An Australian researcher spotted the white furry bug by chance while camping within rainforest
What's red, black, and hairy all over? A new species of bug discovered in Australia, dubbed by some as a "Punk beetle" for its shaggy white locks.
"It's very unique. There are not many insects out there that have that trait," James Tweed told the BBC.The national science agency CSIRO has since confirmed it's an entirely new family of longhorn beetle.
After the entomologist did a double take, he realised it was in fact an insect unlike any he'd seen before.
After posting to a Facebook group of insect enthusiasts turned up no answers, Mr Tweed - who is a PhD candidate at the University of Queensland - took the bug to the CSIRO's Australian National Insect Collection.
Scientists have previously discovered other insect species with spiky hairs - like hairy caterpillars and a jet black ant with an fiery orange mane, which was also from Queensland - but this bug was different.
It's so unlike any other species that it was declared an entirely new genus or family group of longhorn beetles by the ANIC, officially called Excastra albopilosa - Excastra meaning "From the camp" in Latin and albopilosa "White and hairy".
The scientists aren't sure exactly why the bug is furry, but they think it has evolved to mimic an insect that's been killed by a fungus, as a way of deterring predators.
Mr Tweed says being able to record even this single beetle is a huge win for science.
"It's great to have this beetle getting so much attention and being a bit of an ambassador for insects and conservation."
Ancient lizard-like species discovered in Australia.