Flat bark beetles vs. citizen science, episode III: filling the gaps in diversity and distribution of Cucujidae (Coleoptera) in the Korean Peninsula

Abstract

The flat bark beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) has not been intensively studied in the Korean Peninsula; a few records of this insect family are known from the literature from this region. Based on the data collected from the iNaturalist citizen science database, local entomological fora and websites, as well as Facebook social media, new distributional data for Cucujidae are provided from the Korean Peninsula, including the first records of Cucujus haematodes haematodes from South Gyeongsang and North Chungcheong provinces and Pediacus japonicus from North Gyeongsang and South Jeolla provinces, all in South Korea. Moreover, critical analysis of the literature suggests excluding one species, Cucujus coccinatus, from the fauna of the entire Korean Peninsula as it was recorded based on misidentification with C. h. haematodes. The citizen scientific data made 74% of all known records of Cucujidae in the studied area, which clearly proves the importance of citizen science in studies focused on insect biodiversity, especially in the case of species characterized by at least medium body size. A country-level and province-level checklist and a diagnosis of Cucujidae species currently known from the Korean Peninsula are provided.

Keywords

• Citizen scientific data
• Coleoptera
• Cucujus
• Distribution
• Pediacus
• Social media