Elateroidea is a large taxonomic group with ~24,000 described species and interesting from the evolutionary point of view because of bioluminescence, neoteny and mimicry present in distantly related lineages. In the currently established higher-classification of Elateroidea, many lineages were transferred from three different superfamilies, Artematopoidea, Elateroidea and Cantharoidea, by both morphology- and/or molecular-based phylogenetic studies. We herein review on the phylogenetic history of Elateroidea and also prospect to construct of its robust phylogenetic hypothesis among Elateroid lineages.

Chrysochroa fulgidissima is the most beautiful Korean beetle and valuable insect in traditional culture because of ancient fulgidissima's adornments in Korea and Japan. The species is also recognized as very rare in the Korean fauna. However, we recently realized that the Korean population has been applied to Ch. fulgidissima without detailed taxonomic approaches since Japanese colonial rule of Korea. Therefore, we investigated 76 dried specimens belonging to seven populations collected from N. Vietnam, E. China, Taiwan, Japan, and Korea through morphological and molecular taxonomy using DNA barcoding of COI and 16S rRNA. As the result, the Korean population is strongly formed a monophyletic branch divided from other populations by genetic divergence of each 10.2%~11.7% in DNA barcoding and 6.4%~7.9% in 16S rRNA, and as well as fine structure in the male genitalia. It is allowed to us that the Korean population, which has been underestimated at species discrimination in morphology, may be considered as a novel species.

The subfamily Dendrometrinae is a large group in Elateridae with about 2000 species world wide. However, this subfamily were not taxonomically reviewed in the Korean fauna. As the result of taxonomic review, 40 species are confirmed from Korea, with the description of two new genera, 11 new species, and one new subspecies. A total of 11 species are also recognized for the first time from Korea.