Discovered for the first time in the world! Named "Haizhu"!

yesterday,

The insect world has a new member

From Haizhu, Guangzhou

"Haizhusi Firefly Leaf Beetle"

October 31

In Guangzhou Haizhu National Wetland Park

Guangdong Province and Guangzhou City

The 31st Wildlife Protection Promotion Month

Institute of Zoology, Guangdong Academy of Sciences

Researcher Yang Xingke's team

Officially released

Recently discovered in Haizhu Wetland

A rare new insect species

The research team named it

"Haizhusi Firefly Leaf Beetle"

This result has been published in

Academic journal "Journal of Entomology"

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Figures (1-4) Fourteen-spotted firefly leaf beetle, 1 dorsal view, 2 side view, 3 dorsal view of male external genitalia, 4 side view of male external genitalia; Figures (5-8) Sea pearl firefly leaf beetle, 5 dorsal view, 6 side view, 7 dorsal view of male external genitalia, 8 side view of male external genitalia.

The new species is 6.0-6.5 mm long and 4.0-4.3 mm wide. The body is yellow; the antennae are dark brown, with 1-3 yellow segments; each elytra has 7 black spots, with a pair at the base, middle and not far from the tip, and a black spot at the tip; the ventral surface of the body and legs are yellow or yellow-brown, and the middle and rear chest plates are dark brown. The head is relatively bulging with obvious puncta; the legs are well developed, with the front and middle legs being shorter and the hind legs being the longest.

According to reports, new species have been discovered in the past

Usually in the wild natural environment

New species discovered in urban wetland environment

Relatively rare

It is also the restoration of Guangzhou's urban ecological environment.

An important indication!

Named after "Haizhu"!

Specimen of the leaf beetle

The most noteworthy result of this insect diversity survey is the discovery of a new species of the genus Sphenoraia, subfamily Sphenoraioides, of the order Coleoptera, named Sphenoraia (Sphenoraioides) haizhuensis sp. nov.

Coleoptera is the most diverse and widespread order in the class Insecta and even in the animal kingdom, containing about 420,000 known species. Among them, the Chrysomelidae is divided into four subfamilies: Chrysomelinae, Galerucinae, Alticinae, and Synetinae.

The subfamily of Chrysomelidae is rich in species and is the largest group in the Chrysomelidae family. There are more than 7,000 known species worldwide, and 1,054 species in China. Before this, there were 25 species of the genus S. pygmyae in the world, and 11 species were clearly recorded in China. They are mainly distributed in the southwest of China, and 3 species were previously recorded in Guangdong.

Two specimens of the genus Scyphozoa collected this time

After identification by the investigation team

Identify the leaf beetle

Unlike any other species of leaf beetle discovered before

This is a new species reported for the first time in the world

Researcher Yang Xingke's team members and Haizhu Wetland researchers prepare to collect insect samples in the wetland

This species was collected by Ma's net and buried pot in the core conservation area of ​​Haizhu Wetland. Nearby are fruit trees such as mango and kumquat. By comparing the biological characteristics of related groups, it is further speculated that its larvae may grow underground by feeding on plant roots.

Because we have not obtained more specimens after multiple light trapping near the collection site, we infer that the adult insects are not phototactic. This is the first time that this new species has been discovered. Its population is very low, and there are few related references, so its specific living habits are currently unknown. Combined with the distribution area analysis, the Haizhu Firefly Leaf Beetle is a new species endemic to Guangdong Province.

Investigation on insect diversity in Haizhu Wetland

Fully rolled out

Biodiversity is an important indicator of the ecological environment. In order to comprehensively and objectively evaluate the status of Haizhu's insect diversity and provide basic data support for subsequent long-term ecological monitoring and research projects, Haizhu Wetland cooperated with the Institute of Zoology of the Guangdong Academy of Sciences to establish a joint team to launch an insect diversity survey in July 2020.

Ma's net installed in the core conservation area of ​​Haizhu Wetland

The survey team installed a total of 28 sampling points in the public open areas, restricted open areas and wetland conservation areas of Haizhu Wetland, and collected data using survey methods such as the Mascot net method, trap method, and fly resistance method.

As of July 2021, the specimens collected in this insect survey have basically completed the organization of order-level specimens, with more than 150,000 specimens obtained, and 192 species of 1 order, 26 families, newly recorded. The number of insect species has increased from 346 to 535.

Some of the collected specimens have been classified and archived

Species richness far exceeded expectations

It is reported that there are no more than 2 million insect specimens in the entire Guangdong Province, and more than 150,000 insect specimens were collected in Haizhu Wetland in one year. In the public's perception, the species diversity in urban parks is generally scarce, but "the richness and diversity of Haizhu Wetland (insect species) subverted our imagination." Professor Yang Xingke said.

A comparison found that the number of insect species in Haizhu Wetland has increased significantly since the last insect diversity survey (2018-2019).

From the order level, the order Spinipes was added.

At the family level, 1 new family was added to Myxopoda, 1 new family was added to Coleoptera, 2 new families were added to Lepidoptera, 3 new families were added to Diptera, 14 new families were added to Hymenoptera, and 5 new families were added to Hemiptera.

At the species level, there was 1 new species in Myxopoda, 16 new species in Lepidoptera, 25 new species in Coleoptera, 42 new species in Diptera, 98 new species in Hymenoptera, 10 new species in Hemiptera, and 1 new species in Isoptera.

Precious ecological value

As a rare composite artificial wetland ecosystem where a central wetland in a megacity and an urban lake wetland intersect with fruit forests, Haizhu Wetland is a relatively young ecological environment with obvious human intervention.

"The Haizhu Firefly Leaf Beetle discovered this time is of great research value and conservation significance. It shows that with human intervention, Haizhu's natural ecological environment is good and biodiversity conservation work is effective," said Professor Yang Xingke.

According to reports, this insect diversity survey not only increases the public's awareness of biodiversity, but also has important significance for the effective protection of species. The discovery of new species adds scientific wealth to the world and enriches biodiversity. It has important theoretical and practical significance for agricultural pest control, ecological protection, and the study of biological evolution.

Source: Guangzhou Daily, Guangzhou Haizhu News Agency, Xinhua News Agency, Haizhu Wetland