• 한국응용곤충학회지
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• 제62권4호
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• pp.227-243
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• 2023

The Asiatic pink stem borer, Sesamia inferens (Walker, 1856) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a pest that attacks rice stems. In this study, we estimated the annual generation of insect in several regions of the Republic of Korea. Adult trapping using a sex pheromone trap detected the occurrence of S. inferens adults in the three northernmost areas around 38° latitude and showed that the insect inhabits all of Korea. In most areas investigated, the seasons of the adult generations estimated using the single-sine degree-day model did not deviate from the corresponding observed seasons of adult occurrence. We estimated that the overwintering larvae hypothetically-estimated using the model could be originated from the last generation of adults. When larvae collected in paddy fields during the autumn season in a few middle and southern areas were reared at 25℃, ca. 70% of pupae did not show additional larval molting before their pupation. All larvae collected in early March in a southern area (Goseong, Gyeongsangnam-do) pupated without additional larval molting when reared at 25℃. Based on these results, we presumed that S. inferens could overwinter as mainly the last instar larval stage in the area. Taken together, we conclude that S. inferens primarily has two generations per year in areas around 38° latitude, and three generations in the areas between 35.3° and 37.3° latitude. In addition, approximately 35% of insects captured by the sex pheromone trap were species other than S. inferens, as determined by analyzing the nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase 1 gene. These species were not morphologically misidentified as S. inferens.