Globalization brings new species of beetles to Romania

A joint team of entomologists from Romania and Italy discovered five new species of beetles on Romanian territory

Daniel Onea, 28.02.2025, 13:18

A joint team of entomologists from Romania and Italy discovered, during recent expeditions, five new species of beetles on Romanian territory. It is essential that their monitoring continues and that research is intensified in order to identify new species arriving on Romanian territory as a result of the globalization process in a timely manner.

Andreea Cătălina Drăghici is the author of the work that aimed to catalog the species of the Coleoptera order in Romania. She is also a museographer at the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History. To begin with, let’s learn about the context of the discovery.

“Coleoptera are insect species, generally speaking, of particular importance for nature and the ecosystem. The benefits are multiple and, anyway, we know that we live in the Anthropocene era, we know about the accelerated decline of biodiversity, but, in this context, I would mention global changes, the phenomenon of urbanization, but also globalization in the context of international trade. In our study, we observed that five species of beetles arrived in Romania due to this international trade. Our species of beetles are called non-native, or allogeneic, because they are opportunistic species. They live alongside human activity, they accompany humans. Also, urban areas, cities, port areas, customs areas are also called hot spots of introduction.”

That is why three of the five species discovered were found in Dobrogea, continues Andreea Cătălina Drăghici, who emphasizes the importance of knowing about new species of beetles.

“It is an arid, steppe area, suitable for these non-native species, because they usually prefer higher temperatures. Hence the port area as an area of introduction in our country. These species are particularly important to know. The scientific community approaches them with great attention, but they also need to be known at the level of the entire population, because they are approached especially from the point of view of the economic impact, but also on the impact on health. They can alter food, and there are examples where we find such non-native species, for example, even in the cornmeal in the kitchen. However, there is also an impact on biodiversity, because they disrupt biodiversity in local ecosystems. This impact on biodiversity is more difficult to demonstrate, because it requires more elaborate studies. However, there is a genetic impact through the possibility of hybridizing with native species. There may be phenomena of competition or displacement of native populations. At the moment it has not been proven, but there is a possibility that it could lead to the disappearance of native species.”

The study on beetle species was carried out by an international team, based on a European regulation on the prevention and management of the introduction and spread of invasive alien species.

“It was only in 2022 that a national list was created, which mentions 52 species of alien or non-native beetles. Thus, we became aware of the opportunity to bring in other species. That is why we have discovered five new species and, certainly, there are other species. It is very difficult to carry out national monitoring, which involves a great deal of financial and human effort. These five species that we discovered were through unintentional collection. So these unintentional collections are still of great importance, until more elaborate monitoring mechanisms are developed at the national level. So, among the five new species is Cis chinensis. We identified it right in Bucharest, so we can find new species even in the city. Maybe we imagine that species are hidden in more isolated areas, and we found this species in fungi, that is, in some mushrooms on a tree. It is the American maple, originating in China. In addition to these five new species that are mentioned for the Romanian fauna, we also added additions to 19 other species of beetles that had poor distribution data, meaning they were known to exist in the Romanian fauna, but their distribution was not so well established. Therefore, we updated their distribution, and I think it is also very important for them.”

Romania has an impressive diversity of insects due to its varied climate and diverse ecosystems. In this context, several insect species have been reported in recent decades, causing economic, ecological and agricultural problems. They were introduced accidentally, most often through international trade in plants, fruits or wood. Monitoring and control measures are essential to limit their negative impact. However, there is no reason to worry about the newly discovered species, says Andreea Cătălina Drăghici, museographer at the “Grigore Antipa” National Museum of Natural History.

“We must clearly mention that not all new or non-native species also become invasive. In order to become invasive, that is, to spread very widely and to be in very large numbers, it is necessary to go through several rather difficult steps. Then, anyway, very few species that enter our country end up being invasive, because they need to have climate conditions, that is, it must be a warm area, they need sufficient food, so, a very small number of the species that come end up becoming invasive. I would like to mention Citizen Science, a platform that helps researchers a lot, especially since there are relatively few researchers in our field in Romania. The field of cockroaches is less addressed, because their identification is difficult, they are very small, and their characters are very similar. However, from here, our understanding of the importance of providing information in an easily accessible format, and especially people’s access to this scientific information about invasive species and public awareness of this issue in Romania. This awareness is currently quite low at the level of Romania.”

Citizen Science is a form of public participation in research projects through which citizens are involved in different stages of the scientific research process. This involvement can range from being better informed about science, its results and its impact on society at large, to participating in the scientific process itself. Citizens can collect and analyze data, and even fund some scientific research projects.