New species of insect found in China has wingspan of more than 8 inches
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A newly discovered member of the Megaloptera family has been found that could be the largest aquatic insect in the world.
It was found on a mountain in Chengdu, Sichuan province in China.
The mysterious specimen of which little is known has a wingspan of 8.3 inches (21 centimetres).
No thanks: This photo from the Insect Museum of West China shows the largest aquatic insect ever found, discovered recently in a mountain of Chengdu. When they are larvae they spend a lot of time out of sight in the water, only leaving when they pupate and they become adults. They can be found in or near lakes and ponds
The family of Megaloptera includes about 300 species of fishflies, dobsonflies and alderflies.
The name Megaloptera describes that insects have large (megal) wings (ptera) compared to their bodies
This insect, of the order Megaloptera, has a wingspan of a whopping 8.3 inches (21 centimeters), making it the largest aquatic insect in the world
And this latest find is no exception, dwarfing other such insects of the order.
According to Scientific American members of the Megaloptera family are not well known.
When they are larvae they spend a lot of time out of sight in the water, only leaving when they pupate and they become adults.
They can be found in or near a variety of wet environments including ponds, lakes and swamps.
The huge mandibles at the front of the insect, meanwhile, are not used for eating but rather to attract females and hold them in place during mating.
The species is also known for its ferocious bite, which can break human skin.
Megaloptera insects typically live for only a few days as adults, so many will spend there few days of adulthood mating, producing new larvae to grow underwater.
With a wingspan 8.3 inches (21 centimetres), this species breaks the previous record holder for largest aquatic insect, the South American helicopter damselfly, which has a wingspan of 7.5 inches (19 centimetres).
The insect was found on a mountain near Chengdu, Sichuan province in China (shown)
The huge mandibles at the front of the insect, shown, are not used for eating but rather to attract females and hold them in place during mating. The females of the species are also known for their ferocious bite, which can break human skin. Megaloptera insects typically live for only a few days as adults
FROM BIG TO SMALL... TINY SPECIES OF WASP DISCOVERED
A scientist discovered a new species of wasp less than a millimetre long living in a tree in his son's school playground.
Dr Andrew Polaszek, an insect expert at London's Natural History Museum, found the wasp inside whiteflies on a maple tree.
He said: 'I noticed some of the whiteflies looked slightly different to the others so I took them to the laboratory. When I saw the wasp inside I knew it looked different to anything I'd seen before.'
Dr Polaszek, 54, made the discovery five years ago at Sevenoaks Primary School in Kent, where his son Timothy was a pupil.
But rigorous tests to establish the wasp as a new species – named Encarsia harrisoni – have only just been completed.
The wasp, which Dr Polaszek named after fellow Sevenoaks scientist Dr David Harrison, is a parasitoid, meaning it lays its eggs inside other insects.
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