Pochazia shantungensis and a new species, Pochazia chinensis sp. nov. occur in the Republic of Korea
In the Republic of Korea, Pochazia shantungensis (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae – EPPO Alert List) was first observed in 2009 in the Western part of the country (Rahman et al., 2012). Subsequently, it spread to other parts of the Republic of Korea, showing an invasive behaviour. It is suspected that P. shantungensis originates from China. Considering the difficulties encountered in identifying this insect, a study has been conducted in the Republic of Korea to better understand which species of Pochazia are present in the country (Lee et al., 2024). Specimens collected between 2011 and 2023 as ‘Pochazia shantungensis’ or ‘Pochazia sp.’ from 6 Korean provinces, as well as from 4 Chinese provinces were examined. Based on morphological and molecular characteristics, two distinct species were identified: P. shantungensis and a new species called Pochazia chinensis sp. nov.
This study showed that both P. shantungensis and P. chinensis occur in the Republic of Korea (and in China) and are largely sympatric in distribution, share the same host plant species, and overlap in the timing of adult emergence. In addition, specimens from the population initially found in the Republic of Korea were re-examined and were identified as P. chinensis. It was noted that P. chinensis is distributed throughout the Republic of Korea, and that P. shantungensis is mainly distributed in the Southern part of the country.
Host and distribution lists for both P. chinensis and P. shantungensis are available from the EPPO Global Database:
- P. chinensis. https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/POCZCH
- P. shantungensis. https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/POCZSH
Sources
Lee H, Lee GS, Li Y, Lee W (2024) Resolving taxonomic confusion of Pochazia shantungensis (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Ricaniidae) from South Korea, with one new species. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology 27(2), 102248.
Rahman MA, Kwon YJ, Suh SJ, Youn YN, Jo SH (2012) The genus Pochazia Amyot and Serville (Hemiptera: Ricaniidae) from Korea, with a newly recorded species. Journal of Entomology 9(5), 239-247. https://doi.org/10.3923/je.2012.239.247