A new species of gnat has been discovered in Bushy Park thanks to the shape of its genitals.
Entomologist Peter Chandler discovered the Grzegorzekia bushyae, or Bushy Gnat, when he spotted it had a different genital structure to the common species of fungus gnat, Grzegorzekia collaris, which was the only previously known species of its kind in the UK.
Mr Chandler found the male genitals of the new Bushy Gnat had a much broader comb of spines than the more common collaris gnats.
He also found the sides of the genitals were narrower and cut away, revealing more of the gnat’s reproductive organ which secretes sperm.
The insects were found in the Waterhouse Woodland Gardens towards the park’s western edge and were confirmed to be a new species, which is also thought to be scarce across Europe.read more
No comments:
Post a Comment