Historical review and occurrence records of Callipogon relictus Semenov, 1899 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in Gwangneung Forest, South Korea with suggestions for species conservation

By

Lee, Seung-Gyu
Lee, Bong-Woo
Kim, Cheolhak
Kang, Jung-Hoon
Oh, Seung Hwan
Lim, Jongok

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1024

Pages

1--29

Subjects

Biodiversity , Endangered species , longhorn beetle , natural monument , South Korea

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1024.61483

 

Abstract

Biodiversity has been declining and extinction rates have been exponentially increasing because of land use changes, invasion of exotic species, nutrient enrichment and climate change. In this scenario, many international networks such as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature have been making efforts to raise conservation awareness and preserve species and their habitats in many countries. The relict longhorn beetleCallipogon relictusSemenov, 1899 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is the largest coleopteran species in the Palearctic region and has a unique distribution compared to its congeneric species.Callipogon relictushas been protected by two Korean laws since it was designated as a Korean Natural Monument and an Endangered Species in 1968 and 2012, respectively. To improve the conservation of this species, ecological and biological data were obtained from studies performed during the last 12 years on its populations in Gwangneung Forest, the fourth UNESCO biosphere reserve in South Korea. Previously scattered distribution records ofC. relictusfrom South Korea from 1932 to 2007 are therefore summarized and ecological features of adults observed during fields studies performed from 2008 to 2019 are presented. Based on the summarized data, we suggest different management measures and conservation efforts to maintain the size ofC. relictuspopulations in South Korea, which can also be further used in the restoration of other endangered insects.