SYDNEY, Australia, January 5, 2000 (ENS) - The millenium bug is real, but it cannot be found in computers. The newly discovered insect to be formally named "Millennium Bug" belongs to a new genus[1] of the family Veliidae - small water striders. Insect scientists can use water striders to monitor the quality of fresh water. Found in mountain streams of southeast Queensland and northeast New South Wales, this insect is presently known to exist at only eight localities in that region. About two millimetres long, it lives on the surface of the water in quiet areas of freshwater streams. Head of the Australian National Insect Collection, Dr. Ebbe Nielsen, says, "The "Millennium Bug is a 'waiting' predator that feeds on small insects." "Inland freshwater is one of Australia's most important and precious resources, in terms of[2] planning our future," Dr. Nielsen said. "Protecting it is one of the great challenges we face in the new Millennium." "Insects are very fine instruments for indicating the biological health of their environment. The goal here was to identify the various species of small water striders so we know exactly what they can tell us about the health of our streams and waterbodies." "This new genus includes four species, of which three, including the Millennium Bug, are new to science," said Dr. Weir. "These bugs have an interesting adaptation of the tarsi (feet) that enables them to 'glide' across the surface of the water without breaking the surface tension[3]." "This is yet another remarkable[4] indication of how much of Australia's biological wealth remains undiscovered at the start of the 21st century," said Dr. Nielsen. "So far we have scientifically described fewer than a third of the insect species on this continent. The work of exploring Australia scientifically is still in its early stages."

　　澳大利亚, 悉尼2000年1月5日——这是真的千年虫，可不是在电脑里给逮住的。 这种最新发现的的昆虫被正式命名为“千年虫”，它属于Veliidae科的新种群-小水黾。昆虫学家能用它来检测淡水质量。 “千年虫”最初是在昆士兰东南部和新南威尔士州东北部的山泉中被找到，目前发现只能在那个地区的八处才能找到它的踪迹。它身长仅两毫米，栖息在静谧的淡水湖区的水面上。 澳大利亚国家昆虫收藏协会理事长艾伯.尼森博士介绍道：“千年虫属于‘守株待兔’型的捕食者，它们以小昆虫为食。” “就今后的发展而言，内陆淡水是澳大利亚最重要也是最珍贵的资源，”尼森博士接着说，“保护淡水资源是我们在新千年面临的一个严峻挑战。” “昆虫是检测它们生存环境健康状况的很好工具。我们现在的目标是要搞清这种小水黾的具体种类，以便从它们身上知道河流和水源的确切状况。 “这种新的种属包括四个类型，其中三种（加上千年虫）都是科学的最新发现，”威尔博士说，“这类虫子的跗骨具有极有趣的适应性：能使自己滑过水面而不破坏其表面张力。” “二十世纪初的澳大利亚还有更多生物资源等待开发，这又是一个值得注意的迹象，”尼森博士如是说。 “到目前为止，我们科学描述过的昆虫种类还不及这块陆地上昆虫总数的三分之一。探索澳洲大陆物种的工作还只是处于初级阶段。”