Checklist of mosquitoes (Culicidae) in Korea

Abstract

A systematic mosquito taxonomic study in Korea was established by Lee in 1971. Since then, many species have been recorded as new to Korea. However, much of this taxonomic information has been distributed in a number of scientific publications. This work attempts to combine this information into a single document, as well as to synthesize revised taxonomic synonyms of species occurring in Korea. Four species, Culex vorax, Culex kangi, Aedes kobayashii and Culiseta kanayamensis listed in our previous paper, are synonyms of Culex halifaxii, Culex jacksoni, Aedes alektorovi and Culiseta bergrothi, respectively. Culex annulus is a misidentified species of Culex pseudovishnui. The subspecies Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus and subgenus Mansonia (Coquillettidia) were treated as full species and genus respectively in a catalog of the mosquitoes of the world. However, not all current authors agree to those specific and generic treatment. Based on available publications the total number of mosquito species recorded in Korea is now 52 representing 9 genera. Forty-five of these 52 are confirmed species with preserved specimen representation. As collection of specimen continues, there is a possibility that representative of 7 unconfirmed species will be found. I hope this paper will provide useful information for entomology workers who are interested in mosquito taxonomy in Korea