Keeping beetles as pets in Taiwan

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Taiwan's Beetle Mania

The study of entomology requires perseverance and an eye for detail. (Photo

by Huang Chung-hsin)

*Publication Date¡§11/01/2007

Byline¡§ZOE CHENG*

 

*A surge of interest in beetles among Taiwanese children coincides with a

spurt of scientific activity relating to the " sheathed-wing " insects.*

 

Beginning about three years ago, pet stores in Taiwan started allocating

more space in display windows and in their shops for creatures that most

Taiwanese hadn't previously considered to be pets. Where passersby once saw

guinea pigs or kittens, they could now peer bemusedly at rhinoceros or stag

beetles. And they don't just look: Rare is the pre-adolescent child in

Taiwan who has not either kept a beetle as a pet, played beetle-related

video games, traded beetle-themed cards or watched the enormously popular

Japanese cartoon, The King of Beetles.

 

Rhinoceros beetles, stag beetles and fireflies are the most popular species

among Taiwanese children. According to Yang Ping-shih, professor of

entomology at National Taiwan University (NTU), total annual sales of

beetles and beetle-related products, including food, games and toys, exceeds

NT$3 billion (US$900 million) in Taiwan. According to a recent news report,

a whopping NT$117 million (US$3.5 million) worth of beetle-themed cards used

in tandem with video games have been sold in Taiwan since 2004.

 

Beetles, which comprise the order Coleoptera (Greek meaning sheath-winged),

make up 40 percent of all species of insects on the planet. Taiwan's

geographical location and topographic features make it an excellent home for

beetles; the island harbors an extraordinary diversity of sheath-winged

insects. Some 6,210 species have been identified and catalogued. This is

about a quarter of the beetle species identified so far in North America,

which boasts nearly 700 times the area of Taiwan.

 

*A New Era of Discovery*

 

Even as entomologists continue to study the roles various species of beetles

play in the ecosystem, new species are continually being discovered. Yang,

for example, has identified 30 new firefly species in Taiwan since he

started to collect and research them in 1996, pushing the total number of

firefly species discovered in Taiwan to 62.

 

 

An earth-boring scarab beetle--until recently thought to be extinct in

Taiwan (Photo by Li Chun-lin)

 

Lee Chi-feng, an associate researcher at Taiwan Agricultural Research

Institute (TARI) under the Council of Agriculture (COA), has identified 13

new species of endemic water penny beetles and two species of aquatic leaf

beetle among other beetle species over the past 17 years. He also discovered

the only viviparous leaf beetle thus far identified in Asia (viviparous

beetles give birth to larvae, in contrast with the more common oviparous, or

egg-laying, method). According to Lee, it's hard to estimate how many

beetles in Taiwan remain to be identified, but he speculated there might be

at least three times as many as currently catalogued.

 

Li Chun-lin, an entomologist at NTU, collected a pair of earth-boring scarab

beetles in northern Taiwan in 2004--marking the first such collection in at

least 140 years. The reappearance was a thrilling moment for Li, but he

needed three years to conclusively identify the species and complete an

academic report on all eight species of beetles belonging to the same family

(the Bolboceratidae) found to date in Taiwan.

 

There is no shortage of beetle-related topics worthy of research. In part,

this is because it wasn't until recent years that local researchers took a

new look at this area of study. Prior to the late 20th century, the bulk of

cataloguing of beetle species in Taiwan had been completed during the 16th

and 17th centuries. " Around 95 percent of identified species were catalogued

by foreign researchers--and most specimens were archived overseas, " says Li.

 

 

Non-Taiwanese pioneers who helped elaborate Taiwan's insect inventory

included Henry Walter Bates, a British entomologist, Robert Swinhoe,

Britain's consular representative in Taiwan from 1856 to 1866, and Hans

Sauter, a German businessman who collected insects in Taiwan from 1902 to

1912. A handful of Japanese entomologists made new discoveries in Taiwan

during the period of Japanese colonial rule (1895-1945). Now, more than six

decades since those discoveries, revisions are badly needed to rectify

incorrect or unclear taxonomic records.

 

*A Taxing Passion*

 

Most beetle faddists would probably shy away from the painstaking labor

required to review and add to existing entomologic records. For taxonomists,

there is none of the instant gratification associated with watching The King

of Beetles, trading beetle cards, or playing video games. Very few people

have been drawn to the field in Taiwan--but those who have are passionate

about bugs. An assistant curator at the National Museum of Natural Science,

Chan Mei-ling, likens taxonomists in Taiwan to some of the creatures they

study. " Taxonomists are going extinct, " she says. Since so few entomologists

are conducting research and so many species remain unidentified, untold

species may have gone extinct before they could be discovered.

 

 

The National Museum of Natural Science provides facilities and specimens to

illustrate insect life cycles. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)

 

Lee and Li both began their love affairs with beetles when they were very

young. Li collected his first rhinoceros beetle when he was 12. Later, he

decided to study entomology at NTU, where he met other bug lovers like Lee.

To date, Li has collected 50,000 insect specimens, 99 percent of which are

beetles. Lee says he was quite anti-social as a child, preferring to explore

a park near his home, where he could observe and collect insects. At that

time, Taiwan was exporting numerous butterfly specimens. The wide variety

and beauty of butterfly species that could be appreciated and collected

aroused the interest of the budding scientists. After committing themselves

to entomology, however, both realized that beetles had greater potential as

study topics and they accordingly shifted the focus of their research.

