Environmental sleuths seek out new species in nature

FUZHOU－When Huang Jianbin stumbled upon a unique long-horned beetle in a temple where he took shelter from the rain, he could not be certain by its appearance that he had found a new species.

"It was something I hadn't seen before," he said, recalling the encounter.

An asset manager and amateur naturalist, Huang brought the male beetle to his friend Huang Guiqiang, an associate professor at Liupanshui Normal University in Guizhou province, who confirmed that his unusual catch was new to science.

However, it is not easy for a new species to be recognized by the academic community. They had to find a female long-horned beetle of the same species. Coincidently, an amateur naturalist in the same volunteer team as Huang discovered a female in Fujian province.

Less than a year later, a scientific paper describing the new species of long-horned beetle, which was named after Huang as Trachystolodes huangjianbini, was published in the journal Zootaxa.

Huang is among a growing number of committed hobbyists in China busy documenting newly discovered species. Unpaid and self-motivated, many of them have the luxury of leisure time and money to purchase equipment and set out in search of new creatures.

Several amateur naturalists like Huang formed a volunteer team in late 2017. Although they have no formal scientific training in biology, they have amassed expertise through close study of niche areas and spend several months every year in the field, exploring rainforests, caves and tunnels to hunt down new species.

Since last year, the team has discovered eight new species through concerted efforts.

"High temperatures, dampness, landslides, annoying mosquitoes, bloodsucking leeches… there are so many obstacles along your journey that are hard for city dwellers to imagine," said Guo Liang, a 24-year-old member of the team.

He quit his job at a State-owned company and gave his all to his hobby. In June last year, Guo found a new species of long-horned beetle during a field trip in Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous prefecture in Yunnan province. The discovery helped establish a new genus.

Many new species are discovered in China every year. If it were not for the efforts of the team of dedicated amateur naturalists, many would likely remain undiscovered.

"Extinctions are happening at an unprecedented rate. Sometimes things disappear faster than we can discover them. So we should hurry up," said 40-year-old Liu Pengyu, head of the team.

The amateur naturalists hope their efforts will spur interest in the environment and natural history among the younger generation.

In their spare time, they organize lectures and outdoor activities in Fuzhou, Fujian's provincial capital, to promote science and make it more comprehensible to children.

"No matter what it is, a long-horned beetle, a spider or a mosquito, the existence of every life is indispensable to the planet," Liu said. "The extinction of any species will cause an irreversible negative impact on the living environment of humans."

Xinhua