Lamellicorn beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) in Korea and Mongolia

Abstract

This work was undertaken as an initial part of the collaborative effort between Korean and Mongolian researchers to study the terrestrial and aquatic insects in these countries. An analysis of data on faunal composition, taxonomic diversity and biogeographical structure of lamellicorn beetles in Korea and Mongolia was conducted in order to characterize the faunal relations between two countries. The Korean fauna of lamellicorn beetles is almost two fold greater in both generic diversity and species richness than that of Mongolia. The species compositions of lamellicorn beetles in two countries are substantially different from each other and the relative levels of faunal overlap are insignificant. Not only the faunal diversity and composition, but also the biogeographical structure of lamellicorn beetles in Korea and Mongolia display dissimilar patterns, except for their similar degree of endemism. Additional data on communities of dung beetles in the grasslands of central Mongolia, as well as a brief discussion on conservation issues of the endangered species in Korea, especially Gymnopleurus mopsus, are given.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the endangered flower chafer Osmoderma opicum (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

“…The flower chafer Osmoderma opicum (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is distributed throughout Korea and Japan (Won et al 1998;Bayartogtokh et al 2012). In Korea, it is found yearly in the north-eastern mountainous areas, from July to August, but with rarity, and thus, is listed as a class II endangered wild animal in Korea (Won et al 1998).…”

Historical domestication-driven population expansion of the dung beetle Gymnopleurus mopsus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from its last refuge in Mongolia

“…Similar to other telecoprid species, Gymnopleurus mopsus (Scarabaeidae), is also under threat of local extinction throughout its distribution in Palearctic regions, including in Asia 11 and Europe 6 , 8 . Previous studies have reported that both G .…”

“…Because Mongolia is the only region where large G . mopsus populations are currently maintained in the north-eastern Palearctic region 11 , it has the value as the species’ last “refuge” and, as such, is considered important for future conservation and restoration efforts. However, the present-day population genetic structure shaped by contemporary processes (e.g., ongoing gene flow among populations in relation to anthropogenic habitat fragmentation and distributional changes) as well as demographic (population) history (e.g., dispersal, isolation, population contraction/expansion and bottleneck) of G .…”

Genetic divergence between the South Korean and Mongolian populations of the dung beetle, Gymnopleurus mopsus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences

“…The ability of the dung beetles to utilize large herbivore dung as a food source and nest chamber is the key innovation to their evolutionary success, along with the development of numerous morphological and behavioral adaptations, such as the rolling of dung (Villalba et al ). However, their population size and distributional range have rapidly decreased worldwide, especially in the Palaearctic region (Simmons & Ridsdill‐Smith ; Bayartogtokh et al ).…”

“…The dung beetle species, Gymnopleurus mopsus Pallas, 1781 is distributed throughout the Palaearctic region from Europe to Northeast Asia including the Korean peninsula, but is not found in the Japanese islands (Ministry of Environment ). While a wide‐ranging distribution of G. mopsus was reported across the Korean peninsula in the past, the population size has decreased drastically due to loss or reduction of suitable habitats, changes in animal husbandry methods, and pesticide pollution (Bayartogtokh et al ; Ministry of Environment ). The species has not been found in South Korea since the 1970s, and thus G. mopsus is currently regarded as locally extinct in the country (Ministry of Environment ).…”