Beyond aesthetic appeal, gardening is an emerging strategy for addressing the challenges posed by pollinator decline, climate change, and habitat loss. This study aimed to evaluate species-level insect visitation patterns among 21 native and cultivated ornamentals and to examine how plant origin, floral traits, and flowering duration influence pollinator visitation. Twenty-one species (10 native, 11 cultivated) were planted within a 108 m² experimental plot divided into three distinct zones of A (native), B (native and cultivated mixture), and C (cultivated), with seven replications, and insect visitation was monitored 27 times from July to October 2024. Insects were collected and identified by functional groups, and biodiversity was assessed using species richness (R) and Shannon-Weiner index (H’). Balanced flower colors of purple, pink, and white, and diverse inflorescence types both in native and cultivar ornamentals attracted five ranges of insect visitors by aligning with their visual and foraging preferences. The extended flowering periods of the cultivated ornamentals complement the seasonal peaks of the native ornamentals, ensuring continuous nectar and pollen availability from May to November. Insect visitation varied across insect trophic groups and plant types, with pollinators being the most frequent among those insects and the highest overall insect visitation to Zone C, but pollinator visits were similar between Zones A and C, suggesting that native and cultivated ornamentals both play essential roles in supporting pollinator communities. With purple flowers attracting the most pollinators overall, followed by pink and white, native plants generally supported greater pollinator richness and diversity than their cultivated counterparts, though some cultivated species performed better in attracting pollinators. These findings highlight species-specific patterns in pollinator attraction and underscore the complementary roles that both native and select cultivated ornamentals may play in supporting pollinator biodiversity.

Aproceros leucopoda Takeuchi (Hymenoptera: Argidae), commonly known as the zigzag elm sawfly, is reported for the first time in South Korea. This species first described in Japan in 1939 and it has spread widely from 2003 to 2023 in many parts of the world. The species was newly detected in Danyang County, Chungbuk Province, South Korea, during a survey of forest insect pests. Here, we provide a redescription of the species with diagnostic characteristics, biological notes, and phylogenetic analysis based on mitochondrial COI (cytochrome oxidase I) barcode sequences.

For the first time, Bethylus Latreille, the type genus of Bethylidae (Hymenoptera, Chrysidoidea, Bethylinae), is reported from the Korean Peninsula based on the discovery of a new species, Bethylus colligatus sp. nov., which was collected in Gangwon Province near the Demilitarized Zone. This new species is described and illustrated. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I sequences from common Bethylus species to better understand the evolutionary relationships within the genus. The resulting phylogeny supports the distinction between B. colligatus sp. nov. and other species. Additionally, a key to the species of Bethylus in East Asia is provided.

Ambrosia fungi are well-known for their symbiotic interactions with ambrosia beetles, acting as a sole food source of larvae and adult beetles. As a first step to reveal these interactions, extensive survey on the fungal symbionts of ambrosia beetles dwelling in Korea. Eight fungal species isolated from 15 ambrosia beetle species were not known for their presence in Korea. Seven of these belonged to two orders of Ascomycota; Microascales (Ambrosiella beaveri, A. catenulate, and A. roeperi) and Ophiostomatales (Leptographium verrucosum, Raffaelea cyclorhipidii, R. subfusca, and Sporothrix eucastaneae) and one to Polyporales of Basidiomycota (Irpex subulatus). This is the first report of these species in Korea with taxonomic descriptions.

Forests are vital ecosystems that provide considerable environmental, social, and economic benefits. However, they are increasingly threatened by both invasive and native insect pests. This review examines the role of parasitic Hymenoptera species in managing key forest pests in South Korea, including invasive species such as Metcalfa pruinosa (Say) (Hemiptera: Flatidae), Lycorma delicatula (White) (Hemiptera: Fulgoridae), Hyphantria cunea (Drury) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), and Thecodiplosis japonensis Uchida and Inouye (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae), as well as native pests like Monochamus alternatus Hope, M. saltuarius (Gebler) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), and Lymantria dispar asiatica (Butler) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae). Biological control strategies, particularly those utilizing natural enemies such as parasitoid species, have become increasingly prominent and environmentally sustainable alternatives to chemical methods. This review highlights recent advances in the mass rearing of parasitoids such as Sclerodermus harmandi Buysson (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) and Neodryinus typhlocybae (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae) and their effectiveness in reducing pest populations. Furthermore, this study provides a comprehensive review of the ecological and biological characteristics of these biological control agents, including their parasitism rates and roles in integrated pest management, to assess and introduce the current state of research on the natural enemies of key forest insect pests in South Korea. By synthesizing recent research, this paper underscores the importance of Hymenoptera-based biological control as a sustainable approach for promoting forest health and biodiversity conservation in South Korea.

