True hermaphrodites are animals of equivocal sex in which both male and female gonads develop simultaneously. The frequency of true hermaphroditism is higher in pigs than in other domestic animals. Two Korean pigs were diagnosed with true hermaphroditism showing ovotestes, epididymes, penes, and uteri. Histomorphologically, the testicular tissues consisted of Sertoli cells that were devoid of spermatogenic germ cells and showed proliferation of interstitial cells. However, the uteri were of normal architecture and had well-developed uterine endometrial glands. The samples were 38, XX female karyotype without the sex-determining region Y (SRY) gene. The findings of this study could contribute to the understanding of true hermaphroditism in the Korean pig industry. * This work was supported by a grant (Code# PJ008148) from BioGreen21 Program, Rural Development Administration, Republic of Korea.

The objective of the current study was to describe in vitro embryo production in Hanwoo, analyzing oocytes yield and embryo production. The effects of oocytes production and the number of OPU procedures per animal on embryo production were also evaluated. OPU was done every 3～4 days during experimental period and collected oocytes were fertilized in vitro in both OPU and needle puncture groups. First, we compared the recovery rate of oocytes based on OPU session (Experiment 1). The average of collected oocytes was calculated from every 10 session. The average number of total oocytes recovered per animalonsessionwas 5.16 (mean). Second, we compared the recovery rate base on collection period of OPU (Experiment 2). The following results show the difference of the number of recovered oocytes in every month during the procedure between the months of session. Every animal shows the constant number of recovered oocytes for the first 5 months. However, the recovery rate of oocytes was decreased from month 6 to 8. Third, we compared the developmental rate to blastocyst in two groups (Experiment 3). Oocytes by needle puncture were fertilized with frozen-thawing semen; the cleavage rate 24～48 h after in vitro fertilization (IVF) was 75.8% and blastocyst development rate was 18.8% in needle puncture group. Even though there is lower cleavage rate after IVF in OPU group (61.1%), blastocyst development rate was higher compared with needle puncture group (28.4%). In conclusion, Blastocyst developmental rate could be increased by OPU than classical method of needle puncture. Improvement of bio- technique in collecting oocytes could be applied to understand the reproductive physiology in cattle, expecially Hanwoo. Therefore, further investigation should be done to clarify the efficiency and advantage of OPU involved in reproduction in animals and human being.

Opioid receptors have been pharmacologically classified as µ, δ, κ and ε. We have recently reported that the antinociceptive effect of morphine (a µ-opioid receptor agonist), but not that of β-endorphin (a novel µ/ε-opioid receptor agonist), is attenuated by whole body irradiation (WBI). It is unclear at present whether WBI has differential effects on the antinociceptive effects of µ-, δ-, κ- and ε-opioid receptor agonists. In our current experiments, male ICR mice were exposed to WBI (5Gy) from a 60 Co gamma-source and the antinociceptive effects of opioid receptor agonists were assessed two hours later using the hot water (52℃) tail-immersion test. Morphine and D-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Gly-ol-enkephalin (DAMGO), [D-Pen2-D-Pen5]enkephalin (DPDPE), trans-3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-[2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)- cyclohexyl]¬benzeneacetamide (U50,488H), and β-endorphin were tested as agonists for µ, δ, κ, and ε-opioid receptors, respectively. WBI significantly attenuated the antinociceptive effects of morphine and DAMGO, but increased those of β-endorphin. The antinociceptive effects of DPDPE and U50,488H were not affected by WBI. In addition, to more preciously understand the differential effects of WBI on µ- and ε¬opioid receptor agonists, we assessed pretreatment effects of β-funaltrexamine (β-FNA, a µ-opioid receptor antagonist) or β-endorphin1-27 (β-EP1-27, an ε-opioid receptor antagonist), and found that pretreatment with β-FNA significantly attenuated the antinociceptive effects of morphine and β endorphin by WBI. significantly reversed the β-EP1-27 attenuation of morphine by WBI and significantly attenuated the increased effects of β-endorphin by WBI. The results demonstrate differential sensitivities of opioid receptors to WBI, especially for µ- and ε-opioid receptors.

