Sam-Kyu Kim

Redescription of Simulium (Simulium) japonicum (Diptera: Simuliiae) and its entomopathogenic fungal symbionts

Immature stages of Simulium (Simulium) japonicum were collected and redescribed from Korea. Descriptions are supplemented with photographs of larvae and pupae as well as habitat information. The fungal pathogenic parasite, Coelomycidium simulii, is reported for the first time from Korea. Coelomycidium simulii, a widespread pathogen of black fly larvae, was found in Simulium (Simulium) japonicum larvae with infection rate of 2%.

Antiviral Effects of the Culture Filtrate from Serratia marcescens Gsm01, against Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV)

The potential antiviral effects of the culture filtrates (CF) from Serratia marcescens strain Gsm01 against yellow strain of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV-Y) were investigated. The culture filtrate of S. marcescens strain Gsm01 applied on Chenopodium amaranticolor showed high inhibitory activity, likewise no necrosis appeared when applied on the tobacco plants 2 days before CMV-Y inoculation. When plants were challenge inoculated with CMV-Y for eighteen days, the disease incidence in plants with culture filtrate of S. marcescens Gsm01 did not exceed 59%, whereas 100% of control plants were severely infected. The results of double antibody sandwich-enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA), reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), dot blotting, and western blotting showed that culture filtrate treatment highly affected the accumulation of CMV-Y or its CP protein gene in the treated plant leaves. It was also observed that the culture filtrate had no RNase activity on genomic RNAs of CMV-Y, suggesting that culture filtrate may not contain ribosome inactivating proteins (RIPs) or proteins with RNase activity. These data shows that culture filtrate of S. marcescens strain Gsm01 seems to be a promising source of antiviral substance for the practical use.

New Dicranoptycha Osten Sacken, 1859 Crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) of North and South Korea

Two new species of Dicranoptycha Osten Sacken, 1859, crane flies (Diptera, Limoniidae) from the Korean peninsula are described, illustrated and compared with already known and related species. An identification key and check-list of all Korean Dicranoptycha is presented.

Revised descriptions of the larvae and pupae of the subgenera Gomphostilbia and Nevermannia (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Korea

Two species of Simulium (Gomphostilbia) and five species of Simulium (Nevermannia) in Korea are taxonomically reviewed. Detailed descriptions of immature stages of included species are supplemented with high resolution photographs. The larvae and pupae of Korean members of subgenus Gomphostilbia are easily recognized by the presence of prominent ventral tubercles and black spinous setae on abdomen and thorax in larva. Presence of prominent ventral tubercles on larval abdomen can also be used as a diagnostic character for members of subgenus Nevermannia but they are lacking black spinous setae on abdomen and thorax. Keys to larvae and pupae of Korean species of subgenera Gomphostilbia and Nevermannia are provided. Simulium (Gomphostilbia) omutaense is removed from the list of black flies known from Korea, and the status of Simulium sp. J‐12 of Bentinck is discussed.

Descriptions and comparison of two species closely resembling Simulium (Simulium) including a new species with an updated key to Korean Simuliidae (Diptera)

Immature stages of Simulium (Simulium) coreanum sp. nov. and morphologically similar Simulium (Simulium) nikkoense are described from Korea. Detailed descriptions are supplemented with photographs and habitat information. The new species can be distinguished from the latter by rectal papillae with 3 simple lobes and labral fan with 51–58 primary rays. Keys to larvae and pupae of all known Korean simuliid species are also provided.

New species of Simulium (Nevermannia) from Korea, with reference to its allied species in the S. vernum species group (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Korea and Japan

The larvae and pupae of a new species, Simulium (Nevermannia) immaculatum sp. nov., are described from Korea. Descriptions are supplemented with photographs of larvae and pupae and habitat information. The new species can be distinguished from other Asian members of the S. vernum group by the cephalic plate and thorax of the pupa devoid of tubercles, 4 pupal gill filaments lying close together, larva with postgenal cleft shorter than postgenal bridge, spot under ocellus absent, and rectal papillae with three simple lobes with single digit‐like small secondary lobule basally.

Redescription and ecological notes on immature stages of two species of Korean black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae)

The larvae and pupae of Simulium (Simulium) bidentatum and Simulium (Simulium) iwatense were collected and redescribed from Korea. Descriptions are supplemented with photographs of larvae and pupae of both species as well as habitat information. Simulium (Simulium) bidentatum can be distinguished from other Korean black flies by the boot‐ or shoe‐shaped cocoon with numerous apertures anteriorly and eight gill filaments. Simulium (S.) iwatense can be distinguished from other species by the slipper‐shaped cocoon with eight gill filaments (2 + 2 + 2 + 2 arrangement) and the dorsalmost filament abruptly bent anteriorly making an angle of 90°.

An insert in the Hpy region of hscp in Heliothis virescens (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) reveals a possible CORE-SINE of insects

Abstract  A new putative transposon was identified in the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens. This transposon was characterized as a full length CORE‐SINE (65 bp of “CORE” core specific nucleotide short interspersed elements) that resembled sequences from three other lepidopterans and humans. In particular, the A‐box and B‐box regions of this sequence most closely conformed to the signature of CORE‐SINEs from widely divergent species. This CORE‐SINE was present as a polymorphism in a hypervariable region of the gene hscp, which is the target of pyrethroid insecticides and other xenobiotics in the nerve axon. We described this new putative transposon as Noct‐1 due to its presence in a noctuid moth. This is the first description of a full‐length CORE‐SINE with the A‐box, B‐box, target site duplication, and candidate core domain from an insect.

Rhipidia crane flies (Diptera: Limoniidae) from Korea.

Korean species of the crane fly genus Rhipidia Meigen, 1818 (Diptera: Limoniidae), are taxonomically revised. Rhipidia (Rhipidia) serena, new species, is described and figured. Rhipidia (R.) longa Zhang, Li, Yang, 2014, R. (R.) maculata Meigen, 1818 and R. (R.) sejuga Zhang, Li, Yang, 2014 are recorded for the first time in Korea. Previously known species, Rhipidia (R.) septentrionis Alexander, 1913 is redescribed and illustrated. Identification key for all Korean Rhipidia species is given. Most antennae, wings, male and female terminalia of all species are illustrated for the first time.