The genus Anoplophora (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is among the most well-known insect genera in invasive entomology and is represented by 2 noted invasive alien species: the Asian longhorned beetle (Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky, 1854)) and the Citrus longhorned beetle (Anoplophora chinensis (Forster, 1771)). In this study, a new non-native species belonging to the genus Anoplophora, Anoplophora horsfieldii (Hope, 1843), has been discovered on Jeju Island, South Korea (33°30′N, 126°30′E). Our field survey of the established area and potential habitats nearby identified numerous adult beetles and exit holes in its host, Celtis sinensis Persoon, 1805. This finding emphasizes the importance of continued monitoring and management of this new non-native species, which has the potential to cause significant ecological and economic damage.

Among Scarabaeidae, the phytophagous scarab lineage including Melolonthinae, Cetoniinae, Dynastinae, and Rutelinae is considered important due to its members’ roles as agricultural pests or pollinators. In this study, the near-complete mitochondrial genomes of seven species from six genera in the phytophagous scarab lineage were newly sequenced: Anomala russiventris (Fairmaire, 1893); Apogonia cf. basalis (Moser, 1915); Apogonia splendida (Boheman, 1858); Coenochilus striatus (Westwood, 1874); Trichogomphus mongol (Arrow, 1908); Sophrops subrugatus (Moser, 1921) and Tetraserica leishanica (Liu, Bai, Yang & Ahrens, 2014). The complete mitochondrial genomes from the 6 species include 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and 1 control region, which have a highly conserved gene arrangement, except for Tr. mongol with the rearrangement of 2 tRNA genes (tRNA-Ile and tRNA-Gln), which is a potential identified subfamily-level character of Dynastinae. In order to test whether the mitogenomic data are suited for high-level phylogenetic inferences, the substitution saturation and heterogeneity were analyzed. The results showed no sign that the phylogenetic inferences were biased by substitution saturation or the low heterogeneity of the sequence composition for most pairwise comparisons between the sequences for the entire dataset (13 PCGs) and the amino acids dataset (13 PCGs_AA). Based on the combined data of 13 PCGs and 13 PCGs_AA from the mitogenomes of 37 taxa, the phylogeny of the phytophagous lineage was explored using RAxML and Bayesian methods. The results confirmed that Cetoniinae, Rutelinae, and Dynastinae are monophyletic, and that the latter two are sister groups. Melolonthinae is a paraphyletic group, and its tribes, Diplotaxini, Euchirini, Melolonthini, Rhizotrogini, and Sericini, are a monophyletic group. The subfamily rank of Dynastinae and the tribe rank of Anomalini and Adoretini are supported.

The red-necked longhorn beetle (RLB; Aromia bungii [Faldermann, 1835]) is an emerging invasive pest. From its native range of East Asia, it invaded Europe and Japan in the early 2010s. Despite its increasing importance, the molecular resources of RLB are scarce, and its invasive dynamics are largely unknown. In the present study, we carried out the first analysis of its population genetic structure in South Korea, which is part of its native range, using 1248 bp cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) sequences of 199 individuals from 18 localities. We found that in South Korea, RLB has a moderate population genetic structure and can be divided into three geographical subgroups: central, southeastern, and southwestern subgroup. Comparative analyses with two Chinese, one German, and ten Italian RLB sequences yielded non-significant results because of largely missing genetic data from other native areas. Nevertheless, as it provided the first population genetic data for this invasive alien species (IAS) whose range is increasing, our research is a crucial molecular resource for future invasive dynamics research.

A novel design of a portable funnel light trap (PFLT) was presented for collecting insects in ecological studies. The trap consists of a compact plastic box equipped with a light source and power source, along with two plastic polypropylene interception vanes. The PFLT costs 18.3 USD per unit and weighs approximately 300 g. A maximum of six PFLT units can be packed in one medium-sized backpack (32 cm × 45 cm × 15 cm, 20 L), making it easier to set up multiple units in remote areas wherein biodiversity research is needed. The low cost and weight of the trap also allows for large-scale deployment. The design is customizable and can be easily manufactured to fit various research needs. To validate the PFLT’s efficacy in collecting insects across different habitat types, a series of field experiments were conducted in South Korea and Laos, where 37 trials were carried out. The PFLT successfully collected 7497 insects without experiencing battery issues or damage by rain or wind. Insect compositions and abundances differed across the three sampled habitat types: forests, grasslands, and watersides. This new FLT trap is an important tool for studying and protecting insect biodiversity, particularly in areas wherein conventional light traps cannot be deployed.