장수명 핵분열생성물인 79Se와 99Tc는 자연수 중에서 용해도가 클 뿐더러 음이온으로 존재하여 방사성폐 기물 처분장에서 주요 관심핵종들로 고려되고 있다. 본 연구에서는 KURT 지하수의 다양한 pH와 산화-환 원 조건에서 셀레늄과 테크네튬의 Solubility Limiting Solid Phase (SLSP)로 알려진 FeSe2와 TcO2의 용해 도를 측정하였다. 또한, 지화학코드를 이용하여 실험과 유사조건에서 이들의 용해도와 주요 화학종을 계 산하였다. 실험 및 계산으로부터 pH 8∼9.5와 Eh=-0.3∼-0.4 V 조건에서 FeSe2의 용해도는 1x10-6 mol/L 이하이며, 주 용해 화학종은 HSe-로 판단된다. TcO2의 경우는 pH 6∼9.5와 Eh<-0.1 V 영역에서 용해도와 주 용해 화학종이 각각 5x10-8∼1x10-9 mol/L와 TcO(OH)2로 나타났지만, Eh=-0.35 V조건에서는 주 용해화학종이 pH가 10.5∼12와 12이상에서 각각 TcO(OH)3 -와 TcO4 -로 계산되었다.

The objective of this study was to evaluate in vitro production of bovine embryos in Hanwoo. Oocytes were collected by ovum pick up (OPU) from ovaries of genetically high-value Hanwoo or by needle puncture from ovaries of slaughtered cattle. OPU was done every 3 4 days duing experimental period and collected oocytes were fertilized in vitro in both OPU and needle puncture groups. First, We compared the in vitro maturation rate in two groups (Experiment 1). 545 oocytes were recoverd from 4 females by 32 trials of OPU and then 433 oocytes were shown MⅡ stage after in vitro maturation (79.4%). In case of needle puncture group, 1905 oocytes were collected and then 1420 oocytes were matured to MⅡ stage during in vitro culture(74.5%). Second, we compared the developmental rate to blastocyst in two groups (Experiment 2). 1420 oocyte by needle puncture were fertilized with frozen-thawing semen; the cleavage rate 24 48 h after in vitro fertilization (IVF) was 88.6% and blastocyst development rate was 20.5% in needle puncture group. Even though there is lower cleavage rate after IVF in OPU group (84.8%), blastocyst development rate was higher compared with needle puncture group (26.4%). In conclusion, Blastocyst developmental rate could be increased by OPU than classical method of needle puncture. Improvement of bio-technique in collecting oocytes could be applied to understand the reproductive physiology in cattle, expecially Hanwoo. Therefore, further investigation should be done to clarify the efficiency and advantage of OPU involved in reproduction in animals and human being. This research was suppoted by Imsil-gun agricultural technology service center.

This study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between in vitro maturation and plasminogen activators (PAs) activity on porcine cumulus-oocytes complexes (COCs) exposed to oxidative stress. When COCs were cultured in maturation medium with hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), the proportion of the germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) and oocytes maturation were decreased with addition of H2O2, and were significantly (p<0.05) lower in medium with 0.1 mM H2O2 than control group. Also, the rate of degenerated oocytes was increased in as H2O2 concentration increased. When COCs were cultured for 48 h, three plasminogen-dependent lytic bands were observed: tissue-type PA (tPA); urokinase-type PA (uPA); and tPA-PA inhibitor (tPA-PAI). PA activity was quantified using SDS-PAGE and zymography. When H2O2 concentration was increased, tPA and tPA-PAI activities also increased in porcine oocytes cultured for 48 h, but not uPA. In other experiment, embryos were divided into three groups and cultured in (1) control medium, (2) control medium with 1.0 mM H2O2 and (3) control medium with 1.0 mM H2O2 along with catalase in concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/ml, respectively. H2O2 decreased the rate of GVBD and maturation in porcine COCs but catalase revealed protective activity against oxidative stress caused by H2O2. In this experiment, tPA and tPA-PAI activities were higher in media with 1.0 mM H2O2 alone. Increasing concentration of catalase decreased tPA and tPA-PAI activities in porcine oocytes. These results indicate that the exposure of porcine follicular oocytes to ROS inhibits oocytes maturation to metaphase-II stage and increase the oocytes degeneration. Also, we speculated that increased ROS level may trigger tPA and tPA-PAI activities in porcine oocytes matured in vitro.

