MEMPHIS, Tenn. — University of Memphis researchers announced Monday the rediscovery of a beetle after believing it had been extinct.
According to University of Memphis Professor Dr. Duane McKenna and doctoral candidate Michael Charles, the greater chesnut weevil is a species of beetle believed to have gone extinct with the near extinction of the American chestnut tree due to introduced plant pathogens in the early 20th century.
According to Charles, the last known observation of the weevil was in 1997.
“For decades, the greater chestnut weevil was considered a classic example of coextinction — the loss of dependent species due to the decline of their hosts,” said McKenna,director of the University of Memphis Center for Biodiversity Research (CBio). “Its rediscovery is a rare piece of good news in the broader biodiversity crisis, and a reminder that we have only a brief window to find and protect species that are quietly slipping toward extinction.”…