Field surveys were conducted to collect and refine "Natural resource survey" and ecosystem research data of 23 National parks in South Korea, including Hallasan on Jeju Island and Palgongsan newly designated as national park in 2023. Among the collected data, a total of 1,538 species from 54 families of Hymenoptera insects were recorded. Within these families, the largest number of species was recorded in the family Ichneumonidae with 514 species, followed by Formicidae (118 species), Braconidae (112 species), and Tenthredinidae (135 species), exhibiting relatively high species diversity. Among the National parks, Jirisan, the first designated National park in South Korea with a relatively large area compared to other parks, recorded the highest species diversity with 618 species, while Taebaeksan recorded relatively low species diversity with 77 species. Correlation analysis between the number of Hymenoptera species and other factors revealed a statistically significant and relatively strong positive correlation (P > 0.005, R = 0.864) with the total number of insects, and a statistically significant but relatively weak positive correlation (P > 0.005, R = 0.615) with the park's area.

미토콘드리아 시토크롬 c 산화효소 1 (COX1) 유전자 염기서열(658 bp)을 사용하여, 콩 포장에서 채집된 어리팥나방(Matsumuraeses falcana)과 팥나방(Matsumuraeses phaseoli)의 종을 실험실 집단의 종들과 비교하여 동정하였다. COX1 염기서열 분석에서, 어리팥나방 47개체 로부터 10개의 하플로타입이 발견되었고, 종내 유전적 거리는 0.15~0.46%이었다. 이중 하프로타입 A형이 약 70%로 우점형이었다. 팥나방의 30개체로부터는 모두 동일한 하나의 서열만이 확인되었고, 어리팥나방과의 종간 유전적 거리는 4.11~4.61%이었다. 두 종의 COX1 염기서열을 번역한 아미노산 서열은 모두 동일하여 동의적 염기서열 변이(동의치환, 同義置換, synonymous substitution)를 확인할 수 있었다. 포장 조사에 서 두 종의 유충이 콩의 잎과 꼬투리를 가해하였고, 한 포장에서 동시에 발생하였다. 전체 포장에서 어리팥나방의 평균 밀도는 팥나방보다 약 1.5 배 높았다. 이 결과는 콩이 두 종의 동일 기주임을 명백하게 제시하였다. 별도로 이 속의 유충 기생파리로서 Elodia flavipalpis (파리목: 기생파리 과)가 발견되었고, COX1 서열로 동정되었다.

Three species, Luciola unmunsana and L. papariensis, endemic to Korea and L. tsushimana, endemic to Japan, have been taxonomically controversial whether they are independent or a single species for a long time. Therefore, we examined genetic diversity and evolutionary history of these species as well as including the related congeners using COI gene sequences (DNA barcoding region). Interestingly, we found seven paraphyletic groups from three species: two paraphyletic groups from L. papariensis, three paraphyletic groups from L. unmunsana and two paraphyletic groups from L. tsushimana. Among them, the group III of L. unmunsana collected from Jeolla-do province has never been recognized in the previous studies. A molecular clock analysis indicated that the origin of the major lineages of L. unmunsana, L. papariensis and L. tsushimana occurred between ~5.62 to 3.16 Ma. The origin of the major lineages of the group II and III of L. unmunsana, the group II of L. papariensis and the three groups of L. tsushimana occurred in 3.49 Ma (4.45–2.51 Ma, 95% HPD), which is consistent with the final disconnection of Japan from Korean Peninsula. The subsequent divergences of these paraphyletic groups clearly showed they have undergone allopatric speciation associated with geologic events in Korea and the sea level changes between Korea and Japan.

The Wolbachia bacterium, one of the most prevalent endosymbiotic bacteria, is known to induce reproductive anomalies in various invertebrate taxa. We investigated Wolbachia infection frequency in 203 Coleopteran insects collected from Korea. Among them 26 species (12.8%) across families proved to harbor Wolbachia. The phylogenetic trees of two Wolbachia specific genes imply that there have been complex horizontal gene transfers and recombination events within and between divergent Wolbachia subgroups. Interestingly, we also find that the infection frequency is noticeably low and incongruent at the family level when compared to other literature cases of Wolbachia infection in beetle species.

한국에서 Macropogon sibiricus Motschulsky 옛방아벌레(신칭)를 근거로 하여 옛방아벌레과(Artematopodidae) (신칭)가 분포함을 보고 한다. 이 과 및 속, 종에 대한 진단형질과 사진을 포함하여 분류학적 정보를 제공한다.

