• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.6-12
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• 2015

Medicinal plants resources are becoming important assets since their usages have been expanded to the development of functional foods for human health, more attractive cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries. However, their phylogenetic origins and names are different from each country and quite often they are mixed each other resulting in the confusion for consumers. In particular, when they are very similar based on their morphological characteristics and distributed as dried roots, it is extremely difficult to differentiate their origins even by specialists. Recently, "DNA barcodes" have been extensively applied to identify their origin of medicinal plant species. In this review, we tried to overview the current research achievements for the development of suitable "DNA barcodes" regarding to the differentiation of medicinal plant species. Furthermore, more advanced techniques including amplification refractory mutation system (ARMS)-PCR, multiplex single base extension (MSBE), high-resolution melting (HRM) curve analyses are also discussed for their practical applications in the authentification of particular medicinal plant species.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.273-279
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• 2021

Branchinotogluma segonzaci (Miura and Desbruyères, 1995) occurs in hydrothermal vent fields of the southwestern Pacific Ocean. We morphologically compared B. segonzaci from the North Fiji Basin with the original description from the Lau Basin and a subsequent study of specimens from the Manus Basin. The main characteristics of all B. segonzaci populations were similar having 21 segments, 10 pairs of elytra, cylindrical-shaped anterior lobes, and ventral papillae on segment 12 and ventral lamellae on segments 13-17 in males. However, the specimens from the North Fiji Basin had rounded to sub-renifrom elytra rather than oval in the original description. Additionally, we newly obtained 11 cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA barcodes from the North Fiji Basin and Tonga Arc populations and compared them with known COI DNA barcodes of Branchinotogluma species. Thirteen sequences of B. segonzaci showed 0.0-1.07% intraspecific variation and formed two clades in the COI neighbor-joining tree, whereas the interspecific variation among Branchinotogluma species was 8.19-22.4%. The results of this study contribute to biogeographic studies of B. segonzaci and the evolution of polynoid scale worms in chemosynthesis-based ecosystems.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.37-51
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• 2018

Molecular phylogenetic analysis was conducted to evaluate the taxonomic relationships of genus Arisaema L. distributed in Korea and the molecular phylogenetic characteristics of three authentic Arisaema species for the herbal medicine Arisaematis Rhizoma (the rhizomes of A. amurense, A. heterophyllum, and A. erubescens). The sequences of three DNA barcodes (rDNA-ITS, matK, and rbcL) were analyzed using 50 samples of nine taxa consisted of eight Korean and one Chinese Arisaema with one outgroup (Dracunculus vulgaris). Both individual and combined phylogenetic analyses of three DNA barcode sequences revealed that the treated nine taxa are independently classified into six distinct clades (Clade I, A. amurense f. amurense and A. amurense f. serratum; Clade II, A. serratum and A. takesimense; Clade III, A. ringens; Clade IV, A. erubescens; Clade V, A. heterophyllum; Clade VI, A. thunbergii subsp. thunbergii and A. thunbergii subsp. geomundoense). These six clades were reasonably divided into three individual sections, Pedatisecta, Sinarisaema, and Tortuosa. Futhermore, the results of comparative DNA barcode sequences analyses provided a significant information for the taxonomic reconsideration of Arisaema L. at the specific and intraspecific level. However, we could not confirm the taxonomic characteristics or identity among the three authentic medicinal species through the molecular phylogenetic analyses of genus Arisaema L. for Arisaematis Rhizoma.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.396-399
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• 2020

The Antarctic freshwater copepod, Boeckella poppei (Mrazek, 1901), has the widest range of distribution extending from southern South America to Antarctic continent, among all Boeckella species. Boeckella poppei is the only freshwater copepod known to be inhabiting the Antarctic continent. In present study, we analyzed the DNA barcodes of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene of B. poppei from King George Island, Antarctica. The intraspecific genetic distances varied from 0% to 13% and interspecific genetic distances ranged from 11% to 14%. The overlap of DNA barcode gap suggests careful threshold-based delimitation of species boundaries.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.40-47
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• 2015

