For the first time in the world, the larva of a wild Cheirotonus jansoni, a long-armed beetle species, was found in Chengdu City of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

A local root carving craftsman discovered the curled-up egg-sized worm when he cut open a tree trunk.

The discovery unveiled a mystery about the largest beetle in China as scientists used to believe that the larva lived underground.

The rare insect in under second-class state protection in China. An adult could reach over eight centimeters in body length. 

The larva will be kept in a museum for a few months and sent back to the wild once it reaches adulthood.

(Video provided by the Insect Museum of West China in Chengdu, cover image via VCG)

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