Longulus soldier beetle (Ichthyurus longulus) is the first of dozens new species to be published

NEWS - Researchers report a new species of Ichthyurus longulus that is widely distributed in Shanxi, Gansu, Hubei, Chongqing, Guizhou and Guangxi in China. This species has some variation in pronotum coloration but can be easily distinguished from all other species.

I. longulus is easily distinguished from all species from China by its uniform black elytra, in contrast to the mixed black and yellow bicolor elytra in other species. Each mesotibia is present with an apical spur in males, while it is absent in other species.

In addition, the terminal abdominal tergite is characterized by a long lateral projection, about 3/5 of the tergite length. Furthermore, the aedeagus has a long setifore extension that is almost as long as the parameres. The legs are slender and the terminal abdominal tergite has a simple lateral projection in males.

The specific name is derived from the Latin word longus meaning long, referring to the long setifore extension. The body length for both sexes is 13.5-14.4 mm (13.5 mm in the holotype), the humeral width for both sexes is 1.9-2.0 mm (1.9 mm in the holotype).

The genus Ichthyurus Westwood (1848) is the largest taxonomic group in the soldier beetle family Ichthyurini, containing about 200 species distributed worldwide. China, with an area of 9,600,000 km2, is an important part of the global fauna, but only 10 species have been reported from this region to date.

Chinese ichthyurus have historically received little attention from specialists, and even some common species are still unknown in this region. Researchers from Hebei University in Baoding and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing have collected a large amount of Ichthyurus material and discovered dozens of new species that are in the process of being published.

Original research

Lin H, Liu H, Yang X, Yang Y (2024). A new and widely distributed species of Ichthyurus Westwood, 1848 (Cantharidae, Chauliognathinae, Ichthyurini) from China. Biodiversity Data Journal 12: e131829, DOI:10.3897/BDJ.12.e131829

Dlium theDlium

Indian shot (Canna indica)

Puspa midra or Indian shot ( Canna indica ) is is plant species in Cannaceae, annual, shrub 0.5-2.5 meters high, depending on variety, erect stems, unbranched and leaf midrib arranged overlapping to form pseudostems and hermaphrodite flowers. C. indica forms a branched rhizome, 60 cm long which is divided into rounded segments and is covered in two stripes by pale green or purple scaly leaves. The rhizome has tubers that contain very large starch grains. The surface has transverse furrows, the underside appears white roots and numerous shoots. The leaves sit alternate and spiral or arranged in two rows, very large and divided into a leaf midrib, short stalk and blade. The strands are 30-60 cm long, 10-20 cm wide and have linear veins, green or purple-green, the base blunt or narrowly pointed and the apex immediately tapering or sharp. Hermaphrodite flowers, pedicels 0.2-1 cm long and red or yellow-orange, except in some cultivars 4.5-7.5 cm long. The sepals are triangular in shape a...

Guinea grass (Panicum maximum)

Guinea grass or buffalo grass or green panic ( Panicum maximum ) is a plant species in Poaceae, annual grasses, growing upright to form clumps, strong, cultivated in all tropical and subtropical regions for very high value as fodder. P. maximum reproduces in very large pols, fibrous roots penetrate into the soil, upright stems, green, 1-1.5 m tall and have smooth cavities for diameters up to 2.5 mm. Propagation is done vegetatively and generatively. Ribbon-shaped leaves with a pointed tip, very many, built in lines, green, 40-105 cm long, 10-30 mm wide, erect, branched, a white linear bone, often covered with a layer of white wax, rough surface by hair short, dense and spread. The flower grows at the end of a long and upright stalk, open with the main axis length to more than 25 cm and the length of the bunches down to 20 cm. Grains have a size of 3x4 mm and oval. Seeds have a length of 2.25-2.50 mm and each 1 kg contains 1.2 - 1.5 million seeds. Guinea grass has two varieties. P...

Indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia)

Sonokeling or Java palisandre or Indian rosewood ( Dalbergia latifolia ) is a species of plant in the Fabaceae, a large tree producing hardwood, medium weight and high quality, rounded leaves, thin and broad pods, highly adaptive, grows in dry and rocky landscapes with lots of sunlight. D. latifolia has medium to large size, cylindrical stems, up to 40 m high with a ring of up to 2 m, the bark is brownish gray and slightly cracked longitudinally. The crown is dense, dome-shaped and sheds leaves. The leaves are compound and pinnate oddly with 5-7 strands that have different sizes and appear alternately on the shaft. The leaves are round or elongated in width or heart, the upper surface is green and the surface is pale green. The flowers are small, 0.5-1 cm long and clustered in panicles. The pods are green to brown when ripe and are elongated lanceolate, pointed at the base and tip. The pods have 1-4 seeds which are soft and brownish. Indian rosewood grows at elevations below 600 m,...

Dlium