The blackish cicada, Cryptotympana atrata Fabricius, 1775 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) was originally distributed mainly in the southernmost remote island, Jeju and rarely throughout low lands in South Korea, but has been explosively increased at the urban areas, where annual temperature is higher. In this study, we sequenced a partial mitochondrial COI from a total of 171 individuals collected throughout 12 localities in South Korea. The haplotype found with the highest frequency in Jeju island shares only with two inland localities in southern region with a low frequency, whereas the haplotype found with the highest frequency throughout inland localities was not found in Jeju island. These results showed that Jeju population, southern region, and other inland populations form somewhat different genetic groups.

Jeju Island has been facing to threat of high-risk invasive pests from tropical areas. To protect domestic agriculture from those invasive pests, APQA has conducted a regular monitoring program on Jeju Island. We collected especially phototactic heteroceran pests by light bucket trap and identified them using their superficial appearances, and also mitochondria COI gene. As a result, a total of 24 families, 136 genera, 193 species, and 819 individuals were collected from around Jeju Island in 2023. Among them, two unidentified epidopteran pests, Palpita sp. (Crambidae) and Xyrosaris sp. (Yponomeutidae) were collected. In the present study, we report two unidentified micro-lepidopteran pests using superficial characteristics and mitochondria COI gene.

The onion thrips, Thrips tabaci, is a serious global pest attacking many agricultural crops such as onion and Welsh onion. The thrips, assumed to originate in the Mediterranean region, has been reported for a long time in South Korea. According to worldwide molecular works, the species composes of three genetic lineages (LI, L2 and T) which related to reproductive mode (arrhenotoky vs. thelotoky). To understand the genetic diversity of T. tabaci in South Korea, we investigated genetic lineage and haplotype composition, using about 80 mitochondrial COI gene sequences (369bp) along with foreign sequences from GenBank and BOLD. The COI gene analysis shows that both of thelotokous L1 and arrhenotokous L2 population distribute in South Korea. Among 97 COI-haplotypes worldwide, only six haplotypes are found and thelotokous H1 dominantly distributes.

Fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a polyphagous agricultural pest that damages about 80 species of plants. It mainly damages Poaceae and plants used as food resources for humans. Its original habitat is the American continent, but it unintentionally settled in tropical and subtropical Asia, including Africa, India, and Sri Lanka. It occurs every year even in southern China, which is geographically adjacent to the Korean Peninsula, causing damage to crops. In Korea, it was first discovered on Jeju Island in June 2019 and is being discovered every year in Jeju and some inland areas. In 2023, there were a total of 13 discoveries, including those in the Jeju and Jeonbuk regions. Quarantine agency identified the maternal genotypes of all currently discovered individuals using COI and identified differences in genetic traits between individuals using the sex-related Z-chromosome. For comparison with the information on the individuals that invaded the country, 15 individuals from Guangxi and Guangdong provinces in China were collected and secured. Through the analysis of overseas samples, a database has been added to compare genetic information with domestic invasive species, and the reliability of the analysis is expected to increase.