Substantia gelatinosa (SG) neurons receive synaptic inputs from primary afferent Aδ- and C-fibers, where nociceptive information is integrated and modulated by numerous neurotransmitters or neuromodulators. A number of studies were dedicated to the molecular mechanism underlying the modulation of excitability or synaptic plasticity in SG neurons and revealed that second messengers, such as cAMP and cGMP, play an important role. Recently, cAMP and cGMP were shown to downregulate each other in heart muscle cells. However, involvement of the crosstalk between cAMP and cGMP in neurons is yet to be addressed. Therefore, we investigated whether interaction between cAMP and cGMP modulates synaptic plasticity in SG neurons using slice patchclamp recording from rats. Synaptic activity was measured by excitatory post-synaptic currents (EPSCs) elicited by stimulation onto dorsal root entry zone. Application of 1 mM of 8- bromoadenosine 3,5-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cAMP) or 8-bromoguanosine 3,5-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP) for 15 minutes increased EPSCs, which were maintained for 30 minutes. However, simultaneous application of 8-BrcAMP and 8-Br-cGMP failed to increase EPSCs, which suggested antagonistic cross-talk between two second messengers. Application of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) that prevents degradation of cAMP and cGMP by blocking phosphodiesterase (PDE) increased EPSCs. Co-application of cAMP/cGMP along with IBMX induced additional increase in EPSCs. These results suggest that second messengers, cAMP and cGMP, might contribute to development of chronic pain through the mutual regulation of the signal transduction.

The Samia cynthia ricini (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is a commercial silk-producing insect belonging to an insect family Saturniidae in Bombycoidea. The species that has presumably been originated in India, is distributed in India, China, and Japan. Unlikely domestic silkworm the prime host plant for the species is a castor-oil plant (Ricinus communis in Euphorbiaceae). Recently, the eri-silkworm also is reared in Korea and is expected to be utilized for a diverse purpose. In this report, we present the complete mitochondrial genome of the species with the emphasis of a few major characteristics. The 15,384-bp long S. cynthia ricini (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) mitochondrial genome was amplified into three long overlapping fragments (from COI ~ ND4, ND5 ~ lrRNA, and lrRNA ~ COI) and subsequent several short fragments using the long fragments as temperate. The primers for both long and short fragments were designed solely for lepidopteran genomes, without any species-specific primers. As a usual the genome is composed of 37 genes: 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), two rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes, and one large non-coding region termed the A+T-rich region. Arrangement of the genome is identical to those of other lepidopteran mitochondrial genome, but this differs from the common arrangement found in a diverse insect order, by the movement of tRNAMet to a position 5’- up stream of tRNAIle. Unlikely previous report on the start codon for COI gene in Lepidoptera S. cynthia ricini COI gene starts with typical ATT codon located between tRNATyr and the beginning region of COI gene. The 22 tRNAs that are interspersed throughout the mitogenome ranged in length from 62 to 71 bp. All tRNAs but tRNASer(AGN) were shown to be folded into the expected cloverleaf secondary structures. More detailed structural and phylogenetic analyses among Bombycidae and Saturniidae in connection with other families in the Bombycoidea will be performed soon

The pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola Foerster (Homoptera: Psyllidae), is a serious insect pest of commercial pear crops. The species, which resides on pear trees throughout its life cycle, is rapidly spreading in some regions of the world. Given the life cycle, it is unclear how such a rapid spread has been facilitated. Presently, the population genetic structure of the species including genetic diversity and gene flow was studied to understand the nature of dispersal and field ecology of the species. Pear psylla was collected from several pear orchards in Korea. The 658-bp region of mitochondrial COI gene and the 716-bp long complete internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA were sequenced. Unlikely other previously studied insect pests, the COI-based genetic diversity of the pear psylla was extremely low (maximum sequence divergence of 0.15%). This finding allowed us to conclude that the species may have been introduced in Korea relatively recently, possibly with the phenomenon of genetic bottlenecks. ITS2 sequence-based analyses of phylogeny, population differentiation, gene flow, and hierarchical population structure all concordantly suggested that the pear psylla populations in Korea are neither genetically isolated nor hampered for gene flow. These genetic data are concordant with the dispersal of an overwintering winterform morph outside the non-pear habitat in the fall and the possibility of subsequently longer distant dispersal.

