This Newly Discovered Fluffy Beetle Is Cuter’n A Bug’s Ear

Serendipitous discovery of a new longhorn beetle species that was almost mistaken for a bird poop on a leaf

A University of Queensland researcher discovered the fluffy beetle on a leaf in the Gold Coast rainforest. (Credit: James Tweed)

A PhD student at the University of Queensland recently discovered a new genus of longhorn beetle whilst camping in an ancient rainforest on Australia’s Gold Coast.

“I was walking through the campsite at Binna Burra Lodge one morning and something on a Lomandra leaf caught my eye,” said discoverer, entomologist James Tweed, in a statement.