A previous studies depicting origin and sequence variability of the species using DNA barcoding region with the samples collected from Korea showed relatively low sequence variability. Thus, additional markers that reveal higher variability were necessitated to scrutinize population structure in connection with dispersal and invasive dynamics among international populations. Therefore, we sequenced two complete mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of M. pruinosa from the two haplotypes occurring in Korea (H1 and H3). Comparison of the two mitogenomes each with 16,312 and 16,314 bp evidenced that one region located in the A+T-rich region to provide higher number of haplotypes (4 vs. 3), sequence divergence (1.636% vs. 0.636%), and variable sites (7 vs. 3) than those of DNA barcoding region from the screening test using 13 representative individuals. This variable region, in concatenation with the currently available DNA barcoding region might be useful for population genetic analysis of worldwide populations including those of Korea. †These authors contributed equally to this paper.

In order to accumulate the ecological information of Drosophila suzukii for export negotiations of domestic strawberry, we weekly monitored occurrence of D. suzukii at three strawberry fields located in Gok-seong, Dam-yang and Hwa-sun using the best combination of trap and attractant from November 2017 to May 2018, the period of strawberry production. Monitoring was carried out at three sites (a hill located 150 meter distant to greenhouse, outside greenhouse and inside greenhouse) in Gok-seong. Drosophil suzukii was trapped at three short periods from November to the beginning of December, from the end of December to the beginning of January, and from April in a hill. At outside greenhouse, D. suzukii was trapped at two short periods from November to the early December and the beginning of May. In inside greenhouse, it occurred once after May 24th. Gok-seong data can be summarized as more occurrence for longer period as the distance to greenhouse increases. Dam-yang occurred once in a short period inside greenhouse and hill, respectively on May. In case of Hwa-sun, D. suzukii did not trapped in whole trapping sites during trapping period, except for the surrounding grape and peach cultivation areas at the end of November. Summarized, no occurrence periods are from November 20th, 2017 to May 14th, 2018 inside greenhouse; from December 11th, 2017 to May 3rd, 2018 outside greenhouse; and from January 8th, 2018 to April 12th, 2018 on a hill. In connection with strawberry culture, the D. suzukii tends to occur at the beginning and the end of the strawberry production period. We expect this result can serve as a helpful data for export negotiation for quarantine.

The yellow-legged hornet, Vespa velutina nigrithorax (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), invaded into South Korea in 2003. Currently, V. velutina is distributed throughout South Korean regions,. A genetic trait of invasive species provides important data for environmental risk assessment. In this study, we analysed the genetic variation of the V. velutina among the populations of South Korea and other foreign countries using partial sequences of mitochondrial COI, CytB and 16S rRNA. We further developed intergenic spacers (IGS2 and IGS3) to detect genetic variation among Korean populations. Each single haplotype was recovered from the domestic V. velutina from each coding gene sequence. Korean individuals shared the haplotype with that of Japan and China. Phylogenetic analysis (excluding 16S rRNA) using available sequences and ours showed the presence of two groups: the Indonesia and Malaysia group and another group (Korea, Japan, China, France, Vietnam and Thailand). The newly developed IGS2 and IGS3 markers resulted in each seven and four haplotypes, providing better resolution than coding gene sequences. Analysis of Molecular Variance using the combined sequences of IGS2 and IGS3 showed that the majority of variance was allocated to each population and only minority of variance is allocated to among-populations. This result may indicate that the V. v. nigrithorax invaded in Korea shows a single panmictic population and this possibly suggest that Korean population may have originated from small founder individuals.

The dung beetle, Copris tripartitus, has been listed as an endangered insect in Korea. In contrast to typical genomic characteristics, the 15,457-bp long, the complete mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of C. tripartitus has a few unusual characteristics. The genome has the trnP-trnT arrangement at the ND4L-ND6 junction, which is found only in two species of Scarabaeoidea, including C. tripartitus, in 53 available species. Twelve protein coding genes (PCGs) have typical ATT and ATG start codons, whereas COII had the start codon GTA, which is unprecedented in Scarabaeidae. The 297-bp A + T-rich region, which is the shortest available in Scarabaeidae, harbors three repeat units (26, 29, and 21 bp), each consisting of duplicated identical sequences interspersed in the A + T-rich region. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using the concatenated sequences of the 13 PCGs and two rRNA genes using both the Bayesian inference (BI) and maximum likelihood (ML) methods for the families Scarabaeidae and Lucanidae that are available for their mitogenomes in Scarabaeoidea. Our consensus phylogeny yielded monophylies of each family and the subfamily Scarabaeinae in Scarabaeidae with the high nodal supports (0.99-1 by BI and 79-100 by ML). Among the three tribes, represented by multiple genera in Scarabaeinae each Oniticellini and Onitini was supported as monophyletic groups with the highest nodal supports (1 by BI and 100 by ML), whereas Onthophagini was non-monophyletic group, presenting the tribe relationships: ((((Oniticellini + Onthophagini [Caccobius, Milichus, Onthophagus]) + Onthophagini [Digitonthophagus, Phalops]) + Onitini) + (Phanaeini + Eurysternini) + Coprini).