 

The study of insects has contributed to the fields of pharmaceuticals,

agriculture, and economics. Local studies have at the very least helped

researchers to understand how insects are distributed and the role they play

in East Asian ecosystems. The departure point for any in-depth research is

grounded in the painstaking field research conducted by taxonomists. " To do

this work, one should not be afraid of the wilderness and be able to endure

solitude, " says Chan.

 

Li, for example, had to compare the unfamiliar species of earth-boring

scarab beetles he discovered with existing specimens archived in museums

overseas before he could be sure his classification was correct. To enhance

the authoritativeness of his work, he also sorted through all relevant

records on the species, traveled to neighboring regions to gather

information and specimens--eventually publishing the fruit of three years of

intenive study in a prominent scientific journal. Chan, one of only a

handful of female taxonomists in Taiwan, is intimate with the hardship and

danger such work involves. While taxonomists may be busy, they're not

necessarily employed. " Many people might think to ask an entomologist to

identify an insect, but few would think of them when a related position is

available, " Chan says.

 

*Insect Ecotourism*

 

As entomologists do the heavy lifting in an effort to unveil the mystery of

insects, bug-watching tours are gaining popularity among the general public.

" These insects are actually a valuable ecological resource. When combined

with cultural resources, the industry becomes viable, " says Yang, who

describes himself as a missionary for the insect ecotourism industry.

 

 

Conservationists use beetle-themed events to teach children and their

parents about beetle behavior and ecology. (Photo by Huang Chung-hsin)

 

Current tours are mainly geared toward attracting families. From March to

May annually, nature farms across the island launch firefly-watching tours.

The opportunity to watch thousands of fireflies twinkling in the dark night

has made the natural displays popular with local sojourners. Other events

aim to attract mass audiences to witness the spectacle of firefly light

shows. " These events always draw a full house, " says Chan. She notes that

many Taiwanese have only begun appreciating nature, including beetles, over

the past decade or so--once the standard of living reached a level where

leisure pursuits could occasionally trump making money. Li is pleased to see

interest in insect tourism among the general public, but he thinks that it

should be promoted more heavily, especially considering Taiwan's potential

as a destination for insect lovers from abroad.

 

*Opportunities and Threats*

 

Taiwan's rising standard of living came at a price. Greater economic clout

coincided with destruction of local ecosystems. A resurgence of insects

indicates to a certain degree that devastation wrought by environmental

contamination is being reversed. Yang credits a government " fallow policy "

initiated in 1984 with reducing pesticides that had been ravaging insect

populations. Under this policy, the total area of land left fallow in Taiwan

has exceeded 200,000 hectares per year since 2004. However, pollution is not

the only variable affecting growth and decline among insect populations.

 

Li explains that the interconnectedness of the parts of an ecosystem is such

that, for example, scarab beetles feeding on certain mammals' excrement can

be endangered if those mammals become endangered. Climate change is another

variable that affects beetle populations. The Formosan giant stag beetle, a

protected species classified as " rare and valuable, " has not been seen in

the mountains around Taitung this year. COA researchers speculate that the

apparent disappearance of this species may be due to drought. Yang thinks

another explanation is more plausible: The nationwide craze for collecting

beetles is putting some species on the brink of extinction.

 

In general, collecting insects is not prohibited unless it takes place

within the six national parks or other government-designated areas, except

with special permission. However the authorities forbid collection of

protected species like the Formosan giant stag beetle throughout Taiwan. Of

course, beyond the boundaries of national parks and conservation areas, it

can be difficult to enforce restrictions.

 

Some species, such as Formosan long-armed scarab beetle (also listed as rare

and valuable), are threatened mainly by the insect trade. One live specimen

can fetch more than NT$10,000 (US$330). It is unclear how many pet stores

are selling protected beetles illegally and no evaluation of the impact the

insect trade has on beetle populations has yet been conducted.

 

Another potential threat to local beetles comes from abroad. Alien invasive

species become a threat once they escape from their enclosures or are

intentionally released. About 200 beetle species are currently being

imported into Taiwan. The Hercules beetle, among the largest beetles found

on the planet, is very popular. Entomologists worry that these alien species

could pollute the endemic gene pool, cause an epidemic that local bugs are

defenseless against, or out-compete endemic species for available resources.

 

 

Importation of live beetles is currently illegal, but smuggling is not

easily detected. " We have heard that some live beetles were nailed to boards

and placed in potato chip boxes for import, " Chan says. According to Yang,

alien beetle species are already impacting Taiwan's ecology, though there

are no conclusive studies to this effect to date. In the United States,

Asian long-horned beetles imported from China have caused serious damage to

forests. With precious little wildlife habitat in Taiwan--as compared to

larger countries like the United States--the identification work of

naturalists, including entomologists, is a crucial component of protecting

local species and ecosystems.

 

Taiwan's Executive Yuan has launched the Taiwan Biodiversity Information

Facility, a database that integrates all data on domestic biological

diversity. Thanks to this database, beetle lovers have a new space where

they can exchange knowledge about the insects they have devoted their lives

to. It remains to be seen whether the beetle mania that has gripped young

Taiwanese these past few years will eventually lead to an increased number

of entomology majors who can carry on the important work of identifying,

cataloguing and understanding Taiwan's diverse beetle population.

 

*Write to* Zoe Cheng at zoecheng