The Amazon Conservation Association and a group of international scientists have teamed up to launch a competition to name a species of beetle only recently discovered on earth – specifically, in Peru.
Dr. Caroline Chaboo and her research team from the University of Kansas discovered this new beetle during field studies at Villa Carmen Biological Station, where she has been working since 2008. The new beetle represents both a new genus and a new species, and is classified in the beetle family Ptiliidae, or featherwing beetles, because of the unusual hind wings with long hairs that make them appear feather-like. These beetles live in decaying matter and fungi, and some live with ants and termites.
This initiative is meant to raise public awareness regarding the importance of conservation, and of scientific research, in Peru’s Amazon rainforest, a global biodiversity hot spot.
Dr. Caroline Chaboo and her research team from the University of Kansas discovered this new beetle during field studies at Villa Carmen Biological Station, where she has been working since 2008. The new beetle represents both a new genus and a new species, and is classified in the beetle family Ptiliidae, or featherwing beetles, because of the unusual hind wings with long hairs that make them appear feather-like. These beetles live in decaying matter and fungi, and some live with ants and termites.
This initiative is meant to raise public awareness regarding the importance of conservation, and of scientific research, in Peru’s Amazon rainforest, a global biodiversity hot spot.
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