In Korea, species of the genus Ptecticus Loew, 1855 (Family Stratiomyidae) have been known as three species, P. aurifer (Walker, 1854), P. matsumurae Lindner, 1936 and P. japonicus (Thunberg, 1789) (= P. tenebrifer (Walker, 1849)). Additionally, an unrecorded species, P. sinchangensis Ôuchi, 1938, is founded in South Korea. We therefore report the species for the first time in Korea with morphological diagnoses and key for the identification of species of the genus. In total, the members of the genus Ptecticus are officially recognized as four species in Korea.

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.

남한산 큰자색호랑꽃무지는 그 동안 일본에 분포하는 Osmoderma opicum으로 동정되어 왔으며, 국내에서는 그 희귀성에 의해 멸종위기종으 로 다루어지고 있지만, 남한 개체군에 대한 면밀한 종의 실체에 대한 구명은 없었다. 이에 대해, 남한산 큰자색호랑꽃무지와 유라시안 근연종에 대 해 형태 및 COI유전자 염기서열을 비교를 실시하였다. 결과적으로, 남한산 개체군은 형태적으로 극동러시아에 분포하는 O. caeleste와 동일하였다. 따라서, 남한산 큰자색호랑꽃무지는 O. caeleste임을 제안한다.

This taxonomic study on the genus Scutellathous is only recognized a species. S. porrecticollis (Lewis, 1894) in Korea. The previous record of Athous (=Medakathous) jactatus (Lewis, 1984) is revealed as the misientification of S. porrecticollis. We also describe and illustrate Subscutellathous koreanicus gen. and sp. nov. from Korea. This new genus si compared to the most closed genus Scutellathous by the basis of diagnostic characters in generic level.

For reviewing Korean species of Denticollinae and reconstructing phylogenetic relationships between subfamilies in Elateridae, three kinds of studies were conducted: 1) taxonomic review based on morphology; 2) DNA barcode for Denticollinae; 3) molecular phylogenetic study of Elateridae using 12 genetic markers. In taxonomic study, a total of 54 species were reviewed including 13 new species and then unrecorded species. In DNA barcoding, six cryptic and/or pseudocryptic species were confirmed by their sympatric or allopatric distribution. We propose a conservative threshold of 3.6% for convenient molecular operational taxonomic unit identification in Denticollinae. From this study, we confirmed that COI sequence is useful for reassessing species diversity for polymorphic and polytypic species occurring in sympatric and allopatric distributions. In molecular phylogenetic study, the phylogenetic inference constructed robust phylogeny with almost very strongly supported nodal values(>90%) and showed that Hypnoidinae, Oxynopterinae and Denticollinae are monophyletic; Elaterinae, Hemiopinae and Melanotinae are a monophyletic group; and two tribes in Denticollinae are paraphyletic, it is needed to reclassify their systematic accounts.

A predatory genus Cryptalaus Ôhira, 1967 (Coleoptera: Elateridae) in Korea is taxonomically reviewed in this study. Up to date, two species of the genus Cryptalaus, C. berus Candèze, 1865 and C. larvatus pini Lewis, 1894, have been reported from Korea. From the present study, C. yamato Nakane, 1957 which has been regarded as an endemic to Japan, is reported from the Korean peninsula for the first time. A key to the Korean species of the genus Cryptalaus, diagnosis, illustrations of diagnostic characteristics are provided.

In our previous study with sequenced data from DNA barcoding region of Korean Tettigonia showed that the Jeju population of T. ussuriana (JJ-Tu) more closely related to T. dolichoptera than mainland population of T. ussuriana (ML-Tu) with low genetic distance (0.87-1.05%). In mitochondrial systematics for a eukaryotic organism including orthopteran insects, sequence data from a short mitochondrial DNA fragment should be trait with caution because nuclear mitochondrial pseudogenes (numts) can be unintentionally coamplified when we use universal primers based on a PCR method. In this study, we retried their sequence analysis to avoid coamplication of numts in sequences from cox1 and cox2 genes. and scrutinized each sequence. The molecular evidences (cox1, cox2, and nad1) for Korean species suggest that JJ-Tu is more closely related to T. dolichoptera (0.76-1.23% in cox1; 1.23-1.54% in cox2; 1.01-1.35% in nad1) than ML-Tu (3.77-4.59% in cox1; 3.61-4.76% in cox2; 2.03-3.25 in nad1). The genetic distance of sequence data from cox1 between JJ-Tu and ML-Tu satisfied a requirement for species-distinction by comparing genetic distance between Tettigonia species. Moreover, JJ-Tu is a geographic population of Tettigonia with different morphological traits that is supported with formed a cluster. Although JJ-Tu closely related to T. dolichoptera with low genetic distance, we will determine its taxonomic status through integrative taxonomic study.

