In wildlife news, the Philippines’ record of 21,000 insect species has seen two new recent additions. Researchers in Mindanao discovered two new insect species, a beetle and a pygmy grasshopper, in Mindanao’s key biodiversity areas.
Dr. Victor B. Amoroso and Dr. Alma B. Mohagan from the Center for Biodiversity Research and Extension in Mindanao (CEBREM) in Central Mindanao University, along with their team of researchers, made the discovery at Mt. Hamiguitan Wildlife Sanctuary in Davao Oriental, and Mt. Malambo at the Marilog District in Davao.
Researchers found the new beetle species at the Mt. Hamiguitan sanctuary, which belonged to the insect order Coleoptera and was given the scientific name Metapocyrtus bronsi — taken after the Mandaya word bronsi or bronze, a color that can be found on the beetle’s surface.
Meanwhile, the pygmy grasshopper, Tegotettix derijei, was discovered in the Marilog Forest Reserve, Davao City. Horned and spiky, the T. derijei is considered a peculiar new pygmy grasshopper species in Mindanao.
The discoveries were made possible through research programs funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
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