Unknown insect found in Natural History Museum garden
Plane tree bug from Natural History Museum garden. @Natural History Museum
The small almond-shaped bug was first seen in March 2007 on the seeds of some of the plane trees that grow in the Museum grounds. It increased in numbers so quickly that by August 2007 it was the most common insect in the Wildlife Garden. It has also been spotted in Regent's Park and Gray's Inn in London. The bug appears to be harmless, but there is potential for it to spread throughout the UK.
National Insect Collection
The Museum holds the national insect collection, which totals over 28 million specimens, but there is no exact match for this new bug. It closely resembles the rare species Arocatus roeselii, usually found in central Europe. However, the roeselii bugs are brighter red than this bug and they are usually associated with alder trees rather than plane trees. The National Museum in Prague discovered an exact match to the mystery bug in their collections - an insect that was found in Nice and was also been classified as Arocatus roeselii.
The Entomology Department
The Entomology Department is one of six science departments at the Natural History Museum. The Entomology collections amount to 28 million specimens stored in 140,000 drawers. Scientists in the department study insects and other terrestrial arthropods, including spiders and mites in a wide range of research projects across the world.
Two possibilities
Max Barclay, insect expert at the Museums says, ‘It seems strange that so many of these bugs should suddenly
appear. There are two possible explanations - that the bug is roeselii and by switching to feed on the plane trees it could suddenly become more abundant, successful and invasive. The other possibility is that the insect in our grounds may not be roeselii at all.'
DNA testing
The Museum will be working with international colleagues to analyse the bug's body shape, form and DNA to see whether it is a newly discovered species or if it is in fact Arocatus roeselii.
Insect ID
Scientists at the Natural History Museum have established the first ever freely accessibly online insect identification gallery featuring photographs from members of the public and any questions can be addressed in the bug forum and discussed with other enthusiasts www.nhm.ac.uk/identify-bugs
Max Barclay further commented, ‘With international trade and climate change, several new insects are showing up in London every year. Some of the invaders come from southern Europe, but others are from as far away as Australia The fauna of the city is changing all the time now.'
