Species diversity of the Culex pipiens complex in the Republic of Korea

The Culex pipiens complex, a common species in urban areas, has not yet caused a disease in the Republic of Korea, although it is abundant across residential areas. This complex is a major vector of West Nile virus in the United States. Additionally, Culex pipiens molestus and Culex pipiens pallens in the Republic of Korea are known to have vector competence. However, it is difficult to morphologically distinguish Culex pipiens complex species in the Republic of Korea. In this study, samples were collected from 48 sites near residential areas in the Republic of Korea, and the distribution of Culex pipiens complex species was firstly analyzed using species-specific primers. Culex p. molestus and Cx. p. pallens were collected in large numbers in all the study regions except Ulleungdo, where the number of samples collected was five. Of the total 1063 samples, 70.1% were Cx. p. molestus and 29.9% were Cx. p. pallens. As there has been no research on the diversity of these species in the Republic of Korea, the results of this study would provide important baseline data for further studies on the Culex pipiens complex.