Integrative Analysis of the Invasive Pathways of the Ragweed Leaf Beetle Ophraella communa LeSage 1986 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) Into Domestic Areas of the Korean Peninsula

The ragweed leaf beetle Ophraella communa LeSage is an exotic species reported to have been introduced to Korea in 2002. It has spread and inhabits the entire Korean Peninsula using ragweed, an alien plant that invaded the Korean Peninsula after the Korean War (1950–1953), as its host plant. To infer the spread routes of the exotic ragweed leaf beetle in domestic areas of the Korean Peninsula, we analyzed the genetic structure and demographic history of the species collected from 12 domestic areas leveraging mitochondrial DNA sequence (MT) and microsatellite loci genotype (MS). For MT, haplotype network analysis identified two high‐frequency haplotypes linked via eight median vectors. MS indicated that the species had three invasive routes into the Korean Peninsula and was divided into three groups. MT and MS results differed in the number of invading populations considered. These differences were suggested to stem from resolution variations due to the founder effect. In conclusion, at least two O. communa populations may invade several international ports of the Korean Peninsula and spread domestically via hitchhiking on transport. Individuals spread by transportation may disperse into local areas due to the behavioral traits of O. communa being strongly attracted to the host plant Ambrosia artemisiifolia . We anticipate that our findings will help pinpoint critical areas for preventing the inland spread of exotic species.