios (RC ratio) of 3:7 (RC 30), 5:5 (RC 50) and 7:3 (RC 70). Nutrient utilizations of dry matter, crude fat and NDF were not affected by neither RC ratio nor dietary quercetin (p>0.05), but the rate of crude protein and ADF increased in animals in RC 70 group regardless of quercetin supplementation (p<0.05). In addition, higher RC ratio increased (p<0.05) N retention and N retention rate. Total VFA, acetic acid, propionic acid, iso-butyric acid, butyric acid, iso-valeric acid and valeric acid contents were not affected (p>0.05) by dietary quercetin. Meanwhile, lower total cholesterol level exhibited in animals in RC 70 group compared to RC 30 or 50 groups, unrelated to dietary quercetin (p<0.05), however other plasma parameters were not influenced (p>0.05) by RC ratio and dietary quercetin. Our results indicated that both RC ratio and dietary quercetin may not directly affect the production indices and immune responses in Korean indigenous goat

Mosquitoes and hard ticks are vectors of serious diseases, but factors affecting the abundance and distribution of vector species are not well-understood. Therefore, we monitored mosquito populations from three potential mosquito habitats using black light traps and BG-Sentinel traps in Gyeonggi-do, 2016. Also, we surveyed ticks using CO2-based traps at one location in Gyeonggi-do, 2016. From the traps, we collected a total of 4,818 mosquitoes in three potential mosquito habitats, and 3,207 ticks in Gyeonggi-do. Among the collected samples, the highest density of mosquitoes were observed in August, and tick density was highest in August either. In the samples, dominant mosquitoes were Aedes vexans nipponii (Species Ratio 49%), and Culex pipens pallens (SR 25%) in mosquito habitats and dominant ticks were Haemaphysalis longicornis (SR 56%) in Gyeonggi-do. This monitoring program for vector species can help develop effective management strategy, especially under the global climate change.

Na+/K+-ATPase is a membrane protein and plays a key role in osmotic regulation in living organisms. In the present study, a cDNA sequence encoding the Na+/K+-ATPase alpha subunit from the monogonont rotifer, Brachionus koreanus was cloned by rapid amplification of cDNA ends technique. To investigate the role of this enzyme in osmotic stress, enzymatic activities of Na+/K+-ATPase were measured after exposure to different salinities for 48 h. The full-length Bk Na+/K+-ATPase cDNA was 3069 bp-long, encoding a 1022-amino acid polypeptide. Bk Na+/K+- ATPase possesses eight membrane spanning regions and five conserved domains. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Bk Na+/K+-ATPase had high identity with those of other species, and was closely clustered with other Brachionus sp. These findings indicate that this protein was conserved both structurally and functionally. B. koreanus Na+/K+-ATPase activity was stimulated in both hyposaline (6 psu) and hypersaline (32 psu) conditions, suggesting that this protein may play a role in osmoregulation. This study would provide better understanding of the physiology of B. koreanus and this enzyme may be useful as a molecular marker for evaluation of osmotic stress in aquatic environment.