The animal ecology team of Dali University discovers a new record family of insects in China, the family Snowscorpionidae_Guangming.com

China News Service, Dali, November 12 (Jia Liangjie and Wang Jishen) Dali University announced on the 12th that recently, the research team of Dr. Wang Jishen of the animal ecology team of the School of Agricultural and Biological Sciences discovered a new record of Chinese insects in the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region – Snow Scorpionidae. This is a type of tiny long-winged insect. Its adult wings are strongly degraded and cannot be used for flight. It can jump with its slender middle and hind legs. Both adults and larvae feed on moss.

The picture shows an adult snow scorpion fly in Altai. Photo courtesy of Dali University

Snow scorpion flies are named because their adults are active in cold winters. Their ability to survive in low temperatures makes them an ideal subject for studying the adaptability of organisms to extreme ecological environments. In addition, snow scorpion flies and Fleas (fleas) may have a certain genetic relationship. The two may have originated from a common ancestor in ancient times, which is of great value in in-depth exploration of the evolutionary relationship of insect systems. Previously, this group of insects has been reported to be distributed in Europe, Asia, northern North America and high-altitude areas, but there is no record of its distribution in China.

The picture shows the Altai snow scorpion fly larvae. Photo courtesy of Dali University

The animal ecology team Wang Jishen’s research team discovered three species of snow scorpion flies in Xinjiang this time, namely the Altai snow scorpion fly, the Belvedere snow scorpion fly and the Ili snow scorpion fly. They carried out a series of morphological studies on these snow scorpion flies. Biological studies provide detailed information on juvenile morphology, mating behavior, and more. This achievement has increased the number of known Mecoptera insect families in China from three to four, and at the same time further strengthened the academic community’s understanding of insect diversity and geographical divisions in Central Asia.

Relevant results will be published in the international entomology journal “Indochina Entomologist” in November 2024. (over)

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责编：王宏泽 ]