Open-source biodiversity data are increasingly used to address data deficiencies in insect conservation, yet their suitability for extinction risk assessment remains insufficiently evaluated. We integrated occurrence records from two citizen science platforms (Naturing and iNaturalist) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to examine habitat associations, seasonal activity patterns, and preliminary extinction risk of tiger beetles (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) in South Korea. After data cleaning and validation, 727 occurrence records representing 16 species were analyzed. Habitats in which they occurred were classified into six categories, and adult activity periods were grouped into spring–fall and summer types. Species-level ecological patterns were explored using non-metric multidimensional scaling (nMDS). Preliminary extinction risk was assessed for 13 species under IUCN Red List Criterion B using estimates of extent of occurrence (EOO) and area of occupancy (AOO), incorporating area of habitat (AOH). Occurrence data exhibited strong taxonomic and geographic biases, with over 90% of records concentrated in six species. Nevertheless, habitat and seasonal activity analyses revealed ecologically coherent groupings consistent with existing knowledge. The assessment classified two species as Least Concern, five as Vulnerable, four as Endangered, and two as Critically Endangered, while three species with extremely limited records were classified as Data Deficient. Comparison with the national Red Data Book revealed discrepancies in threat categories, with several tiger beetle species showing elevated threat levels relative to previous extinction risk assessment. Our findings demonstrate that open-source biodiversity data, when applied conservatively, can evaluate preliminary assessments and help prioritize tiger beetle species for targeted surveys and conservation actions. This study demonstrates that open-source biodiversity data can provide a useful screening tool for insect conservation where long-term monitoring is lacking. For Korean tiger beetles, spatially explicit preliminary assessments highlight elevated vulnerability in habitat-specialist species from riparian, coastal, and mudflat environments, supporting the prioritization of targeted surveys and conservation actions.
Cha et al. (Sat,) studied this question.