• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.496-508
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• 1992

Phytophagous insects associated with Dicotyledoneae weeds and host specificities in the field populations were investigated for the survey of biological control agents of weeds in Korea. Fifty four weed species in 39 genera were collected during the survey. The most insects were collected from Polygonales by 24 species in 22 genera and followed by Urticales and Centrospermales by 17 species of 17 genera. The insects collected in the other weed orders were ranged from 1 to 12 species. Out of 17 insect species collected in Urticales, Baris sp. damaged the leaves of Hamulus japonicus in Cannabinaceae as scattered holeshape and showed host specificity. In Polygonaceae, Rumex japonicus and R. crispus were severely damaged by Aphis rumicis and Gastrophysa atrocyanea. G. atrocyanea leaf beetle had host specificity on R. japonicus and ate all the leaves except veins. The leaf beetle, Lypesthes japonicus was a potential biological control agent by feeding leaves of Persicaria spp .. And Lixus spp. were also often collected from Persicaria spp .. Liothrips vaneeckei was first collected from weed, P. modosa. P. senticosa was damaged by unidentified geometrid moth larvae and P. perfoiliata by Miarus atricolor snout beetle. Cassida piperata damaged leaves of Chenopodium album of Centrospermales and showed host specificity. In a soybean field, C. album and Amaranthus mangostanus were severely damaged by Spodoptera litura larvae which were eating soybean leaves. This phenomenon indicates that the presence of weed in cultivated land influences the outbreak of insect pests. Altica oleracea leaf beetle was frequently collected from Oenothera spp. of Onagraceae in Myrtales. Aphis gossyphi was outbroken on Solanum nigrum and Phylliodes brettinghami leaf beetle was first recorded on the same plant. Leaf beetles, Longitarsus scutellais and Hemipyxis plagioderoides were first collected from Plantago asiatica of Plantaginaceae in Plantaginales. They showed host specificities in the fields. The hemipterans were collected from many weeds during the survey and their roles on weeds should be investigated. A tractomorpha bedeli was also collected from many kinds of weeds in forest areas.