Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology

Project's information

Project's title	Research on the current status of insect diversity at the Vietnam Center for Natural Resources Conservation and Animal and Plant Rescue, Thua Thien Hue province, and proposed solutions for conservation and development
Project’s code	CT0000.04/22-24
Research hosting institution	Mien Trung Institute for Scientific Research (MISR)
Project leader’s name	Associate Professor, PhD. Pham Hong Thai
Project duration	01/01/2022 - 31/12/2025
Project’s budget	1,000 million VND
Classify	Grade A
Goal and objectives of the project	- To determine the current status of insect diversity and build a catalog of species with economic value, scientific significance, and conservation importance, while proposing plans and measures for development and conservation; - To train and transfer research and conservation skills to staff of the Vietnam center for conservation of natural resources and rescue of animal and plant, Phong Dien, Hue City; - To develop a collection of specimens for research and display purposes, for tourism, learning, and research; and to create materials for sustainable research and conservation at the Mientrung Institute for Scientific Research, Vietnam center for conservation of natural resources and rescue of animal and plant, Phong Dien, Hue City.
Main results	- Theoretical results: + The results of investigations and research at the Vietnam center for conservation of natural resources and rescue of animal and plant have recorded a total of 42 families, 166 genera, and 231 species (16 species sp.), 6 orders. These include: 38 species (4 species sp.), 9 families belonging to the order Coleoptera; 117 species, 11 families belonging to the order Lepidoptera; 2 species, 1 genus, 1 family belonging to the order Diptera; 5 species, 4 genera, 2 families belonging to the order Hymenoptera; 66 species (12 species sp.) belonging to 51 genera, 18 families belonging to the order Hemiptera; and 3 species, 3 genera, 1 family belonging to the order Orthoptera. + 14 new species to science have been described: Goniopsarites mientrunganus Constant & Pham 2024, belonging to the family Nogodinidae. Pseudochoutagus trungi Constant & Pham, 2024; Hemisphaerius annamiticus Constant & Pham, 2025; Hemisphaerius tuydoius Constant & Pham, 2025; Ishiharanus pulchellus Constant & Pham, 2025; Ceratogergithus pictus Constant & Pham, 2025; Bachmarima recta Constant & Pham, 2025; Bachmarima valida Constant & Pham, 2025; Bachmarima expansa Constant & Pham, 2025; Lobosarima lobata Constant & Pham, 2025; Eusarima bourgoini Constant & Pham, 2025 belongs to the family Issidae; species Connelicita phongdienensis Constant & Pham, 2023 belongs to the family Tropiduchidae; Multinervis phongdienensis Semeraro, Constant & Pham, 2025 belongs to the family Cicadellidae; Euplatyrhopalus arimotoi Maruyama, 2008 belongs to the Carabidae family. + The indices: Margalef (D = 14.44), Pielou (J’ = 0.68), Simpson (1 – λ’ = 0.84), Shannon–Wiener (H’ = 3.08) reflect the level of insect diversity and stable community structure, although differences in richness between species still exist. + 6 species belonging to four families and three orders were recorded as having food value. Cathasius molossus (Linnaeus, 1758) is an insect species with medicinal value in medical literature. 5 species have medicinal value in traditional Vietnamese medicine. 5 species have value in education, culture, and tourism. In addition to valuable insect species, the project has classified 8 species of agricultural pests. - Applied results: + A collection of insect specimens has been developed for research and display purposes, serving tourism, educational purposes, and as documentation for research and sustainable conservation at the Mientrung Institute for Scientific Research, the Vietnam center for conservation of natural resources and rescue of animal and plant, Phong Dien, Hue City. + Published 200 copies of the book "Some insect species at the Vietnam center for conservation of natural resources and rescue of animals and plants". + Conservation and development solutions for insect resources focus on protecting the natural habitat within the Conservation Area, strictly controlling the use of toxic chemicals to protect sensitive species. Promoting semi-wild breeding models for economically valuable species such as honeybees and beetles aims to reduce pressure on natural exploitation. Utilizing the "Natural History Exhibition" as an educational platform is a strategic solution to raise community awareness, combined with the development of responsible ecotourism and support for local people in the sustainable exploitation of insect resources.
Novelty and actuality and scientific meaningfulness of the results	The project has discovered new insect species for science and, for the first time, recorded the presence of several insect species in the study area.
Products of the project	- Scientific papers in referred journals (list): 03 papers: 1. Constant, J., Pham, T. H., Le, C. V. C., Vu, T. T., Nguyen, H. T. T., & Tran, H. N. (2024). Pisachini planthoppers of Vietnam: new records of Pisacha and a new Goniopsarites species from Central Vietnam (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Nogodinidae). ZooKeys, 1193, 181. 2. Sota, T., Liang, H., Pham, H. T., Lin, C. P., Hori, M., Takami, Y., & Ikeda, H. (2024). Molecular phylogenetic relationships among lineages in the genus Carabus (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and radiation of the subgenus Apotomopterus. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 202(2), zlae125. 3. Semeraro L., Constant J. and Pham T-H., 2025. First record of the leafhopper tribe Tharrini in Indochina with a new species of the genus Nisitra Walker, 1869 from Central Vietnam (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae, Coelidiinae). Belgian Journal of Entomology, 161: 1–15. 4. Maruyama, M., Sasitorn, H., Abdullah, n. A., & Pham, T. H. (2024). Five New Species of the Genus Euplatyrhopalus DESNEUX, 1905 (Coleoptera, Carabidae, Paussinae) from Southeast Asia. Elytra. New series, 14(1), 89-101. - Các bằng sáng chế, giải pháp hữu ích (liệt kê) - Patents (list): - Technological products (describe in details: technical characteristics, place): + 01 Set of insect specimens comprising 516 specimens of 54 species. + 200 copies of the publication "Some insect species at the Vietnam center for conservation of natural resources and rescue of animals and plants" with Publication Decision No. 238/QD-NXBTH dated October 13, 2025, issued by Thuan Hoa Book publisher, Hue City. - Other products (if applicable): Supported the training of two master's degree holders Vu Thanh Trung and Nguyen Thi Thu Hoai.
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