The genus Acteniceromorphus is taxonomically reviewed for the first time in Korea. From the previously recorded three species, two species, A. selectus (Candèze, 1894) and A. fulvipennis (Lewis, 1894) are confirmed as misidientification of species which are endemic to Japan. Another species, A. chlamydatus (Lewis, 1894) is unavailable any Korean specimens. Additionally, we found A. ferrugineipennis (Candèze, 1879) as new to Korea. We also provide a comparison of DNA barcoding for two species previously misidentified and the newly recorded species, except A. chlamydatus. DNA barcoding result shows that each species is clearly delimited at species-level from each other by large interspecific genetic distance over 7.2%.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.156-159
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• 2019

The phyllodicd polychaete species, Nereiphylla hera Kato and Mawatari, 1999 is reported from the intertidal habitats of the eastern coast of South Korea. We determined the DNA barcoding region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) of N. hera and compared nucleotide variation with its congeners. The intra-specific genetic distance between the three COI sequences of N. hera was ranged from 0 to 0.4%. The inter-specific distances between N. hera and other Nereiphylla species ranged from 18.8 to 22.3%. In this study, we reported the first COI barcodes of N. hera with the morphologcial diagnosis and the photographs. These results would be helpful to understand taxonomy of Nereiphylla.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.123-126
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• 2023

Members of Allobathynella Morimoto and Miura, 1957 and Hangangbathynella Park and Cho, 2013 belong to the family Parabathynellidae Noodt, 1965 exclusively inhabit subterranean environments including caves, springs, and interstitial groundwater. Among them, two parabathynellid species, Allobathynella cheongdoensis Park and Cho, 2016 and Hangangbathynella taechooni Park and Cho, 2013, have been reported in the hyporheic zones of the Nakdonggang and Namhangang Rivers in South Korea, respectively. To evaluate gene markers as diagnostic characters, we determined mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) and nuclear 18S rDNA from the topotypes of two Korean parabathynellid species, and then analyzed the genetic divergence among the two parabathynellids and their congeners. Additionally, we provided their habitus photographs and a brief discussion of the usefulness of the two marker regions for both genera as DNA barcodes.

• Animal Systematics, Evolution and Diversity
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.297-303
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• 2012

New Korean lumbricids are described: Eisenia gaga Blakemore sp. nov. from remote Gageodo Island and E. sindo Blakemore, sp. nov. from an island at Incheon. Both are comparable to Eisenia koreana (Zicsi, 1972) from near Pyongyang, North Korea. A remarkable yet previously unrecognized similarity to American earthworm Eisenoides carolinensis (Michaelsen, 1910) is discussed, but synonymy is rejected on tenuous morphological grounds (form of nephridial vesicle bladders) with taxonomy supported by objective molecular data (mtDNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 barcodes).

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.225-232
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• 2019

Two feather mites, Bychovskiata hypoleuci Mironov and Ddabert, 1997 and Phyllochaeta interifolia (Mégnin and Trouessart, 1884) are reported for the first time in South Korea. Specimens of these two species were collected from the common sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos. The genera Bychovskiata Dubinin, 1951 and Phyllochaeta Dubinin, 1951 are also new reports for South Korea. Here, we provide morphological descriptions and illustrations of these two species. Additionally, we provide partial sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I(COI) as DNA barcodes.

• Journal of Species Research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.413-426
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• 2020

The Euphorbiaceae family features some of the most economically important plants that are sources of foods, oils, waxes, and medicines. The accurate identification of Euphorbiaceae species is critical in sustainable utilization of plant resources. We examined 234 sequences of nrDNA ITS, cpDNA rbcL and matK loci from 20 species in Euphorbiaceae in Korea and three outgroup taxa to develop efficient DNA barcodes. The three barcode loci were successfully amplified and sequenced for all Euphorbiaceae species. nrDNA ITS locus showed the highest mean interspecific K2P distance (0.3034), followed by cpDNA matK (0.0830), and rbcL (0.0352) locus. The degree of species resolution for individual barcode loci ranged from 75% (rbcL and matK) to 80% (ITS). The degree of species resolution was not enhanced with the different combinations of three barcode loci. The combined data set of the three loci(ITS+rbcL+matK) provided 80% of species resolution. These results confirm that ITS locus, as a single barcode, is the best option for barcoding of the Euphorbiaceae in Korea.