Urban taxonomy: a new beetle genus from an Asian mega-city underpins limited knowledge of the "new wilderness".

This article focuses on the discovery and ecological study of *Punctaltica* gen. nov., a newly described genus of moss-inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) from urban parks in Shenzhen, China. Two species, *Punctaltica shenzhenensis* sp. nov. and *P. montana* sp. nov., were identified, with *P. shenzhenensis* confined to moist, anthropogenic microhabitats within three major city parks. The study details the beetle’s life cycle, highlighting its strong dependence on high humidity for survival, unusually large eggs relative to adult size, and a reduced larval development consisting of only two instars. The findings underscore the significance of urban taxonomy in revealing hidden biodiversity within cities and emphasize the importance of conserving sizeable urban forest remnants and minimizing disruptive park maintenance to protect such specialized species amid rapid urbanization.