On February 16th, the "World Wetland Day" event and mangrove conservation campaign in Guangdong Province were held at Guangzhou Haizhu National Wetland Park. During the event, the discovery of a new insect species, Eidoreus haizhuensis, was officially announced. This marks a new breakthrough in biodiversity conservation in Haizhu Wetland and highlights the remarkable achievements of Guangzhou in ecological restoration and scientific monitoring.

Eidoreus haizhuensis was discovered during the 2022 insect survey and monitoring in Haizhu Wetland and was named after the location. The findings have been published in the international journal "Zootaxa." The new species measures 1.2 - 1.3 millimeters in length. Its reddish-brown body is oval and convex both dorsally and ventrally, and its legs and antennae are lighter in color, with sparse short yellow bristles on its body surface. A total of three specimens were found in the second and third phases of the wetland's research areas, which are surrounded by fruit trees such as lychee and longan.

This species family, previously considered a subfamily of the False Ladybird family, has now become an independent family based on molecular data. There are only 19 species in seven genera globally, mostly distributed in Central and South America and specific islands in South Africa. This is the first time that this family and species have been discovered in China.

Since 2020, Haizhu Wetland has collaborated with the Guangdong Academy of Sciences' Institute of Zoology to conduct a baseline survey of insect resources. In 2021 and 2022, two other species, the "Sphenoraia (Sphenoraioides) haizhuensis" and the "Falsonnanocerus haizhuensis," were announced. Compared to these previous discoveries, the identification and research of Eidoreus haizhuensis presented greater challenges. The scientific team collected over 500,000 insect specimens from Haizhu Wetland. Due to the insect's tiny size and the lack of domestic research, scientists had to examine tens of thousands of specimens under a stereo microscope to complete the sorting and identification. The process was extremely challenging. The tiny insects were mixed with numerous specimens and debris, making them difficult to detect. During dissection, the similar morphology of related species required high-precision microscopes to examine key parts such as mouthparts and external genitalia. Ultimately, the researchers discovered minute differences thanks to their professional expertise and extensive experience.

The discovery of these minuscule insects reveals the rich complexity of biodiversity and provides important scientific evidence for ecological conservation and sustainable development.

Source: Lingnan on the Cloud

比芝麻还小！广州海珠湿地又发现全球新物种

2月16日，广东省“世界湿地日”暨红树林保护宣传活动在广州海珠国家湿地公园举行，现场正式发布全球新物种——“海珠微瓢虫”（Eidoreus haizhuensis Liu & Li, 2024）。这一发现标志着海珠湿地生物多样性保护取得新突破，彰显广州生态修复和科研监测的卓越成效。

“海珠微瓢虫”是在2022年度海珠湿地昆虫调查监测中发现的，以“海珠”命名，成果已在国际期刊《Zootaxa》发表。该新种体长1.2 - 1.3毫米，椭圆形，红棕色，足和触角色浅，体表有稀疏短黄刚毛。调查中共在海珠湿地发现3头标本，地点为湿地二期及三期研学空间，周边多为龙眼、荔枝等果树。

微瓢虫科曾被视为伪瓢虫科亚科，现基于分子数据成为独立科，全球仅有7属19种，多分布于中美洲、南美洲和南非特定岛屿，此次是中国首次发现该科及物种。

自2020年起，海珠湿地与广东省科学院动物研究所合作开展本底昆虫资源调查，2021年和2022年已发布“海珠斯萤叶甲”“海珠珐轴甲”。相较前两次，“海珠微瓢虫”的发现与研究挑战更大。科研团队在海珠湿地采集超50万头昆虫标本，因该虫体型微小，国内研究空白，科研人员在体式显微镜下检视数万头标本才完成分拣鉴定。分目时，微小昆虫混杂在大量标本与杂物中，发现难度极大；解剖时，同属昆虫形态相似，需在高精度显微镜下解剖、观察口器、外生殖器等关键部位。最终，科研人员凭借专业素养和丰富经验，才发现其细微差异。

这些微小昆虫的发现，揭示了生物多样性的丰富复杂，为生态保护和可持续发展提供重要科学依据。

文 | 记者 李春炜 通讯员 刘金林
译 | 赵凡
审 | 林佳岱