Caterpillars, the larvae of butters and moths(Lepidoptera), are enormously important in terrestrial food webs. They are not only the preferred grub for insects, birds, fishes, reptile and amphibian but also engineers of nutrient cycling processes and are the largest natural consumers of vegetation. Even though their major role in the ecosystem, details of biology are poorly known for most species. HECRI(Holoce Ecosystem Conservation Research Institution) has been carried out to identify larvae and to acquire useful biological information of primary endemic insect larvae through rearing from 1997 to 2013. Of these this study is the result about special caterpillars feeding on the foliage Oak Trees (Quercus spp.) which composed 60-70% of broad-leaved forest thereby important component for forest in the Korean Peninsula. Total 297 species belonging to 23 families were collected and identified 101 species belonging to 21 families. Among them Oak Trees-dependent monophagous caterpillars are 247 species belonging to 20 families and polyphagous caterpillars are 50 species belonging to 11 families. The dominant family is Noctuidae(83 species), second is Geometridae(67 species) and followed by Notodontidae(33 species).

Temperature is one of important factors to determine insect phenology. Based on the bioclimatic law, the relationship between climate change and ecosystem change was studied from 2008 to 2013 in HECRI by monitoring the spring emergence patterns of three Papilionidae species (Papilio xuthus, P. machaon, and Sericinus montela). The overwintering pupae were set on the wood plate and adult emergence were monitored and recorded in every morning. The first spring emergence of P. xuthus, P. machaon and S. montela in 2013 were Apr 19th, May 1st and Apr 22th, respectively. And peak time of three species were May 7th, May 11th and May 9th, respectively. Study on temperature-dependent development was conducted to investigate the temperature effect on adult emergence of overwintering S. montela pupae at four different constant temperatures (15, 20, 25 and 30°C) with photoperiod 10:14(L:D). The low temperature threshold of female, male and both sexes combined were 12.39, 12.16, and 12.37°C, respectively. Developmental period of overwintering pupae to adults decreased with increasing temperature from 15 to 30°C. Thermal constant of female, male and both sexes combined were 220.26, 192.31, and 200.18DD, respectively. The relationship between thermal constant and cumulative adult emergence was predicted by temperature-dependent development. Estimate through 7 times on the highest temperature was equal and results were distinctively divided into two pattern(2008～2010 and 2011～2013). The relationship between observed and estimated values was presented by linear regression (r2=0.97)

There has been a substantial controversy on the phylogenetic relationships among butterfly families and several competing phylogenetic hypothesis have been suggested. Among them the relationships of (((Nymphalidae + Lycaenidae) + Pieridae) + Papilionidae) has been further widely accepted. In this study, we sequenced EF1-α, COI, and 16S rRNA from 62 species belonging to four true butterfly families, Papilionoidea. Phylogenetic analyses using BI, ML, and MP showed that the traditionally recognizable families were strongly supported as monophyletic groups, with the exception of Nymphalidae, wherein the singly included species of Danainae was placed as basal lineage of the Nymphalidae + Lycaenidae group. Phylogenetic relationships among families supported the sister group relationship of Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae strongly by all analyses and placed Papilionidae as the most basal lineage of the Papilionoidea. On the other hand, the relationships of Nymphalidae and Lycaenidae group to Pieridae were either unresolved, revealing trichotomy, or the relationships of (((Nymphalidae + Lycaenidae) + Pieridae) + Papilionidae) as previously supported by several morphological and molecular works supported. Detailed within-family relationships among some genera also are shown in the presentation.