The phylogenetic relationships among true butterfly families (superfamily Papilionoidea) have been a matter of substantial controversy, and that debate has led to several competing hypotheses. Two of the most compelling of those hypotheses involve the relationships of (Nymphalidae + Lycaenidae) + (Pieridae + Papilionidae) and (((Nymphalidae + Lycaenidae) + Pieridae) + Papilionidae). In this study, approximately 3,500 nucleotide sequences from cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA), and elongation factor-1 alpha (EF-1α) were sequenced from 83 species belonging to four true butterfly families, along with those of eight outgroup species belonging to the skipper family (superfamily Hesperioidea). These sequences were subjected to phylogenetic reconstruction via Bayesian Inference (BI), Maximum Likelihood (ML), and Maximum Parsimony (MP) algorithms. All phylogenetic analyses among the four true butterfly families strongly indicated a sister relationship between the Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae on one hand, and relatively strongly indicated a sister relationship between the Pieridae and Papilionidae on another hand, thus supporting the hypothesis: (Nymphalidae + Lycaenidae) + (Pieridae + Papilionidae).

The bumblebee, Bombus ignitus (Hymenoptera: Apidae), is a valuable natural resource that is one of the most notably utilized for greenhouse pollination in Korea. In order to understand the nature of genetic relationships, gene flow, and population structure of the species we sequenced a partial COI gene of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) corresponding to “animal barcode” region and the complete internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) collected from Korean localities. Although the 658-bp long mtDNA sequence provided only six haplotypes with the maximum sequence divergence of 0.61% (4 bp), the ITS sequences provided 84 sequence types with the maximum sequence divergence of 1.02% (21 sites), confirming better applicability of the ITS sequences to the study of intraspecific variation. The complete ITS2 sequences of B. ignitus were shown to be longest among known insects, ranging in size from 2,034 bp ~ 2,052 bp, harboring two duplicated repeats. Overall, a very high per generation migration ratio, a very low level of genetic fixation, and no discernable hierarchical population/ population group were noted to exist among populations of B. ignitus on the basis of both molecules, thus suggesting that the B. ignitus populations on the Korean peninsula are panmictic, which is consistent with our understanding of the dispersal capability of the species

In an effort to gain a better understanding of the nature of the population genetic structure of the pest insect, Spodoptera litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), tobacco cutworms were collected from six Korean and five Chinese localities and their mitochondrial A+T-rich region and nuclear internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) regions were cloned and sequenced. A total of 106 A+T-rich region haplotypes and 92 ITS2 sequence types were obtained from 158 individuals. Compared to the preliminary mitochondrial COI gene sequence data that provided all identical sequence types in all samples, the A+T-rich region and nuclear ITS2 are highly variable. Overall, a low level of genetic fixation in the A+T-rich region (FST = 0 ~ 0.02965) and nuclear ITS2 (FST = 0 ~ 0.34491), and no discernable isolated population was noted to exist among most S. litura populations. The presence of a majority of within-population variations, rather than variations among populations or between China and Korea, indicates that the S. litura populations are composed of heterogeneous individuals. The fixation index at hierarchical level of among regions shows no significance, suggesting that the S. litura populations in both Korea and China are profoundly interrelated with one another. This finding is in accord with the current knowledge that S. litura has sufficient flight capacity for dispersal.

