- KOREAN
- E-ISSN2713-8615
- KCI
Vol.15 No.1
Abstract
A study was conducted to investigate the species diversity of the genus Amphora in relation to environmental settings in Ulleungdo and Dokdo. Although Amphora is one of the most speciose genera in marine habitats, its recorded diversity in Korean waters has been relatively low compared to similar ecosystems. In this study, light microscopy (LM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to examine the morphology and ultrastructure of Amphora taxa. Specimens were collected from four stations across intertidal and subtidal habitats. As a result, Amphora arcuata and Amphora bigibba var. interrupta were documented for the first time in Korean waters. Amphora arcuata was found at two subtidal sites (20 m depth), whereas A. bigibba var. interrupta occurred at all four stations, including one intertidal location (0 m depth). These findings contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of Amphora biodiversity in Ulleungdo and Dokdo, which harbor unique island ecosystems.
Abstract
The Korean species of the genus Bembix Fabricius, 1775 are taxonomically reviewed. Two species, B. nipponica puncticollis and B. formosana, are confirmed. The latter is recorded from Korea for the first time, marking its second record in the Palearctic region. A key to species and descriptions based on Korean material are provided. Additionally, some external features and the presumed current status of B. formosana in Korea are discussed.
Abstract
This study aims to discover and document amphipods from Korea, contributing to the clarification of the Korean amphipod taxonomy. As part of this effort, a newly recorded species of the lycaeid amphipod genus Lycaea Dana, 1852 was collected during a survey of Ulleungdo Island, Korea, conducted in the spring of 2023. The newly recorded species, Lycaea pulex Marion, 1874, is characterized by the structure of the propodus on both gnathopods and the inner ramus of uropod 2. This species is morphologically similar to L. bovallii Chevreux, 1900, L. intermedia, Zeidler, 2021, and L. vincentii Stebbing, 1888. However, it can be distinguished from its congeners by differences in peduncular article 3 of antenna 1, the length ratio of pereopod 4, and the morphology of the inner ramus of uropod 2. To date, only one species of the family Lycaeidae, Simorhynchotus antennarius (Claus, 1871) has been recorded in Korea. This study represents the first record of the genus Lycaea in Korean waters. Additionally, a key to species of the family Lycaeidae from Korean waters is provided.
Abstract
During the field survey to explore invertebrate diversity in South Korea, we identified eighteen species from various habitats (terrestrial, freshwater, and saline water), all new records for the country. These include two ciliates, two copepods, eight ostracods, three rotifers, and three oligochaetes, representing four invertebrate phyla. The specimens were taxonomically examined using taxon-specific methods, such as silver impregnation, staining, dissection, and scanning electron microscopy. This study provides morphological descriptions, remarks, and micrographs and/or illustrations for each species.
Abstract
Calanopia minor Scott A., 1902 is newly reported from Dokdo Island, Korea. This species can be identified by following morphological characteristics: 1) absence of cuticular lenses on dorsal surface of cephalosome, 2) antennary exopod longer than half endopod, 3) leg 1 endopod 2-segmented, 4) female leg 5 exopod onesegmented and armed with three spine-like processes, 5) male leg 5 4-segmented on both sides, distal two exopodal segments of right leg forming a chela, 6) left leg of male leg 5 longer than right, and 7) left basis of male leg 5 swollen on proximal margin. This species is considered as an unrecorded species in Korea, since no taxonomic studies of this species have been conducted. We herein provided detailed descriptions and illustrations of the species. As well as partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI gene were obtained. Molecular comparisons using mtCOI sequences and publicly available Calanopia data from the GenBank database confirmed that the specimen described in this study is C. minor.
Abstract
This study aims to discover and document amphipods from Korea, contributing to the clarification of the Korean amphipod taxonomy. As part of this effort, a newly recorded species belonging to the platyscelid amphipod genus Tetrathyrus Claus, 1879 was collected during a pelagic zooplankton survey from off Jeju Island, Korea. The newly recorded species, Tetrathyrus arafurae Stebbing, 1888, is characterized by the morphology of the carpi on both gnathopods 1 and 2, and the inner rami on both uropods 1 and 2. This species is morphologically similar to T. focipatus Claus, 1879, but can be distinguished by differences in the structure of the basis of pereopod 5, inner rami of uropods 1 and 2, and length ratio of telson. This study represents the first record of both the genus Tetrathyrus and the family Platyscelidae in Korean waters. Additionally, a keys to the families of the superfamily Platysceloidea occurring in Korean waters, the family Platyscelidae, and the genus Tetrathyrus are provided.