The genus Monoctonus Haliday, 1833 is a small group which consists of 24 species worldwide. In South Korea, Chang and Youn (1983) recorded one species, M. similis Starý & Schlinger, 1967, but the evidence for identification of this species is doubtful and further confirmation is required (personal communication with Prof. Jong-Cheol Paik). An additional Monoctonus species is recorded as new to science from South Korea. Descriptions and illustrations of the new species –Monoctonus koreanus sp. nov. – are provided, together with its mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) data and phylogenetic position. A key to the female of the two species present in Korea is provided.

As a result of investigation on insect fauna of islands in Korea, Rondibilis (Rondibilis) amanoi (Hayashi, 1961) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) was newly discovered. Rondibilis (R.) amanoi is re-described based on a female specimen collected from Is. Heuksan, Jeollanam Province, Korea in 2022. A plate of diagnostic characteristics and a key to four Korean Rondibilis species is also provided.

This study aimed to establish a systematic plan for an integrated inventory of insects based on long-term faunistic research of Korean islands. Preparing the plan involved the following processes: 1) examination of 6,117 species belonging to 402 families and 29 orders occurring on 541 islands, based on a survey of the status of insect species on Korean islands; 2) identification of 498 species belonging to 110 families and 14 orders, based on preliminary faunistic surveys of 10 human-inhabited islands in 2021 for efficient research of island insects; and 3) a list of species, voucher specimen, habitat information, and image data for each species, in addition to the generation of 135 Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I sequences of 70 species for DNA barcode analysis to resolve the identity of taxa that are challenging to identify morphologically. The results of this study may be used for establishing a long-term systematic plan for faunistic research and acquisition of comprehensive biological information on the insects native to Korean islands, while the results may also contribute to the establishment of criteria for the sustainable utilization of bioresources and the conservation of species. (c) 2023 National Science Museum of Korea (NSMK) and Korea National Arboretum (KNA), Publishing Services by Elsevier. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by/4.0/).

The genus Laelius Ashmead, 1893 (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) is a cosmopolitan bethylid genus with 68 valid species distributed across most zoogeographic regions worldwide. This taxonomic study on Korean species of Laelius has led to the description of four new species, namely L. aforessp. nov., L. atratussp. nov., L. sulcatussp. nov., and L. tricuspissp. nov. Additionally, illustrations of the diagnostic characteristics of each species are provided, along with an updated key for 11 Laelius species from the Eastern Palaearctic region.

The Ibaliidae family, a small group within the Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera: Apocrita), includes fewer than 20 known species from the Northern Hemisphere. Ibaliids are parasitoids of wood-boring insect larvae and some are utilized as biological control agents for siricid woodwasps. In Korea, four species from two subgenera of Ibalia Thomson are recorded, with only one species, Ibalia (Ibalia) leucospoides leucospoides (Hochenwarth), previously documented. Recent taxonomic studies on Korean Ibaliidae have revealed that I. (I.) aprilina Kerrich, previously known only from Japan, is now recorded in Korea for the first time. This paper re-describes I. (I.) aprilina Kerrich with detailed illustrations of its diagnostic features and provides an updated key to the five Korean species of the genus Ibalia, including I. (I.) aprilina.

The genus Stenochinus Motschulsky is newly discovered from several localities in Jeonnam province, South Korea. In the present paper, we redescribed Stenochinus bacillus bacillus (Marseul, 1876) with a plate on diagnostic characteristics based on the female.

As a results of taxonomic study on Korean Bothrideridae (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea), the genus Ascetoderes Pope is discovered based on A. takeii (Nakane, 1968) for the first time. In this study, A. takeii (Nakane) is redescribed with illustrations of diagnostic characteristics in detail, as well as, a key to three Korean bothriderid species is provided.

The genusToxaresHaliday, 1840 is a small taxon of Aphidiinae, consisting four valid species in the world. OneToxaresspecies is recorded as new to science from South Korea, in this study. Descriptions and illustrations of the new species,T. koreanussp. nov., are provided, together with their mitochondrialcytochrome c oxidase subunit I(COI) and D2 region of the nuclear gene for28S rRNA(28S) sequences. The phylogenetic tree reconstructed using a combination ofCOIand28Srevealed the phylogenetic position of the genusToxareswithin Aphidiinae.

Separatatus megagnathussp. nov. is recorded as new to science from South Korea. Due to this record, the genus Separatatus Chen & Wu, 1994 (Braconidae: Alysiinae) is recognized for the first time from South Korea. The genus and species are described and illustrated herein plus an identification key including the Korean new species is provided. In addition, the DNA barcode region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) has been analyzed for the new species.

We estimated the genome size of a relict longhorn beetle, Callipogon relictus Semenov (Cerambycidae: Prioninae)—the Korean natural monument no. 218 and a Class I endangered species—using a combination of flow cytometry and k-mer analysis. The two independent methods enabled accurate estimation of the genome size in Cerambycidae for the first time. The genome size of C. relictus was 1.8 ± 0.2 Gb, representing one of the largest cerambycid genomes studied to date. An accurate estimation of genome size of a critically endangered longhorned beetle is a major milestone in our understanding and characterization of the C. relictus genome. Ultimately, the findings provide useful insight into insect genomics and genome size evolution, particularly among beetles.