This study was performed to investigate the effects of Needle Electrode Electrical Stimulation(NEES) on ischemia-induced cere˗ brovascular accidents. After obstruction and reperfusion of arteries in white mice, the amounts of necrosis and inflammation related sub˗ stances Bax, IL-6, Caspase-3, and COX-2 were measured in neurons of the fore-brain. The following results were obtained. This study used 21 male specific pathogen free(SPF) SD rats, 8 weeks of age and approximately 300g in weight. Each exposed artery was completely occluded with non-absorbent suture thread and kept in that state for 5 minutes. The sutures were then removed to allow reperfusion of blood. Test group is control group(common carotid artery occlusion models), a GI(underwent common carotid artery occlusion), and NEES(underwent NEES after artery occlusion). The GI and NEES groups were given 12, 24, or 48 hours of reperfusion before NEES. NEES device(PG6, ITO, Japan, 9V, current, 2Hz) was used to stimulate the bilateral acupoint ST36 of the SD rats for 30 minutes while they were sedated with 3% isoflurane. An immuno-his˗ tochemistry test was done on the forebrains of the GI induced rats. Both Bax and Caspase-3 immuno-reactive cells, related to apoptosis, were greater in the GI than the NEES group. Cox-2 and IL-6 immuno-reactive cells, related to inflammation, were greater in the GI and NEES groups than the control group. We can expect that applying NEES after ischemic CVA is effective for preventing brain cells from being destroyed. And we can conclude NEES should be applyed on early stage of ischemic CVA.

This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of applying level of pig slurry on the characteristics of runoff and leaching water in lysimeter. Treatments were broken down into five treatments such as non-chemical fertilizer, chemical fertilizer (200㎏ N/㏊) and pig slurry (200, 400, 600㎏ N/㏊), and 3-time-repeated randomized complete block design was fulfilled. The concentrations of NO₃-N was raised(p＜0.05) in proportion to the applying level of pig slurry. NO₃-N concentration of leaching water collected from soil depth 20㎝ and 40㎝ was intensified as the applying level of pig slurry was higher (p＜0.05) in pig slurry 600㎏ N/㏊ application. In conclusion, pig slurry at the volcanic ash soil in Jeju area can replace the chemical fertilizer as it is tested that applying 200㎏ N/㏊ of pig slurry and chemical fertilizer show the same productivity of sorghum×sudangrass hybrid. But more than 200㎏ N/㏊ of pig slurry may not be appropriate because it may contaminate the runoff and leaching water even though it may increase for the forage productivity.

Root knot nematode species, such as Meloidogyne hapla, M. incognita, M. arenaria and M. javanica are economically most notorious nematode pests, causing serious damage to the various crops throughout world. In this study, DNA sequence analyses of the D1-D3 expansion segments of the 28S gene in the ribosomal DNA were conducted to characterize genetic variation of the four Meloidogyne species obtained from Korea and United States. PCR-RFLP (Polymerase Chain Reaction-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism), SCAR (Sequence Characterized Amplified Region) marker and RAPD (Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA) also were used to develop the methods for exact and rapid species identification. In the sequence analysis of the D1-D3 expansion segments, only a few nucleotide sequence variation were detected among M. incognita, M. arenaria, and M. javanica, except for M. hapla. The PCR-RFLP analysis that involves amplification of the mitochondrial COII and lrRNA region yielded one distinct amplicon for M. hapla at 500 bp, enabling us to distinguish M. hapla from M. incognita, M. arenaria, M. javanica reproduced by obligate mitotic parthenogenesis. SCAR markers successfully identified the four root knot nematode species tested. We are under development of RAPD primers specific to the three root knot nematodes found in Korea.

The 15,389-bp long complete mitogenome of the endangered red-spotted apollo butterfly, Parnassius bremeri (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) was determined. This genome has a gene arrangement identical to those of all other sequenced lepidopteran insects, which have the gene order of tRNAMet, tRNAIle, and tRNAGln at the beginning. Due to the uncertainty the start codon for COI gene in insect has been discussed extensively. We propose the CGA sequence as the start codon for COI gene in lepidopteran insects, based on complete mitogenome sequences of lepidopteran insects including our P. bremerii and additional sequences of the COI start region from a diverse taxonomic range of lepidopteran species (a total of 51 species belonging to 15 families). As has been suggested in other sequenced lepidopteran insects the 18 bp-long poly-T stretch and the downstream conserved motif ATAGA that were previously suggested to serve as a structural signal for minor-strand mtDNA replication also was found at the 3’-end region of the P. bremerii A+T-rich region. In an extensive search to find out tRNA-like structure in the A+T-rich region, each one tRNATrp-like sequence and tRNALeu (UUR)-like sequence were found in the P. bremeri A+T-rich region, and most of other sequenced lepidopteran insects were shown to have tRNA-like structure within the A+T-rich region, thereby indicating that such feature is frequent in the lepidopteran A+T-rich region. Phylogenetic analysis using the concatenated 13 amino acid sequences and nucleotide sequences of PCGs of the four macrolepidopteran suferfamilies together with Tortricoidea and Pyraloidea well recovered a monophyly of Papilionoidea and a monophyly of Bombycoidea. However, Geometroidea and Noctuoidea were unexpectedly clustered as one group and placed this group to the sister group to Bombycoidea, instead of Papilionoidea in most analyses.

