Four Allotopus beetles are found in an illegal inbound parcel.

Shanghai Customs officers have seized four beetles in an illegal inbound parcel falsely declared "wagashi," customs officers said on Monday.

Wagashi refers to a traditional Japanese confection.

The beetles are about 5-6 centimeters long in four plastic tubes found during X-ray scanning.

They were identified as a kind of Allotopus beetle, golden in color and with distorted jaws, by the Shanghai Customs inspection and quarantine authorities.

Without a certificate issued by the National Endangered Species Import and Export Administration, any trade or mailing of endangered species and their products is illegal, the officers stated.