Climate ministry reports 13th bristletail species on Dolsan Island

South Korea's Ministry of Climate, Energy and Environment said on Aug. 5 its affiliated National Institute of Biological Resources in the Honam Region had identified Pedetontus obliquefasciatus on Dolsan Island as the Korean Peninsula's 13th new bristletail species.

The confirmation followed taxonomic research on specimens collected near Geumosan on the island in September 2025 by a research team led by Professor Kim Sora of Jeonbuk University.

Researchers differentiated the species from previously known Pedetontus species by its diagonal white banding, body size and genetic-sequence differences, among a group with about 500 species recorded worldwide. It is the first addition to the Korean Peninsula's recorded bristletail species in 25 years, after 12 species had been recorded through 2001.

The team named the insect Pedetontus obliquefasciatus by combining Latin terms meaning "diagonal" and "banded," a reference to its primary morphological characteristics. The study is due to be published in Zootaxa, an international academic journal in the field of animal studies, this month.

"Building on the discovery of various new and previously unrecorded insect species, including this one, we will continue biodiversity research in island areas," said Lee Jae-seok, a senior researcher at the institute. "We will take the lead in securing national sovereignty over biological resources by actively using not only morphology but also the latest genetic analysis technologies."

In 2026, the institute plans focused surveys of 22 islands and efforts to find undiscovered species in distinctive habitats, including salt fields, rocky areas, polluted areas and salt marshes.