The Endemic Species Research Institute (ESRI) urged the public yesterday not to release a species of water-hatched fireflies on the east coast, explaining that the insect is not indigenous to that region but rather to the western part of the nation.
ESRI researchers said that with the growing popularity of firefly watching, an increasing number of scenic spots and resort operators have organized such activities.
Some have even introduced non-endemic fireflies and increased the variety of insects in an attempt to extend the observation season and attract tourists.
Some news reports have claimed that water-hatched fireflies -- which live on paddy fields on the western plain -- have been successfully bred on the east coast, which is home to ground-hatched fireflies that lay eggs on or below ground rather than underwater, the researchers said.
The institute said that in 2004, researchers launched a one-year survey on the water-hatched firefly's life cycle and its distribution in the Hualien and Taitung areas.
As part of their study, the researchers conducted 25 field investigations and a series of interviews with local residents.
Through these, the researchers were able to determine that there were no water-hatched fireflies in the eastern Taiwan region.
Although the region has suitable weather, clean wetlands and fields that would be perfect for the reproduction of water-hatched fireflies, it is not their original breeding place, the ESRI specialists said.
The researchers warned that any move to bring the water-hatched fireflies to the east coast would risk compromising the ecological balance in the area.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
A Taiwanese woman on Sunday was injured by a small piece of masonry that fell from the dome of St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican during a visit to the church. The tourist, identified as Hsu Yun-chen (許芸禎), was struck on the forehead while she and her tour group were near Michelangelo’s sculpture Pieta. Hsu was rushed to a hospital, the group’s guide to the church, Fu Jing, said yesterday. Hsu was found not to have serious injuries and was able to continue her tour as scheduled, Fu added. Mathew Lee (李世明), Taiwan’s recently retired ambassador to the Holy See, said he met
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service
RSS