Guangzhou, 30 Oct (Xinhua) -- A reporter learned from the Guangdong Academy of Sciences on the 30th that the scientific research team of the Institute of Zoology of the Academy recently discovered a new insect species in the Haizhu National Wetland Park in Guangzhou, which belongs to the genus of insects in the family Coleoptera. The team named it Hyders Firefly Beetle. The results have been published in the academic journal Journal of Insect Taxonomy.
This is a specimen of the Hyders firefly (taken on October 25). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Dawei
Yang Xingke, a researcher at the Institute of Zoology of Guangdong Academy of Sciences, introduced that the team will monitor the diversity of insects in Haizhu Wetland from 2020, and in the process of specimen classification, discover a new species of insect, Haizhusi fluorescent leaf beetle. It has a bright yellow body , a raised back , a distinct incision on the head and small shield , and dark spots on the dorsal plate of the forebrea and elytra wings. The new species is rare in nature and rare in insect families.
"In the past, new species were discovered in the wild in the natural environment. The discovery of new species in the urban wetland environment is relatively rare, which also shows that China's urban ecological environment is good. Yang Xingke said.
This is a specimen of the Hyders firefly (taken on October 25). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Dawei
Guangzhou Haizhu National Wetland Park, where the new species was discovered, is a wetland park located in the center of China's megacities, with a total area of 1,100 hectares. Fan Cunxiang, head of the Haizhu Wetland Scientific Research and Publicity And Education Center, introduced that since 2012, the wetland has been carrying out scientific research and monitoring of biodiversity. In order to meet the needs of multi-species survival, wetlands fully consider the habits and characteristics of different species when ecologically designed, and create a favorable habitat environment for them.
Members of Yang Xingke's research group and Haizhu wetland researchers prepare to collect insect samples in the wetland (photo taken on October 26). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Dawei
According to the relevant person in charge of the Guangzhou Forestry and Garden Bureau, Guangzhou has built 89 nature reserves of various types, covering an area of about 110,000 hectares, providing systematic protection for important natural ecosystems and biodiversity. The discovery of the Hyders leaf beetle has enriched the diversity of species and is of great significance for agricultural pest control, ecological protection, and biological evolution research. (Co-author: Huang Guobao)
The discovery of the new species is in Guangzhou Haizhu National Wetland Park (taken on October 26, a panoramic photo of the drone). Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Liu Dawei