Chinese researchers have discovered a new insect species, Eidoreus haizhuensis, in a wetland in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong Province. (Photo/China News Service)
(ECNS) -- A new insect species, Eidoreus haizhuensis, was unveiled in Haizhu National Wetland Park in Guangzhou, south China's Guangdong Province, according to the Guangdong Academy of Sciences on Sunday.
The new species, found in 2022, was named after its discovery site Haizhu as " Eidoreus haizhuensis". The findings were published in the international journal Zootaxa.
Measuring 1.2 to 1.3 millimeters in length, the reddish-brown insect has anoval body and convex both dorsally and ventrally, with pale legs and antennae. A total of 3 specimens were found in the wetland during this investigation.
The species belongs to the little-studied Eupsilobiidae family, featuring seven genera and 19 species. Traditionally treated as a subfamily of Endomychidae, it has been elevated to family level based on molecular data.
Most of the species are distributed only in some specific islands in Central America, South America and South Africa, and this is the first time that this family and species have been discovered in China.
The Haizhu Wetland, China's sole national wetland park situated along the central axis of a megacity, is a critical urban refuge preserving rare natural ecosystems amid rapid urbanization.
Guangdong Academy of Sciences has carried out a comprehensive survey of insect resources in Haizhu Wetland since 2020, and released two new discoveries in 2021 and 2022.
The discovery enriches species diversity and is of great significance to ecological protection and biological evolution research, said a staff member from the wetland administration department.
京公网安备 11010202009201号