Trigonopterus corona

Trigonopterus corona is a new species of beetle. It was discovered in Sulawesi, an Indonesian island. It was discovered in October 2021. Earlier, in April 2021, a new species of caddisfly was named after corona virus. It was called the Potamophylax coronavirus.

About Trigonopterus corona

The scientist was studying about the Trigonopterus genus for more than 15 years. The COVID-19 pandemic delayed his study and research. Thus, the researcher named the bug after the virus. It measures two to three milli meter in length.  The Trigonopterus corona are wingless. They are highly isolated in habitats. The Trigonopterus is a hyper diverse genus. However, currently, there are 132 species of Trigonopterus in Indonesia. This is a mere fraction as compared to the biodiversity of the region. It is also present in Indo-Melanesian-Australian archipelago. They are often called flour bugs. This is because, they are frequently found in flour. The Trigonopterus originated in Northern Australia. Later, they diversified in New Guinea. And after that they colonized in Sulawesi, Indonesia. Also, they further dispersed to Sundaland. Sundaland is located in south-east Asia.