41 years after being extinct, this "long-armed warrior" is expected to return

It looks like a large scarab beetle, but it feels much more luxurious because its body is dark green and exudes a metallic luster, and its forelimbs are unusually slender, much longer than scarab beetles. Recently, the "scarab beetle" has appeared frequently in Jing'an, Fuliang, Wuyuan and other places in Jiangxi, attracting attention.

According to relevant information and experts, the "beetle" is actually a species unique to China - the Yangcai Arm Beetle, which is a national second-level key protected wild animal and a rare insect on the World Conservation Union's Red List of Endangered Species.

The forelimbs of the "Long-armed Warrior" are longer than the body

Yangcai Arm Beetle, also known as Yang Long Arm Beetle, Yang Chang, Yang Cai, belongs to the family of Brachiochaetidae and the genus of Brachiochaete. Its body length is generally about 69 mm, its body width is about 40 mm, and its weight is about 40 grams. It is undoubtedly ranked among the large beetles, especially its forelimbs that exceed the body length and can reach 103 mm, which is a unique feature. At the same time, due to its long oval shape and the peculiar shape of the back strength arc, it is more majestic, so it is known as the "Long Arm Warrior". Yangcai Arm Beetle has a narrow distribution range and is only distributed in Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan and other places. Their most ideal ecological environment is in evergreen broad-leaved forests. They usually live in tropical rain forests at an altitude of about 990 meters and feed on rotten wood.
It was declared extinct in 1982.

The reproduction of the golden arm beetle is to lay eggs in rotten debris. The reproduction capacity is relatively weak, and the requirements for the habitat are particularly high. In addition, the distribution area is relatively narrow, resulting in a relatively small population overall. Especially since the 20th century, due to the excessive exploitation of forest resources by humans, the forest environment on which they depend for survival has been seriously damaged, making the process of life continuation more difficult. In recent years, with the acceleration of urbanization, a variety of new lighting sources, especially some light sources extending into the forest, have been added. Every night, they illuminate the dark forest that was once only starlight and moonlight, which has brought great harm to the golden arm beetle. This is also an important reason for the reduction in their number. Because the golden arm beetle is phototactic, this habit drives it to crawl towards the light, but it does not know that there is a dangerous road ahead, and it often goes there without returning. Because the strong lighting used at construction sites at night will "guide" them to crawl towards the light, this behavior is called "exposure". And "exposure" is actually suicide. Due to many factors, the Yangcai Arm Beetle has not been found since the 1970s. In 1982, my country declared it extinct.

Improvement of habitat ecological environment helps "return"

In September 2004, the Jiangxi Provincial Field Expedition Team accidentally discovered a population of the golden arm beetle in Guanshan Nature Reserve and successfully collected 23 eggs and 2 newly hatched larvae. This indicates that there is still hope for them to "return". After that, six years later, in July 2010, the golden arm beetle was discovered again, but only one, in the Daiyunshan National Nature Reserve in Fujian. In 2011, one was found in Jiulianshan, Jiangxi, Shangrao and Leigongshan, Guizhou, respectively, and Jiulianshan was the first time it was found in history. Since 2015, there have been records of golden arm beetles being found every year for eight consecutive years, and the frequency is increasing. The reason for this is mainly related to the improvement of the ecological environment of their habitats, especially the significant effect of nature reserves. Most of the golden arm beetles found several times are in protected areas, which is a good example. In addition, the increasing public awareness of protecting wild animals is also an important reason. It is understood that there are only 10 species of the genus Scarab beetle recorded in the world, and there are 7 species in my country, namely, the Yang Scarab beetle, the Fujian long-armed scarab beetle, the Taiwan long-armed scarab beetle, the Indian long-armed scarab beetle, the Zhaozhuan long-armed scarab beetle, the Vietnamese scarab beetle, and the Ge Scarab beetle.