Scientists have described 61 new species of beetles

The study was carried out by experts from the Natural History Museum of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen together with colleagues from other scientific organisations. The work was published in the journal Insect Systematics and Diversity and was the first comprehensive revision of the genus Platydracus for the fauna of China. In total, the researchers accounted for more than 100 species, of which more than half were new to science.

Details

Platydracus is a genus of beetles in the family Staphylinidae. Representatives of this group are often called staphylinid beetles or short-winged beetles: their elytra are shortened, so the body looks elongated and the back part of the abdomen remains open.

In the new work, the scientists revisited Chinese members of the genus. They studied old descriptions, museum specimens, new collections and signs of external structure. As a result, the researchers confirmed 102 species known for China and pointed out 6 more species from neighbouring countries that are very likely to occur in the Chinese fauna too.

The most notable part of the work is the description of 61 new species. Some of these beetles have been collected recently, others may have been in collections for years but have not been correctly identified. This is a common situation in systematics: an organism has already been found, but until a specialist compares it with close species and describes it formally, it remains "invisible" to science.

The researchers used not only the classical comparison of external structure, but also DNA barcoding. This is a method in which a small section of DNA helps to distinguish close species from each other. This approach is especially important when beetles are very similar in appearance or, conversely, the same species varies greatly in colouration and shape in different populations.

The work has also corrected some old errors. Many species have been described in the past by one or a few specimens, without detailed data on distribution, variability and lifestyle. Now that researchers have more material and modern methods, such old definitions can be checked again.

Why it matters

The news isn't just important for beetle enthusiasts. It shows the scale of the gaps in knowledge about biodiversity. While even large and colourful insects may remain unknown, there are probably many more small, secretive or poorly understood species in nature.

For conservation, this is fundamental. A species cannot be protected if it has not even been described and has no scientific name. Without such basic work, it is impossible to understand exactly which species live in the region, which ones are rare, where their range boundaries are and which habitats are particularly important.

The authors attribute this to the so-called "Linnaean deficit" - the gap between the actual number of species on the planet and the number of species that have already been formally described. In the case of staphylinids, this gap is particularly large: around 70,000 species are known worldwide, but researchers estimate that this may be only 20-25% of their true diversity.

Background

Insects are the most diverse group of animals on Earth. About 925,000 species of insects have been described, but scientists estimate that the real number may exceed five million. Therefore, new species are found not only in tropical forests or inaccessible mountains, but also in museum boxes where specimens may have been stored for decades.

Taxonomy - the science of describing and classifying species - often looks slow and unremarkable, but it is the science that creates the map of the living world. Without it, it is impossible to talk about biodiversity loss, ecosystem change and human impact on nature.

China and Southeast Asia are among the regions with very high biodiversity. The new revision of Platydracus provides a basis for future research: scientists now have a more accurate species list against which to compare new findings and refine the distribution of the beetles.

Source

Qing-Hao Zhao, Aslak Kappel Hansen, Adam Brunke, Liang Tang, Alexey Solodovnikov, "Integrative taxonomic revision of the rove beetle genus Platydracus of the Chinese fauna (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae, Staphylininae)", Insect Systematics and Diversity, 2026. DOI: 10.1093/isd/ixag003. The article was published on 13 May 2026.

In the study, the authors conducted the first comprehensive revision of the genus Platydracus in China. They combined classical study of external structure with DNA barcoding, confirmed more than 100 species and described 61 new species.