Scientists Have Discovered a Bizarre New Species of Scorpionflies
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Loading... - Martina Pino
- 23 Jan 2023
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An entomologist has identified a new species of large insect from Nepal with odd genitalia.
Zoologist Professor Rainer Willmann, previously the head of the Zoological Museum at the University of Göttingen, has identified and classified a new genus of scorpionflies from Nepal, naming it “Lulilan.” His findings have been published in the journal Contributions to Entomology.
“The appearance of the newly discovered scorpionflies could hardly be more bizarre,” says Willmann. The males have a spindly, extremely elongated abdomen, at the end of which is a large organ – with long, grasping pincers – for mating. The insects have a body length of more than three centimeters, meaning they are particularly large. The insects were captured by the Mainz zoologist Professor Jochen Martens and his colleague from Stuttgart Dr. Wolfgang Schawaller. Until now, only one such species was known and that was discovered exactly 200 years ago. Read More…
