Endangered Black Pigeon Discovered on Ulleungdo Island

Joint Academic Survey Results by National Science Museum and Others
Multiple New Species Including Terrestrial Chamgalkyeoni Confirmed

New species of flora and fauna, including the endangered black pigeon and the land-dwelling fish Zacco koreanus, have been discovered in large numbers on Ulleungdo and Dokdo, located in the middle of the East Sea of Korea.

Endangered species 'Black Pigeon' discovered on Ulleungdo Photo by National Science Museum

The National Science Museum under the Ministry of Science and ICT published the 2022 joint academic survey report titled "Biodiversity in Ulleung County, Gyeongsangbuk-do (Ulleungdo and Dokdo area)" on the 25th, which includes these findings.

Since 2007, the government has formed a national biodiversity institution alliance, including the National Science Museum, dividing the country into 10 regions to investigate long-term changes in biodiversity. The recently published report presents the results of a joint academic survey conducted in May and August 2022 in Ulleung County, Gyeongsangbuk-do (Ulleungdo and Dokdo area).

Ulleungdo and Dokdo are located at the intersection of warm and cold ocean currents, creating a diverse and unique ecosystem. These volcanic islands, formed by volcanic activity rather than separation from the continent, are distant from the mainland and surrounded by the deep waters of the East Sea, making external species influx relatively difficult. For these reasons, they are ideal for studying differences from continental species, the invasion and settlement of new species, as well as evolutionary and successional processes. Therefore, research on the ecosystem and biodiversity of the Ulleung County area is necessary.

The survey confirmed that 661 species of animals and plants inhabit the Ulleungdo and Dokdo area, including 259 insect species, 216 plant species, 74 bird species, 10 fish species, 50 mushroom species, 144 marine species, and 107 species of spiders and oribatid mites. Notably, two candidate new species and six species previously unrecorded in Korea of oribatid mites were identified for the first time in Korea at Taeha Pass on Ulleungdo. Oribatid mites belong to the order Oribatida within the class Arachnida and are known to significantly contribute to soil formation by feeding on organic matter, fungi, nematodes, arthropods, annelids, and their carcasses. Globally, about 120,000 species have been reported, with 436 species officially recorded in Korea. This survey added two candidate new species and six unrecorded species of oribatid mites from Taeha Pass, Ulleungdo. The newly discovered oribatid mites will be announced in an international specialized academic journal in the first half of 2023.

A total of 50 mushroom species from 26 families and 41 genera (47.3% symbiotic, 52.7% saprophytic) were observed in this survey. Although 299 mushroom species have been reported in Ulleung County to date, 20 new species, including the brown-stemmed cup mushroom, navel cup fungus, white reed mushroom, and tongue-needle neck mushroom, were newly added through this survey.

A total of five fish species from four families were observed, including Zacco koreanus and Gymnogobius petschiliensis, which had not been previously reported on Ulleungdo. Among these, Zacco koreanus is believed to have been artificially introduced from inland areas, similar to previous cases involving mudfish and dark chubs.

The institution alliance plans to hold a general meeting at the National Daegu Science Museum from the 26th to the 27th to evaluate the survey results and publicly present the achievements through poster presentations.

The land-dwelling fish species Chamgalkyeoni discovered on Ulleungdo Island. Photo by National Science Museum

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