Insect species thought extinct suddenly reappears

While playing in an area in Jiangxi, China, four elementary school students accidentally discovered a large insect that was long thought to be extinct.

In late 2023, four primary school students accidentally discovered an extremely large insect while playing at a concrete construction site in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, China. The animal was about the size of a child's fist. Photo: Sohu.

Having learned about rare insects and animals, the group of students thought this might be a rare insect. So they caught the bug, put it in a box and handed it over to the authorities. Photo: Sohu.

After careful examination, experts confirmed that it was a long-armed beetle of the species Cheirotonus jansoni. This beetle species was thought to have been extinct since 1982. Photo: Sohu.

The actions of four primary school students helped save the life of a rare long-armed beetle, which is protected at the national level (level 2). They received praised from the police. Photo: China News Service/Wei Yongqing.

Belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, long-armed beetles feed on decaying wood. They serve as decomposers of significant ecological value. The long-armed beetle Cheirotonus jansoni is listed as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Photo: China News Service/Wei Yongqing.

As adults, each long-armed beetle is large, measuring about 63 mm long and 35 mm wide. They have a shiny appearance that attracts people's attention. Photo: China News Service/Wei Yongqing.

In China, the long-armed beetle is so rare and valuable that some people are willing to spend 1 million yuan (more than 3.4 billion VND) to own one. Photo: oldfears – some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

In addition to China, people in Japan and some Southeast Asian countries also like to keep long-armed beetles as pets. Photo: Leo Lyu – some rights reserved (CC BY-NC).

Readers are invited to watch the video : Discovering many new species in the Mekong River Region. Source: THĐT1.

Source: https://khoahocdoisong.vn/loai-con-trung-tuong-da-tuyet-chung-bat-ngo-tai-xuat-post1553064.html