This study was carried out to investigate effect of herbal extracts mixtures on hair growth in an alopecia model of C57BL/6 mice. There were 4 experimental groups including distilled water (DW, negative control), 25% ethanol(EtOH, vehicle control) and two herbal extract mixtures (HE-1 and HE-2). HE-1 included Polygonum and Brassica campestris extracts and HE-2 included Mulberry root and Gardenia extracts. The 6 weeks-old C57BL/6 male mice were shaved with an electric clipper and the test compounds were topically treated with 0.2 ml per mouse daily for 3 weeks. The hair re-growth was photographically determined at days 0, 4, 7, 10, 14, 17, and 21. The number of mast cells which is an important modulator of hair growth was counted in 1 cm of dorsal skin section of mice. There were no clinical signs in all experimental groups. As the results of photometric analysis, the topical application of the herbal extracts (HE-1 & 2) for 2 weeks to dorsal skin accelerated hair re-growth remarkably faster than that of DW group (p＜0.05). Activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was significantly increased in EtOH group compared to DW group (p＜0.05). Both herbal extract mixtures also increased the ALP activity, but it was not significantly different from DW. Treatment of mice with HE-2 significantly increased mast cell population compared to EtOH. Taken together, these results suggest that herbal extract mixtures used in this study may have hair-growth promoting activities and can be useful for treatment for male pattern baldness or alopecia in humans.

Recently, increasing interests in local foods have been highlighted along with active efforts and activities from autonomy organizations to develop local cultures and promote local economies by generating value added products and profits through the development of local foods. Subsequently, useful effects might result by making local foods attractive to tourists, such as by using indigenous Gimpo products to makc menu items that incorporate the social, economic, and cultural aspects of the Gimpo area, and contributing to its food culture, the development and use of its indigenous products, and promoting local restaurant businesses, etc. The items of the Survey used to select the local food menu items to be developed were limited to ideas offered by expert groups, and were implemented by a new menu developmεnt process. In order to derive the menu items to develop, the following method was applied: a brainstorming session with experts to generate and draft ideas, a questionnaire to chefs and cooks in special grade hotels is Seoul to select thε menu items to develop from those drafted, and sensory evaluations by experts to evaluate the developed items. Frequency analysis and technical statistical analysis were performed using the SPSS 12.0 program package, where 13 kinds of local foods were ultimately developed using indigenous products of Gimpo. The developed local food menu items werε rice & grape sujaebi, grape sikhae, fried rice embryo bud, grape yanggaeng, rice pancakes, rice spaghetti, grape seed oil dressing, grape sauce， rice pizza, grape pie， rice & grape ice cream, grape chocolate, and rice roll cakes.

We analyzed a portion of mitochondrial COI gene sequences (658 bp) to investigate the genetic diversity and geographic variation of the swallowtail butterfly, Papilioxuthus L., and the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae). P. xuthus showed a moderate level of sequence divergence (0.91% at maximum) in 15 haplotypes, whereas P. rapae showed a moderate to high level of sequence divergence (1.67% at maximum) in 30 haplotypes, compared with other relevant studies. Analyses of population genetic structure showed that most populations are not genetically differentiated in both species. The distribution pattern of both species appears to be consistent with category IV of the phylogeographic pattern sensu Avise (Avise et al. 1987): a phylogenetic continuity, an absence of regional isolation of mtDNA clones, and extensive distribution of close clones. The observed pattern of genetic diversity and geographic variation of the two butterfly species seems to reflect the abundant habitats, abundant host plants, and flying abilities in connection with the lack of historical biogeographic barriers.