A scientist camping in a rainforest in the Gold Coast hinterland has discovered an incredible new species and genus of downy longhorn beetle.
If finding a needle in a haystack is rare, an entomologist – someone who studies insects – discovering a new insect when they’re not actually looking for one is even rarer.
“One morning I was walking around the Binna Burra Lodge campsite and something on a Lomandra leaf caught my eye,” James Tweed, a researcher at the University of Queensland, told Daily Mail Australia.
He first thought it was a bird fall, but his scientific curiosity led him to take a closer look.
“I’m an entomologist, so I went back and looked again and, sure enough, it was something quite spectacular and I was glad I turned around… and saw the most extraordinary long-horned beetle and the fluffiest I’ve ever seen.”
A scientist camping in a Gold Coast hinterland rainforest has discovered an incredible new species of downy longhorned beetle (pictured)
University of Queensland researcher James Tweed is pictured after making his discovery
The creature measured 9.7mm and “was a striking red and black beauty, covered in long white hairs.”
Mr Tweed, who is studying for a doctorate, searched books, scientific articles and online to find a match for the species, but nothing seemed similar.
But an email to experts at the Australian National Insect Collection (ANIC) in Canberra confirmed the beetle was a completely new species.
When Mr Tweed visited ANIC to compare his discovery to their huge collection, everyone realized that this was not only a new species, but also a new genus – a family of species.
“We chose the name Excastra for the genus, which is Latin for ‘of the camp’, and for the species name we opted for albopilosa, which translates to ‘white and hairy,’ Mr Tweed said .
The purpose of the Excastra albopilosa’s long white hairs is a mystery, but there is a theory that “they make the insect appear to have been killed by an insect-killing fungus.”
“The theory is that this beetle is trying to imitate death so that birds, lizards or other predators that see it will say, ‘Oh, no. I don’t want to feed on that. It’s infected with a fungus, it won’t be edible.”
“But until someone finds more specimens and studies this species more thoroughly, we won’t be able to say for sure why this beetle is so hairy.”
Mr Tweed said the find was incredibly lucky and rare as “the area near Lamington National Park has been popular with entomologists for over 100 years, so it is surprising that it has not been found until here. »
“I came back several times to look for more, but I had no luck.”
He discovered the new species in December 2021, but it is only being made public now because verifying it is a long process.
“You have to be sure that what you are describing is different from every other species ever described.”
“This usually involves working with experts, as I did with a few colleagues at the National Insect Collection.”
The scientist also said he had to find time to write a paper about the discovery – which was published in the Australian Journal of Taxonomy – because he “a side project” to his doctorate.
The beetle (pictured) measured 9.7mm and “was a striking red and black beauty, covered in long white hairs.”
James Tweed initially thought the beetle on a leaf was a falling bird, but his scientific curiosity led him to take a closer look.
Mr Tweed said chance discoveries like his show how many unknown species could exist and how many of them could be at risk of extinction.
“We are seeing a rapid decline in biodiversity globally, and it is difficult to conserve species if we don’t even know they exist,” he said.
“Insects are the most diverse group of animals on the planet, but they are also the most underestimated and least studied.”
“Best estimates suggest that there may be 5.5 million insect species in the world and that only a fifth of these have been named and described.”
James Tweed is pictured at Lamington National Park, where he discovered a new species and genus of beetle.