Dominican Republic cloud forests host new beetle species

Researchers have identified a new species of click beetle, Lissomus arawak, found in the cloud forests of the Dominican Republic. The study, published in the journal Alpine Entomology, describes the beetle as having a shiny black, highly arched body measuring less than one centimeter in length, with pale yellow antenna segments.

The species is named in honor of the Arawak people who inhabited the island prior to European colonization. It was discovered in three locations within mountain cloud forests at altitudes between 600 and 700 meters, specifically near the Sierra de Bahoruco and the Cordillera Septentrional.

This discovery marks the third known Lissomus species on Hispaniola and the third recorded in the Greater Antilles. Morphological differences suggest that the beetle's ancestors may have arrived in the Greater Antilles during at least two distinct colonization events, though researchers note this remains a hypothesis requiring further phylogenetic analysis. The species is currently known only from five female specimens collected between 1985 and 2024.