New insect found in South China Sea
Chinese researchers have discovered a new species of marine insect from the Hermatobatidae family in the Xisha Islands in the South China Sea, marking the first time the insect was recorded in China.
Researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University said the insect, with a body length of 3 to 4 millimeters, lives on the surface of the ocean and sometimes hides in the tiny holes of coral and eats small arthropods.
Compared with previously known Hermatobatidae species, the researchers found significant differences and identified it as a new species, increasing the number of Hermatobatidae family members from 12 to 13.
The newly found species was named “H. lingyangjiaoensis Luo, Chen & Wang, 2019” as specimens were only found on the Antelope Reef (lingyangjiao) in the Xisha Islands.
The study has been published in the journal Zootaxa.
The researchers said it is the first time that Chinese scientists have named a new species of animals after a single island reef in the South China Sea.