850 New Species Discovered in Underground Lakes and Caves of Australia
Photo: Australian Center for Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity, University of Adelaide
Does it seem like science is discovering new species left and right lately? After the discovery of the Cat Ba Leopard gecko, bristleworm that eats only dead whale bones, a ghostshark with sex organ on its head, scientists discovered not one, not one hundred, but 850(!) previously unknown blind and pale creatures living in underground lakes and caves:
The species found in these underground habitats were mostly blind and lacking pigment due to the environment in which they live. Above is an amphipod, a shrimp-like crustacean. Of the water-dwelling creatures found, crustaceans represented about seventy-five percent of the new species.
These otherworldly inhabitants of the subterranean outback have adapted to their light-less environments, sometimes by evolving past the need for eyes. They navigate using vibration and chemical senses.
Above is captioned: a crustacean that has fangs connected to secretory glands, from the stygofauna at Cape Range, Western Australia. This is a very primitive group of crustaceans, previously only known from the northern hemisphere.
Link | More details at LiveScience
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Cat Ba Leopard Gecko and Other New Species of the Mekong River Region
Photo: Thomas Ziegler / WWF
I, for one, welcome our new Cat Ba leopard gecko overlord. That fantastically sinister-looking leopard gecko (with the equally cool species name of Goniurosaurus catbaensis) is one of the 162 new species found in the Mekong River region of Southeast Asia:
Among the stars in the new list is a fanged frog in eastern Thailand. Given the scientific name Limnonectes megastomias, the frog lies in wait along streams for prey including birds and insects. Scientists believe it uses its fangs during combat with other males.
Another unusual discovery was the Cat Ba leopard gecko found on Cat Ba Island in northern Vietnam. Named Goniurosaurus catbaensis, it has large, orange-brown catlike eyes and leopard spots down the length of its yellowish brown body.
Lee Grismer, of La Sierra University in California, said he found a tiger-stripped [sic] pit viper in Vietnam described in the report while he was attempting to capture a second gecko species.
"We were engrossed in trying to catch a new species of gecko when my son pointed out that my hand was on a rock mere inches away from the head of a pit viper," Grismer said in a statement. "We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species."
Whatever you do, don’t look into the Cat Ba leopard gecko’s eyes … Link
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New Animals and Plant Species Discovered in Ecuador
Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum (glass frog) Photo: Luis Coloma
An expedition on the Nangaritza River of Ecuador, near the border with Peru, has uncovered nearly a dozen species new to science, including four amphibians, a lovely lizard, insects, and plants.
This one above is a species of glass frog, Hyalinobatrachium pellucidum, named after its translucent skin.
These discoveries are hoped to encourage the government to protect the area, which is close to a "peace park" created in the late 90s after decades of conflict. More photos and videos are available from Conservation International.
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New Pygmy Seahorse Species
Photo: Roberto Sozzani
Expeditions to the coral reefs of the Red Sea and Indonesia revealed a flurry of 5 new (and cute!) pygmy seahorses. This one above is the Walea pygmy seahorse, found off the waters of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia.
National Geographic has the photo gallery: Link
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