동남아시아에 발생하던 등검은말벌은 최근 국내 뿐만 아니라 프랑스와 일본, 유럽 전역으로 확산되어 전 세계 양봉 산업에 극심한 피해를 주고 있다. 등검은말벌을 방제하기 위해 다양한 방제 방법들이 연구되고 있으며, 그 중 말벌 유인제에 대해 국제적으로 많은 연구가 진행되어 왔으나 이 역시 지속적인 개발이 필요한 실정이다. 따라서 본 연구에서는 시판 유인제와 최근 (주)다목에코텍에서 새롭게 개발한 신규 개발 유인제에 대한 효능 검정을 수행하였 고 양봉장에 출현하는 국내 발생 말벌속의 발생양상을 조사하였다. 담양 1개소와 곡성 2개소에 기존 유인제과 신규 유인제를 장착한 포획기를 각 3쌍씩 설치하여 2016년 9월부터 11월말까지 주 1~2회 관찰하였다. 그 결과 국내 발생 말벌속 중 등검은말벌(7,787 개체)이 가장 많이 포획되었고, 다음으로 장수말벌, 말벌, 좀말벌, 꼬마장수말벌, 털보말벌 순으로 포획되었다. 두 유인제의 포획력 검정 결과, 신규 개발 유인제가 통계적으로 유의하게(P < 0.01) 등검은말벌 포획력이 높음을 보였다.

The effects of cold storage temperature and exposure duration on immature stages of spotted-wing drosophila (SWD) Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) on ‘Campbell Early’ grapes were examined to establish a phytosanitary control method. The immature stages (eggs, larvae and pupae) of SWD were all dead after a 6-day cold treatment at 1°C and 8-day cold treatment at 1.5 and 2°C. Small-scale tests using pupae, which were the most-cold tolerant stage, confirmed the validity of the selected temperature and exposure durations. Conversely, the 8- and 10-day at 1°C treatments showed 100% mortality, suggesting that these treatments can guarantee quarantine security against infestations of SWD on exported ‘Campbell Early’ grapes.

벗초파리는 우리나라에서는 심각한 해충으로 인식되지 않아 발생 기간 및 패턴, 기주 범위 등의 생태적인 연구뿐만 아니라 모니터링을 위한 우수 유인제 및 트랩의 연구도 제한적으로 수행된 실정이다. 본 연구는 기존 연구 결과를 참조하여 사과식초 함유 유인제 2종과 화학적 루어 2종 그리고 트랩 2종에 대한 선발 시험을 수행하였다. 선발 시험은 사육중인 벗초파리를 이용한 choice test와 함께 수목원, 딸기 농장, 블루베리 농장에서의 6반복 유인력 검증 실험을 수행하였다. 유인력 비교 결과 ACV + wine의 포획량이 높았으며, 블루베리 농장 인근 결과값은 전체 조사 항목에서 통계적 유의성을 보였다 (P < 0.05). 트랩 선발 실험 결과 모든 실험 장소에서 Dreves 트랩이 높은 포획량을 보였다. 이상의 결과를 통해 ACV + wine과 Dreves 트랩 조합을 선발하였으며, 이를 이용하여 향후 지속적인 모니터링, 월동 발생 조사 등의 연구에 활용할 수 있을 것으로 생각된다.

Previous phylogenetic results often showed fluctuating positions of Geometroidea in Macroheterocera, particularly from mitochondrial genome (mitogenome)-based analyses. In this study, we sequenced mitogenomes of four geometrid moths to increase taxon diversity for the inference of phylogenetic positions of Geometroidea in Macroheterocera. The general genomic features found in Macroheterocera also were found in the four geometrid moths. Phylogenetic analyses using 71 representative mitogeneome sequences in Macroheterocera yielded the consensus superfamilial relationships (((((Bombycoidea + Lasiocampoidea) + Geometroidea) + Noctuoidea) + Drepanoidea) + Mimallonoidea), confirming the sister relationship of Geometroidea to (Bombycoidea + Lasiocampoidea) in both Bayesian Inference and Maximum-likelihood method.

The Japanese oak silkmoth, Antheraea yamamai Guérin-Méneville 1861 (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae), is one of the important natural resources possessing industrial value for silk fiber production. In this study, ten microsatellite markers and two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene sequences (COI and ND4) were used to investigate the genetic variation and geographic structure of A. yamamai populations in South Korea. Two mtDNA gene sequences revealed very low total genetic variation and resultant low geographic variation, validating to use further variable molecular markers. Population-based FIS, FST, RST, and global Mantel test consistently support that A. yamamai populations are overall well interconnected with a relatively high gene flow. Nevertheless, STRUCTURE analysis using microsatellite data and mtDNA sequences coincidently indicate the presence of two genetic pools in many populations.

Despite of a substantial effort, the phylogeny of Lepidoptera still has unstable taxa and unresolved relationships particularly form Apoditrysia to Ditrysia (e.g. phylogenetic position and familial relationships of Gelechioidea, the monophylies of Tineoidea and Zygaenoidea and so on). We performed phylogenetic analysis using ~13,000-bp length of mitogenome sequences form 50 species (with seven species in two superfamilies form this study) representing 13 superfamilies to improve the lepidopteran phylogeny from Apoditrysia to Ditrysia. A close relationship of Gelechioidea to Obtectomera than to apoditrysian taxa was noteworthy, although the nodal support is very weak (ML, 23%; BI, BPP = 0.94). Monophyly of Zygaenoidea without Epipyropidae (Epipomponia nawai) was also noteworthy in spite of weak nodal support (ML, 64%; BI, 1.0). Scrutinized analysis is currently underway.

Dendrolimus superans (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae) has long been acknowledged to present in South Korea under the circumstance of a substantial change in species names of Dendrolimus. In the present study, we found that specimens of D. superans collected from South Korea were D. sibiricus, rather than D. superans. Comparison of Korean specimens to the D. superans from Japan and the D. sibiricus from Russia in terms of wing morphology, female and male genitalia, a partial COI gene sequence, and a partial internal spacer sequence 2 (ITS2) consistently supported the presence of D. sibiricus in South Korea. Phylogenetic analyses using concatenated sequences of COI and ITS2 from available individuals of D. sibiricus and D. superans both by Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods the Korea samples to be D. sibiricus.