A researcher observes the wasp they discovered on Junshan Mountain. [Photo/JSTV]

A biodiversity survey in an urban forest reserve in Nantong has discovered two rare species of parasitic wasps, adding new records to the city's insect inventory and offering fresh insights into coastal insect distribution, local media reported on Aug 10.

The biodiversity research team at Nanjing University's Academy of Environmental Planning and Design made the discovery during a summer insect survey at Junshan Mountain Natural Ecological Reserve. The wasps, identified as Coryptilus longicervix and Eupelmus peculiaris, are tiny parasitoids that belong to the Eupelmidae family.

Junshan Mountain is part of the Five Mountains area in Nantong, a rare patch of secondary forest nestled within a densely urbanized environment. Years of conservation efforts have allowed the site to preserve its understory vegetation and stable microhabitats, sustaining a rich diversity of insect life.

Local authorities have designated the area as a biodiversity demonstration zone, establishing permanent forest monitoring plots and undertaking restoration projects that include controlling invasive species, rehabilitating native vegetation and developing wildlife water sources. Since 2021, the species richness in the area has increased by 123.

The discovery of these two rare wasps underscores Junshan Mountain's status as an irreplaceable gene bank for wildlife in the Jianghai Plain, which is also known as the Nantong Plain, a coastal alluvial plain in Jiangsu province.

Nantong will continue to enforce strict ecological protection measures and conduct routine biodiversity monitoring to safeguard the rare natural habitat along the Yangtze River estuary.