Abstract
The subfamily Ctenopelmatinae, one of the large subfamilies of Ichneumonidae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea), are comprised of about 1,600 species, 111 genera and nine tribes worldwide. The subfamily is one of the morphologically diverse groups among ichneumon wasps and they are cosmopolitan group. Many species have been recorded from Europe and Western Palaearctic region with 769 species and 792 species respectively. In the Eastern Palaearctic region 458 species are recorded, among them only 46 species in seven tribes from Korea. Species of Ctenopelmatinae are known as endoparasitoids of Hymenoptera (especially sawflies) and a few Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. This paper reports ten unrecorded species belong to eight genera (Glyptorhaestus, Hadrodactylus, Lethades, Metopheltes, Perilissus, Pion, Sympherta, and Xenoschesis) of Ctenopelmatinae from Korea. Among them, two genera (Metopheltes and Pion) are newly identified from Korean fauna. Photographs of habitus in lateral view and head in frontal view are provided. We also described diagnostic charactereristics of ten newly recorded species from South Korea.
Abstract
The genus Thrinax belonging to the subfamily Selandriinae, was first described by Konow in 1885 and comprised about 27 species worldwide. Three species of Thrinax, T. angustatus (Zhelochovtsev, 1951), T. flexa Lee & Ryu, 1996, and T. paucipunctatus (Malaise, 1931), have been recorded from South Korea until now. Females of this genus are known to lay eggs in clusters on the upper surfaces of leaves, and the larvae feed on the leaves and overwinter in the wood or bark of nearby plants. Thrinax athyrii (Naito, 1971) is diagnosed from South Korea for the first time. Diagnosis and photographs of newly recorded species of this genus are provided.
Abstract
Two species of the pyraline genus Endotricha, E. theonalis (Walker, 1859) and E. inouei Yoshiyasu, 1987, are recorded for the first time from Korea. The records of E. theonalis were based on five specimens from Yeosu, Jeonnam Province and Chuja Islands, Jeju Province. The records of E. inouei were based on four specimens from Chuja Islands, Jeju Province. Endotricha inouei has been known as endemic to Japan but it is reported for the first time outside the country. Photos and redescriptions of the habitus and genitalia of both sexes are provided for those two species of Endotricha. To sum up, the Korean species of Endoricha comprise nine species.
Abstract
Amphibians and reptiles, with their unique morphology, physiology, and developmental processes, play a vital role in biodiversity conservation. Globally, research on these taxa spans across fields such as ecology, histology, genetics, and veterinary medicine, and they are also widely utilized in literature and engineering as sources of inspiration. This study applies text mining techniques to analyze the characteristics and trends of publications related to amphibians and reptiles in Korea. We identified major research periods, academic disciplines, and focal species. The analysis revealed that literature on amphibians and reptiles in Korea began in the 1950s and has increased exponentially every decade through 2020. A total of 984 amphibian-related and 644 reptilerelated publications were recorded from 1959 to 2022 and from 1960 to 2022, respectively. Among them, 563 amphibian studies (88.66%) focused on Anura, while 162 reptile studies (52.09%) focused on Testudines. The most frequently mentioned amphibian species was Oriental Fired-bellied Toad Bombina orientalis, and for reptiles, it was Reeves’ Turtle Mauremys reevesii. In terms of academic disciplines, amphibian studies were predominantly published in the natural sciences (657 papers, 66.77%), whereas reptile studies had the highest proportion in the field of literature (290 papers, 45.03%). The most frequently occurring word in both amphibian and reptile texts was “species.” Overall, the trends in amphibian and reptile research in Korea have been influenced by changing societal interests and contemporary issues, and the findings of this study may help guide future research directions for these important taxa.
Abstract
This red-tongued pit viper (Gloydius ussuriensis) inhabits the Korean Peninsula, including inland areas as well as Baengnyeongdo, Jeju-do, and Gapado Islands. However, the taxonomic status of Gloydius ussuriensis populations, including their subspecies classification, remains unclear, as few phylogenetic or taxonomic studies have compared inland and island populations. To address this gap, we analyzed 513 individuals sampled between 2018 and 2022. Mitochondrial DNA revealed two major lineages: (1) inland, Baengnyeongdo, and Chinese populations and (2) Jeju-do and Gapado populations. Nuclear DNA analysis (K=3) identified three genetic groups, namely, inland, Baengnyeongdo, and Gapado, whereas the Jejudo population exhibited an admixture of the inland and Gapado groups. Discriminant analysis of the 11 morphological traits indicated clear differences among the Baengnyeongdo, Gapado, Jeju-do, and inland populations. The snout-vent length was the longest in Baengnyeongdo and the shortest in the Gapado group. The ecological niche overlap between the populations was low (PI=0.4075). Based on these findings, three subspecies have been identified: G. ussuriensis ussuriensis, G. ussuriensis baengnyeongensis, and G. ussuriensis jejuensis. The Tsushima Island pit viper (G. tsushimaensis) from Japan, although classified as a separate species, showed genetic and morphological similarities to the Jeju-do-Gapado group. Further phylogenetic and taxonomic studies are needed for G. ussuriensis island populations in southwestern Korea, which were not included in this study