Larva of China's largest beetle found in SW China's Sichuan(1/5)

Zhao Li, the curator of the Insect Museum of West China, observes the larva of cheirotonus jansoni in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 7, 2021. (Photo: China News Service/An Yuan)

The larva of China's largest beetle, cheirotonus jansoni, was recently found in Mount Qingcheng in Chengdu, southwest China's Sichuan Province. This is the first time in the world that a naturally bred larva of this species has been found. The cheirotonus jansoni is under second-class state protection in China.

A cheirotonus jansoni is shown at the Insect Museum of West China in Chengdu, capital of SW China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 7, 2021. (Photo: China News Service/An Yuan)

A larva of cheirotonus jansoni is shown at the Insect Museum of West China in Chengdu, capital of SW China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 7, 2021. (Photo: China News Service/An Yuan)

Zhao Li, the curator of the Insect Museum of West China, observes two cheirotonus jansoni beetles in Chengdu, capital of southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 7, 2021. (Photo: China News Service/An Yuan)

A cheirotonus jansoni is shown at the Insect Museum of West China in Chengdu, capital of SW China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 7, 2021. (Photo: China News Service/An Yuan)