The Guangdong Shimentai National Nature Reserve has recorded Cheirotonus jansoni (Yang's giant armored beetle) for the first time, highlighting the reserve's ecological conservation achievements.
At 5:21 p.m. on September 10, a forest ranger conducting routine patrols along Township Road 456 spotted a large beetle clinging to a tree trunk at an elevation of 128.4 meters. Its pronotum shimmered with a brilliant copper-green metallic luster, and its elongated forelegs stood out immediately.
Based on years of field experience, the ranger realized the insect was unusual. Without disturbing it, he photographed it and reported the sighting to the management station.
After comparing the photos and noting the beetle's signature long forelegs and metallic shell, staff initially identified it as Yang's giant armored beetle. The case was then reported to the reserve's publicity and education department. Following preliminary screening and professional identification by experts from the College of Forestry and Landscape Architecture at South China Agricultural University, the species was confirmed as Cheirotonus jansoni, a national second-class key protected wild animal. This marks the first record of the species in the reserve.
Cheirotonus jansoni is a large long-armed scarab beetle native to southern China and a national second-class key protected wild animal in China. Belonging to the order Coleoptera and the family Euchiridae, it is known as the "giant panda of the insect world" and the "long-armed hero." The individual found was male, characterized by forelegs far exceeding its body length that are used in courtship, combat and mating. Its shell shifts between green and copper hues under light, with orange-yellow markings along the edges of its elytra, making it highly recognizable.
The species has strict habitat requirements, depending on intact evergreen broad-leaved forests with minimal human disturbance. Its larvae rely on decaying wood and humus in the forest to complete their development. Due to habitat destruction, wild populations once became extremely rare and were even considered extinct in the wild before being rediscovered in some areas. Its appearance in the Shimentai reserve fully demonstrates that the reserve's native forest ecosystem remains intact and stable, providing suitable habitat for rare insects to survive and reproduce.
The reserve management authority reminds the public that Cheirotonus jansoni is a national second-class key protected wild animal. If encountered in the wild, it should not be captured, harmed or taken home for breeding. Observers should keep their distance, take photos without disturbing it and contact local forestry authorities if an injured individual is found.
Author | Jiang Chang
Photos | Guangdong Shimentai National Nature Reserve
