Current status of exotic insect pests in Korea: comparing border interception and incursion during 1996-2014

• 114,636 interception records of 1,075 species belonging to the six orders were detected from 1996 to 2014.
• Among the 33 species, only 14 (42.42%) were recorded as being intercepted at the quarantine border.
• Among the 33 incursion species, 30 (90.90%) are agricultural pests, and 10 species (30.30%) are Hemiptera.

Interception data pertaining to Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Thysanoptera, and Hymenoptera collected at the Korean quarantine border were cross-checked with incursion data during 1996–2014. Overall, 114,636 interception records of 1,075 species belonging to the six orders were detected, while 33 species (out of 2,710 newly recorded species belonging to the six orders) were confirmed as incursion species in Korea. Of the 33 species, only 14 (42.42%) were recorded as being intercepted at the quarantine border. These results indicate that recent incursion species in Korea are not subject to inspection at Korean borders. Of the 33 incursion species, 30 (90.90%) are agricultural pests, and 10 species (30.30%) are hemipteran. About these species, two factors, greenhouse cultivation and parthenogenesis of exotic species, are newly suggested as reasons for successful incursion into Korea. This study reveals that border inspections do not provide useful information to protect against occurrences of exotic incursive species and that the current quarantine system needs improvement.

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