A New Beetle Species Emerges from a Busy Megacity

Metro Manila, the world's 10th largest megacity and 6th largest conurbation, based on official statistics -- is not a place one would normally expect to discover new species, even in a country that is known as a biodiversity hotspot.

in a 83-hectare green island amidst the unnatural ocean of countless human-made edifices, researchers of the Ateneo de Manila University have discovered a tiny new species of aquatic beetle, aptly named Hydraena ateneo. It was named after the University, a 154-year-old Jesuit-run institution that is recognized as one of the premier universities in the Philippines and in the region. The international open access scientific journal Zookeys has published the paper about the unusual discovery in its latest issue [329: 9 (2013)]. The publication of the fact is just timely, given that the university's Department of Biology is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

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Source: www.sciencedaily.com