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Up to 20 million insect species: Finding redefines terrestrial biodiversity
🇬🇹 Guatemala /Environment & Climate

Up to 20 million insect species: Finding redefines terrestrial biodiversity

From Prensa Libre · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • A new study suggests there could be up to 20 million insect species on Earth, significantly higher than the previous estimate of six million.
  • The research, led by Cornell University and published in PNAS, used DNA barcoding and statistical methods on tropical insects.
  • This finding has profound implications for understanding biodiversity and highlights the potential for many undiscovered species to be declining.

A groundbreaking study, spearheaded by Cornell University and published in the journal PNAS, suggests the number of insect species on Earth may be as high as 20 million, a dramatic increase from the long-held estimate of six million.

This new estimation is based on extensive genetic data from 1.6 million individual tropical insects and a detailed census of a diverse group of parasitoid wasps in Costa Rica's Guanacaste Conservation Area. Scientists employed DNA barcoding, a rapid method for identifying biological species, combined with statistical analysis to revise the lower limit of the global insect species count.

Our results point to a great number of undescribed insects, meaning those that do not yet have a name.

— Rodrigo GuzmánLead author of the study, discussing the implications of the new findings on insect species.

The research team also utilized data from microgastrine wasps, including specimens bred from parasitized caterpillars, to refine estimates of species richness in the region. The study's lead author, Dr. Rodrigo Guzmán, stated that the results point to a vast number of undescribed insects – species that have yet to be formally named and characterized.

This significantly higher estimate carries profound implications for our understanding of Earth's biodiversity and its future. It comes at a time when recent reports have warned of a global insect die-off, often termed the 'insect apocalypse,' driven by human activities. The new findings underscore the urgency of conservation efforts, as many insect species may be declining before they are even discovered.

There could be many species in decline that we have not even discovered.

— Rodrigo GuzmánLead author of the study, highlighting the potential loss of unknown insect species.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Prensa Libre in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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