Fourteen insect species were found in northwest China's Qilian Mountain National Park for the first time as the first insect survey in the park's Qinghai section was completed. Ten other species were recorded for the first time in China. 

Qilian Mountain, located on the border of the provinces of Gansu and Qinghai, is considered a vital shield for ecological security in the western part of China. 

It is reported that the survey lasted for three years, and involved a total of 55 survey transects and 55 sample points, basically covering all habitat types in the Qinghai area of ​​Qilian Mountain National Park, such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, farmlands, towns, deserts, bare rocks and others.

According to staff at the Qinghai Provincial Administration of Qilian Mountain National Park, a total of 679 species of insects and arachnids in the Qinghai area of ​​Qilian Mountain National Park were recorded. 

Among them, 14 new species were found in the world, including Chinaocerus dentatus, Cylindroeme shii and Limnephilus deqianensis; 10 species were newly recorded in China, including Deleaster bactrianus, Chaetopodella scutellaris, Borophaga femorata, and Tenthredo olivacea; 228 species were newly recorded in Qinghai Province, accounting for 33.58 percent of the total species found. 

The survey results have greatly enriched the distribution records and databases related to insects and arachnids in Qinghai Province, China and the world, and provided first-hand basic data for the precise protection of the biodiversity in Qilian Mountain National Park.

(Cover image via CFP)

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