SINGAPORE – Sixteen new species of darkling beetles have been found here after more than two decades of one researcher’s consistent effort in surveying local forests.

Found mostly on decaying trees and foliage within the Central Catchment Nature Reserve and Bukit Timah Nature Reserve at night, the beetles belong to the family Tenebrionidae, a name aptly derived from the Latin word “tenebrae”, meaning “darkness”.

The discovery of 14 of the new darkling beetle species was detailed in two research papers published in May 2024 and November 2024, co-authored by Dr Kiyoshi Ando, a research fellow at Ehime University in Japan, and Dr Cheong Loong Fah, an honorary research associate at NUS’ Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum.

A third paper published in May 2025, authored solely by Dr Cheong, introduced descriptions of the remaining two new species.

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Of the 16 species new to science, 15 are currently known to exist only in Singapore, with one also found in the Malay Peninsula.

Additionally, the papers documented three other species of darkling beetles – previously found in Sumatra, Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula – being recorded in Singapore for the first time.

When asked about the implications of the discovery of these new species, Dr Eunice Tan, a researcher from NUS who studies the arthropods of South-east Asia, told The Straits Times that “the ecological significance of these species is currently unknown, until further research is done to understand how these species interact with the environment”.

Darkling beetles usually feed on dead wood and fungi, but may occasionally consume larvae, moss, and even seaweed and fish carcasses in coastal areas.

Their behavioural patterns may provide clues for coping with climate change associated with global warming and changes in the maintenance behaviour of organisms in tropical cities, said Dr Ando, 75, an expert in the study of the darkling beetles of South-east Asia.

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Agreeing, Dr Cheong added: “They play an important role in a critical ecological process, namely the recycling of nutrients in forests.”

Dr Cheong Loong Fah doing fieldwork.

Confirming a new species is a particularly meticulous process, especially for beetles, which belong to the largest order of living organisms.

With more than 442,000 species of beetles described worldwide, they account for nearly one in every four described living things, Dr Cheong said.

“For invertebrates, new species are, more often than not, not recognised as something new right away – it’s rarely an ‘aha!’ moment in the field,” he added.

Dr Ando said this is even more so for darkling beetles in Singapore, given that modern taxonomic research on the topic has only just begun.

Dr Cheong, who describes himself as an “amateur entomologist”, having started his career outside of entomology, was previously an associate professor at the NUS Faculty of Engineering.

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“Nature-related activities – such as leading walks and conducting surveys – have always been a large part of my life,” he said.

When he began seriously studying beetle fauna in 2000, he realised that, like most of South-east Asia, Singapore suffers from a lack of taxonomic capability to identify insects.

In 2010, he resolved to lay the foundations for the advancement of taxonomic knowledge, and to give more recognition to local natural heritage, by compiling a compendium of local beetle fauna.

Dr Cheong retired from his position in NUS six years ago to devote himself fully to this task.

He began by extensively collecting and examining specimens here, of which he estimates about 10 per cent to 20 per cent could not be properly identified.

Since many taxonomic descriptions of existing species are inadequate, he had to locate and examine the original specimens to accurately compare them with the ones he had collected.

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“In my case, I have visited about 30 museums over many trips, mainly to Europe,” he said.

Dr Cheong consulting with Dr Roman Holynski in Poland, a specialist in jewel beetles.

He later took his specimens to Osaka to seek the expertise of Dr Ando, who has described nearly 600 species of darkling beetles. His first research paper on the darkling beetles was in 1978.

The species were confirmed to be new to science, and Dr Ando co-presented the specimens in the first two research papers published in the scientific journal Elytra, contributing most of the taxonomic descriptions.

Dr Cheong said that while he has not seen any specimens collected elsewhere, it is likely that these beetles may also be found in neighbouring regions, including Sumatra and Peninsular Malaysia.

It is still unclear exactly how many darkling beetle species exist in Singapore.

Dr Cheong has recorded about 330 species in Singapore, while Dr Ando added that with further careful research, the number could double.

Dr Kiyoshi Ando is an expert in the study of the darkling beetles of South-east Asia.

“It is just a reflection of the fact that beetle fauna of this region is very much under-sampled”, and that a significant proportion of the Republic’s biodiversity still remains undocumented, Dr Cheong said.

He aims to feature most of the described species of beetles in Singapore in his book A Guide To Beetles Of Singapore, Vol I Cicindelidae, Carabidae, Tenebrionidae, Chrysomelidae – With Comparisons To The South-east Asian Fauna. It is slated for release at the end of 2025.

The type specimens of the newly described species – key reference specimens used to officially describe and name a species – will not be on display at the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum, as they are typically safeguarded.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction

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