The first collections of insects in Korea from a scientific approach
were mainly conducted by Westerners, such as English and German
people, with various jobs such as sailor, soldier, diplomat,
botanist, or zoologist, who visited Korea for other purposes.
The first insect reported in Korea is Damaster smaradigus monilifer
Tatum, described and published by T. Tatum, an English entomologist,
in 1847.
After the Korean War (1950-1953), insect studies were discontinued
for a long time, and then insect research was reinitiated, focusing
on applied entomology, after the foundation of Korean Society of
Plant Protection in 1962. Although the activities of this academic
society activated various studies on insects, taxonomic studies were
still extremely poor. After the 1970s, research projects on
entomology began again, centering on some government agencies, and
also the foundation of the Entomological Society of Korea was
regarded as a very important development in the history of Korean
entomology. According to the “Checklist of Korean Insects” published
jointly by the Entomological Society of Korea and Korean Society of
Applied Entomology, the total insect species recorded in Korea is
12,000, of which Coleoptera and Lepidoptera accounted for the largest
part with 26% and 25%, respectively, followed by Hymenoptera and
Hemiptera.
The lower Arthropoda of the Animalia is divided into lower Insecta, Arachnida, Crustacea, Diplopoda, Chilopoda and Symphyla.
Insecta is mainly divided into Pterygota and Apterygota, Apterygota having Protura, Archaeognatha, Campodeida and Collembola, and Pterygota having Paleoptera and Neoptera.
Paleoptera is divided into Odonata and Ephemeroptera, and Neoptera is divded into Endopterygota and Exopterygota.
Endopterygota is divided into Lepidoptera, Trichoptera, Coleoptera, Mecoptera, Siphonaptera, Strepsiptera, diptera and neuroptera. Exopterygota is divided into Plecoptera, Grylloblattodea, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Psocoptera, Phasmida, Homoptera, Dictyoptera, Mantodea, Anoplura, Dermaptera, Thysanoptera, Mallophaga and Isoptera.
Korea Biodiversity Information System > Insect Resource > Insect Classes > Insects of Korea
