The subfamily Cerambycinae is the second-largest group of the family Cerambycidae with approximately 11,000 species from 1,700 genera worldwide (Švácha and Lawrence, 2014, Lee and Lee, 2020). In Korea, 114 species from 54 genera of the subfamily were reported by far (Jang et al., 2015;Lee and Lee, 2016, 2018). Among Cerambycinae, Ropalopus Mulsant, 1839 is a small genus composed of 25 species from three subgenera worldwide: The West Palaearctic subgenus Ropalopus Mulsant, 1839 contains 21 species, the East Palaearctic subgenera Prorrhopalopus Plavilstshikov, 1921 and Pronocerodes Plavilstshikov, 1940 contains two species respectively (Tavakilian and Chevillotte, 2012). Until now, two species from a subgenus Prorrhopalopus were reported in South Korea: Ropalopus (Prorrhopalopus) signaticollis Solsky, 1872 and Ropalopus (Prorrhopalopus) speciosus Plavilstshikov, 1921 (Jang et al., 2015;Oh and Jang, 2015). Both species occur in the northern deciduous forest of South Korea with a low population level (Jang et al., 2015). In this paper, the subgenus Pronocerodes is reported for the first time in Korea with a species Ropalopus (Pronocerodes) aurantiicollis Plavilstshikov, 1940.

Materials and methods

In 2015, one dead female specimen was found near the construction site in Yongdae national recreational forest (Gangwon-do, South Korea). The authors have visited the collection site numerous times after the first discovery but no additional specimen has been found thereafter. The single specimen used in this study was deposited in Insect Collection in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Seoul National University [CALS], Korea. Illustrations were made with a Canon digital camera EOS 70D, Tamron 60mm f/2, or Canon MP-E 65 mm f/2.8 1–5x macro lens mounted, controlled by Cognisys Stackshot. Multiple layers of photographs were stacked using Zerene Stacker 1.04 software (Zerene Systems 2014; http://www.zerenesystems.com/cms/stacker).

Systematic accounts

Tribe Callidiini Kirby, 1837 삼나무하늘소족

Genus Ropalopus Mulsant, 1839 검정삼나무하늘소속

Ropalopus Mulsant, 1839: 40. type species Callidium clavipes Fabricius, 1775

Subgenus Pronocerodes Plavilstshikov, 1940: 248 type species Rhopalopus ruficollis Matsumura, 1911 호리검정삼나 무하늘소아속(신칭)

Ropalopus (Pronocerodes) aurantiicollis Plavilstshikov, 1940 호리검정삼나무하늘소(신칭) (Figs. 1, 2)

Ropalopus aurantiicollis Plavilstshikov, 1940: 250

Morphological comments. Easily recognized from other Ropalpus species by elongated elytra and absence of punctuation on pronotum. Body length 15.3 mm. Head black without punctuation, sparsely pubescent with golden hairs. Frons with short longitudinal suture in the middle. Antennae black, slightly shorter than body length in female. Antennomere I moderately enlarged, minute proximal spine present on apex of antennomere 3-7. Pronotum red, anterior and posterior margin darkened, marginally punctured but punctureless in middle, slightly wider than long, markedly convex, smoothly projected laterally in anterior half, narrow more in posterior half. Prosternum red with darkened margin, transverse wrinkles present in middle, intercoxal prosternal process relatively narrow, slightly dilated at apex. Elytra black with faint metallic navy sheen, glabrous, finely wrinkled, notably longer than wide, almost parallel with rounded apex. Mesoventrite, metaventrite and abdominal segments black with pale hairs. Legs black, sparsely pubescent, distal half of fore and middle femora, distal third of hind femora notably swollen. Ovipositor missing.

Material Examined. [SNU] 1♀, Yongdae-ri, Buk-myeon, Injae-gun, Gangwon-do, Korea, 2014. vi. 06. Seunghyun Lee leg.

Distribution. Korea (new record) and Russian Far East.

Remarks. Biology (e.g. host plants, feeding habit of larva, etc.) of R. aurantiicollis is unknown. The species is rare in Russian Far East (Cherepanov, 1981).

Key to species of the genus Ropalopus in Korea