Scarabaeus typhon has the extensively wide distribution from Europe to the Far East Asia and the extremely similar morphological feature with closely related species. The Korean population of S. typhon had often been confused in its specific status including several misidentifications and synonymous name. By these circumstances, we presumed that there is a possibility to exist potential cryptic species or subspecies, which might be separated between local populations across their distribution range. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to reassess that the geographical populations of S. typhon can be divided into each other and to establish a sketchy knowledge of its unknown phylogenetic relationships between the relatives using COI gene and comparative morphology. As the result, S. typhon was detected as a single species despite to have the wide distribution and the various intraspecific distances ranging from 0.67% to 3.50%. Two species, S. pius and S. babori were revealed to have two distinct lineages respectively. Among them, two Korean female specimens were detected belonging to group B of S. pius, it is suggested as a cryptic species or subspecies.

We report Conilepia nigricosta (Leech, 1988) in Korea for the first time. The female of C. nigricosta is nearly identical to the female of Lithosia quadra, and it has caused confusion in the generic classification. Therefore, we reexamined their morphology and also performed to analyze DNA barcode region compared with species of other related genera. As the results, the significant diagnoses between the two species were reconfirmed and provided in the adult appearances, wing venations, and genital structures in both sexes. The DNA barcoding results also showed a large genetic distance ranging from 6.21% to 7.16% between the two species. In phylogenetic relationship for these two species as well as 28 related species of Lithosiina, C. nigricosta was clustered as a sister to L. quadra and they formed a strong monophyletic group. It supports a possibility that these two genera may be a single genus, but more detailed molecular analysis using additional genetic markers and samples is needed to resolve reliable phylogenetic relationships between the taxa examined in this study.

The previous studies for phylogenetic relationships within Elateridae were carried out, but not constructed a reliable evolutionary hypothesis. This study attempted to establish a robust evolutionary hypothesis, focusing on major subfamilies of the family Elateridae sensu stricto, using extensively selected 12 genetic markers, COI, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, 28S rRNA and 8 nuclear genes. As the results, phylogenetic analyses for 12 multiple genes constructed robust phylogeny with almost very strongly supported nodal values (>90%) and represented that the previously questioned systematic positions of nine subfamilies are fully resolved, excepting the basal lineage split. Especially, three subfamilies, which were recently reduced into tribal rank, Hypnoidinae, Oxynopterinae, and Denticollinae are monophyletic, respectively, and it is supported the traditional taxonomic schemes that had been treated these three taxa in subfamily rank. Whereas, Elaterinae, Hiopinae, and Melanotinae are clustered to a monophyletic group. Two tribes, Denticollini and Ctenicerini in Denticollinae are paraphyletic, respectively and it needs to reclassify their systematic positions. This study recovering of relationships between subfamilies using 12 gene loci resulted that their phylogenetic relationships are sufficiently and successfully resolved with strong supported nodes and provided more possible interpretations from subfamily to tribal levels than the previous studies.

Using eight universal primers and new designed 315 species-specific primers, we tried to retrieve COI sequences from 45 dried specimens of 36 butterfly species collected from 1959 to 1980. The eight universal primers were entirely failed in PCR amplification and sequencing of all specimens. In the other hand, the 315 primers, targeting fragments of 71–417 bp, generated various lengths of COI sequences ranged from 444 bp to 658 bp from all specimens. Among 284 primer pairs, 26 primer pairs designed for Limenitis camilla, Argynnis niobe, and Brenthis daphne were success to produce COI sequences of congeneric speices, Limenitis doerriesi, Argynnis nerippe, and Brenthis ino. It suggests that the species-specific primers can be applied for analyzing COI sequences of closely related species. Our study reveals that newly designed species-specific primers will be effective to retrieval of COI sequences of old butterfly specimens.

한국의 풍뎅이붙이과(Histeridae)는 6아과 22속 53종이 현재까지 보고되어 있다. 본 연구 결과, Niponius osorioceps Lewis, 1885 두뿔풍뎅이붙이(신칭), Plegaderus (Plegaderus) marseuli Reitter, 1877 두가슴풍뎅이붙이(신칭), Trypeticus fagi (Lewis, 1884) 가슴각진풍뎅이붙이(신칭)의 3아과 (2미기록아과) 3미기록속의 3종을 한국미기록종으로 발견하였으며, 이들에 대한 간략한 기재와 중요한 형질 및 전자현미경사진을 함께 제시하고자 한다.

We recognize a new species, belonging to the genus Neopsephus Kishii 1990, from Is. Jeju. The novel species is closely allied to N. takasago Kishii 1990 known from Taiwan. This study provides the detailed morphological characteristics investigated by SEM and molecular data inferred from COI and 16S rRNA of mitochondria.