Four species of ant-like flower beetles lost to science for 67 years rediscovered

Four species of ant-like flower beetles (Anthicidae) collected on our expedition to the Makira Forest Protected Area (MFPA) in 2022, have been redescribed by Dr Dmitry Telnov of the British Museum of Natural History. These include Sapintus acuminatus, Sapintus mdeiodilatatus, Sapintus discidens and Sapintus vagenigronotatus, all of which were last observed in 1958.

The material collected on our expedition supported this first comprehensive annotated checklist of the Anthicidae beetle family for Madagascar and comprises 117 species and subspecies. Seven species new to science are described, one of which Dr Telnov named Macratria durrelli, "after Gerald M. Durrell, the famous British conservationist, naturalist and writer to celebrate his 100th anniversary, who one of the first raised public awareness to the need of preserving of Madagascar’s endemic wildlife". Further analysis by Dr Telnov suggest that over 80% of the Anthicidae species found in Madagascar are endemic to the island, and are found nowhere else on the planet. This is one of the highest known endemism rates for invertebrate taxa on the island, and cements Madagascar as an island of exceptional biodiversity and endemic insular species.

Images courtesy of: Telnov, D., 2025, September. Anthicidae (Coleoptera) of Madagascar: The Faunal Composition, New Descriptions, Rediscoveries, and an Annotated Checklist. In Annales Zoologici (Vol. 75, No. 3, pp. 657-709). Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences.