History Does Not Repeat Itself; It Rhymes: Range Expansion and Outbreak of Plecia longiforceps (Diptera: Bibionidae) in East Asia

Abstract

Plecia longiforceps Duda (Diptera: Bibionidae) is reported for the first time from Korea. P. longiforceps has been previously known from the East Asian subtropics, south of the 33rd parallel, including southeastern China, Taiwan, and the Ryukyu Islands of Japan. An integrative taxonomic approach based on morphological examination of male genitalia and molecular analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequences confirms the species identification. The recent outbreak of P. longiforceps in the Seoul Metropolitan Area, Korea, documented herein represents the northernmost record of this species and suggests its possible range expansion into the temperate zone. Similar to the range expansion and outbreak history of Plecia nearctica Hardy (Diptera: Bibionidae) in North America around the Gulf of Mexico in the 1960–1970s, P. longiforceps may become a new invasive pest in temperate East Asia. Here, we evaluate range expansion and invasion potential of P. longiforceps through Ensemble species distribution modeling and show that a great portion of Northeast Asia and Japan will likely become habitable for P. longiforceps in the next 50 years.

Microbiome of lovebug ( Plecia longiforceps ) in Seoul, South Korea

“…According to a previous study conducted in 2022, lovebugs collected from various regions of Korea were identified as either P. longiforceps or P. thulinigra . Specifically, those collected from the Seoul metropolitan area were identified as P. longiforceps , which is consistent with the findings of the present study ( 4 ).…”

“…In the summer of 2022, several lovebugs were observed in northwestern Seoul, and in the summer of 2023, this phenomenon also occurred and spread to southern Seoul. Because lovebug outbreaks have been a very rare phenomenon in Korea, their presence has caused fear among residents even if they do not cause immediate health problems in humans ( 4 ). Lovebugs, first detected in Florida in 1949, have been observed two times annually at an exceedingly high abundance since the mid-1960s ( 11 , 12 ).…”

“…The lovebug inhabits subtropical East Asia, including southeastern China, Taiwan, and Japan’s Ryukyu Islands ( 1 – 3 ). In South Korea, a lovebug outbreak was reported for the first time in 2022 ( 4 ). After an unprecedented outbreak was reported in northwestern Seoul in 2022, lovebugs spread to southern Seoul in the summer of 2023, causing concern among residents and health authorities.…”

“…Lovebugs have been found on residential streets, building walls, and glass windows; however, by 2023, they were also found on Seoul mountaintops, presumably expanding their habitat ( 5 ). Recently, two lovebug species, Plecia longiforceps and Plecia thulinigra , were identified in various regions of Korea ( 4 , 6 ).…”

Insights from Multigene Analysis: First Report of a Southeast Asian Mosquito, Aedes (Mucidus) laniger (Diptera: Culicidae) from Korea

“…Furthermore, there was a recent outbreak of love bugs, Plecia longiforceps, in the ROK [99], and the nonnative species A. hors eldii was identi ed on Jeju Island in 2019 [36]; these species are distributed mainly in southern China, Taiwan, and the Okinawa archipelago. These cases suggest the potential for provisional or temporary spread of nonnative species to the ROK.…”