In news– Museum scientists have discovered 28 new species of beetles on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, one of the species has been named after Coronavirus recently. The newly discovered species measure 2-3 mm.
Other species named after coronavirus-
- In April, a new species of caddisfly (a moth-like insect) was collected near a stream in Kosovo by a team of scientists, and named Potamophylax coronavirus.
- The same month, out of six new species of Brazilian wasps, one was named Allorhagas quarentenus, a reference to the quarantine, which occurred while the authors were describing the species.
- Recently out of five new wasp species discovered in Mexico, scientists named one Stethantyx covida (Zookeys).
About Trigonopterus-
- It is a genus of flightless weevils placed in the Cryptorhynchinae of Curculionidae.
- It is distributed in Australia, Indonesia and Melanesia.
- The center of its diversity appears to be New Guinea where 51 or more species can be found in a single locality.
- Many of them are very similar to each other, but male genital characters and DNA barcoding allow a safe identification.
About Sulawesi island-
- Sulawesi, an Indonesian island east of Borneo, comprises several long peninsulas radiating from a mountainous center.
- It is known for coral reefs and dive sites such as Bunaken National Park, the Togian Islands and Wakatobi National Park
- Its largest city is Makassar, home to Fort Rotterdam, a former Dutch fort now housing 2 museums.
- Outside Makassar, Leang-Leang Historic Park preserves prehistoric cave paintings.
Extra reading: https://journalsofindia.com/cave-art-of-sulawesi/
Source: Indian Express
