When imagining the discovery of a new species, most people conjure thoughts of intrepid explorers, battling the odds in remote rainforests. But this needn't be the case, at least according…
Recent expeditions by the Chinese Academy of Science’s Institute of Zoology to the Yunnan Province of China have uncovered the existence of a new species of long-horned beetle. This newly…
In a single paper, a team of researchers have succinctly described 101 new species of weevils from New Guinea, more than doubling the known species in the beetle genus, Trigonopterus.…
Whitebark pine stand. Photo by: Richard Sniezko/U.S. Forest Service. In the western U.S., few trees generally grow in higher altitudes than the whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis). Providing shelter and food…
Although they live in almost every ecosystem in the world—from your backyard to the Antarctic—scientists know very little about many insect species, including many individual species' distribution. A new study…
The map depicts the relative concentration of aerosols from wildlife smoke in the skies above the continental U.S. on June 26, 2012. Image by: NASA. A noted climate scientist says…
Pristine coastal vegetation: Misool island, Raja Ampat. Photo by: Dimtry Telnov, 2009. Entomologist Dmitry Telnov hopes his new pet project will inspire and disseminate research about one of the world's…
Jewel beetle named, Castiarina shelleybarkerim is only known by a single specimen from Aseki. Photo by: U.Nylander. Over the past two decades, at least 24 new beetles species have been…
Re-examining beetle specimens from 19 museums has led to the discovery of 84 new beetle species in the Macratria genus. The new species span the islands of Indonesia, New Guinea,…
New research in the Journal of Applied Ecology shows that some ground beetles help farmers in the UK by devouring weed seeds before they can sprout. The researchers say the…
Eupholus schoenherri weevil near Manokwari in West Papua. Photo by Rhett Butler (2010). New Guinea is home to some of the world's most unusually colored weevil species. This particular species,…
Philanthaxia jakli (left) is from Sumatra and Philanthaxia chalcogenoides (right) is from Borneo. Philanthaxia lombokana (not pictured) is from Lombok and Philanthaxia pseudoaenea (not pictured) is from Thailand. Photo by:…
In the cloud forests and grasslands of India's Western Ghats, known as sholas, researchers have for the first time comprehensively studied the inhabiting dung beetle populations. The resulting study in…
As conservationists attempt to find the best way to re-establish forests in abandoned areas, a new study in the open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science compares the impacts on bess beetles…
75 percent of birds and dung beetles remain even after a forest is logged twice. A new study in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B finds that forests which…
Conservation biology needs to be accessible to the masses Conservation biology needs to be accessible to the masses Are we doomed to repeat our mistakes in Conservation Biology? mongabay.com May…
Ladybugs ruin good wine Ladybugs ruin good wine Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com March 26, 2007 Secretions by ladybugs can taint the aroma and flavor of otherwise perfectly good wine, but…
Invasive species is pestering Europe's rich Invasive species is pestering Europe's rich mongabay.com March 24, 2007 An invasive species is causing mounting concern among rich Europeans according to an article…
Biomimicry of beetle could produce whiter teeth Biomimicry of white beetle could produce whiter teeth Rhett A. Butler, mongabay.com January 18, 2007 A pure white beetle found in the forests…
Beetle biomimicry could allow robots to climb vertical glass walls Beetle biomimicry could allow robots to climb vertical glass walls mongabay.com November 3, 2006 Researchers at Max Planck Institute for…
Higher oxygen levels could produce monster insects Higher oxygen levels could produce monster insects mongabay.com October 10, 2006 Higher concentrations of oxygen could produce giant insects according to a paper…