ANCYRONYX JAECHI. The newly discovered spider water beetle species has a unique color pattern and its shield has a distinct shape. Photo courtesy of Hendrik Freitag, PhD
BIOLOGY ASSOCIATE Professor Hendrik Freitag, PhD recently discovered a new species of the spider water beetle in Sri Lanka. The newly discovered species, Ancyronyx jaechi, is native to the Kegalle District of the Sarabaragamuwa province.
The scientific name was dedicated to Manfred Jäch, PhD, a leading coleopterologist from the Vienna National History Museum. The naming of the newly discovered species after Jäch honors his contributions to the study of Ceylonese water beetles and his research on the genus Ancyronyx in general.
I used [his] name because he did this basic work of the spider water beetles. He actually provided the base for the work, although it was some time ago in the 90s,” said Freitag.
The newly discovered species has a unique combination of elytral color patterns and features a distinctly shaped ventral part, or shield.
Freitags paper about the new species was published in the international scientific journal Zootaxa.
Earlier this year, Freitag and his team of researchers also discovered new species of freshwater crabs in Palawan. The discovery was part of the Aqua Palawana Program initiated by Freitag and Jäch.
More about the species
The genus Ancyronyx was previously known to have two species found only in Southeast Asia and North America. The discovery of Freitag has extended the distributional range of the genus to South Asia as well.
“I was on my way to Sri Lanka, one of my first flights from Asia, and I was just sampling there for a day. Then I noticed that there is one [curious species] and I did literature research,” said Freitag when asked how he came to discover the species.
This spider water beetle is the first of its kind coming from the Indian subcontinent.
One of the things that makes the newly discovered spider water beetle different from related species is that Ancyronyx jaechi has colored petals that function as protection for the body.
“They also have an initial cross-like pattern which reminds us of spiders,” said Freitag.
As for future plans, Freitag said that he would continue focusing on this species of the beetle. “There are more samples from Indonesia and we also found a new species in Luzon. I’m going to work on this genus again and I guess you can expect many more species.”
Freitag said that the Philippines, together with a few Indonesian and Malaysian islands, is the actual diversity center of the genus. This means that the “role of the Philippines as a biodiversity hotspot could not be discounted,” he said.
Pride in biodiversity research
The Ateneo Biology Department takes pride in being at the forefront of research on biodiversity and conservation.
“A lot of our researches are centered on these types of field or this particular field in biology (biodiversity),” said Ronald Cruz, an instructor at the Biology Department and moderator of the Ateneo Biological Organization.
“Dr. Freitag’s discovery is something that raises the banner on ecological biodiversity conservation research,” Cruz added. “It’s definitely something to be proud of and something that puts us on the map.”
Cruz said that he is in awe of what Freitag had been able to achieve.
“It’s a sort of dream for most, if not all, biologists to do that [discovering new species],” Cruz said. “So given that Dr. Freitag, a colleague of mine in the department, was able to do this and has been able to do so in several occasionsit’s a point of pride for the department.”
“It’s one thing to say that, but it’s another to have this be [published] in national newspapers and websites. It puts the name of Ateneo out there in terms of leading the way to doing research on biodiversity,” said Cruz.
Cruz shared that to discover new species and study nature while getting to know more about it is something that many of the faculty members of the Biology Department dream of.
Furthering exploration
Freitag said that his research could make way for the Ateneo community to gain a more principal advantage in basic research. “Basic research provides general knowledge, and on this, other theories in science can be based on others’ applied research.”
Cruz said that among the criteria that help determine the rank of the school in the worldwide rankings is the amount of research output the university produces.
“The Ateneo is most recognized for [its] strength in the humanities and social sciences, probably not so much in the natural sciences,” said Cruz. “But here, we can see that we have a member of the faculty leading the way in [research] on biodiversity, so definitely that’s a good thing.”
Biology major Noreen Mendoza learned about Freitag’s discovery through social networking sites. “Hearing about it, I felt proud to be a part of the biology community of the Ateneo and was in awe that he was able to discover a new species again.”
Mendoza added that Freitag’s discovery showed that “biologists do not only teach what they learn from books and theories but they also explore the world outside.”
She said that it is good that the Biology Department keeps up with the latest developments in the field of biology. “This discovery helps in showing the Ateneo community that the Biology Department is dynamic,” she commented.
“Also, this can encourage incoming college students to take an interest in the Biology Department of the Ateneo because teachers do not only go by the book, but also explore the world out there where the science of life actually presents itself.
