Caught a new bug
ABritish scientist has discovered a new species of insect while exploring the Ugandan rainforest. Dr Alvin Helden made the astonishing find during field work with students in the Kibale National Park – and knew it was a first because of its strange testicles.
The bug is a member of the leafhopper family and belongs to a group so rare its closest relative was last seen in 1969 in another country.
Dr Helden, of Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, has named the insect Phlogis Kibalensis. It is just over 2.5in long with a body that has a metallic sheen.
Dr Helden realised it was a major find after a microscope revealed its unusual leaf-shaped genitals. He said: “To find this new species is a once-ina-lifetime achievement. I knew it was something very special as soon as I spotted it.”
But he warned time is running out for similar discoveries. “Rare species could be living anywhere, but deforestation means it is inevitable we will be losing species before we have discovered them.”