Something New, Every Year!

Every year, taxonomists (scientists who categorize species) describe hundreds of new extant (living) species. Sometimes these are wholly new species that have never been researched previously by scientists, and other times it’s a case of a species and its subspecies being examined more closely. Paleontologists (scientists that study extinct species from various geological periods) are also documenting new species discovered in bones, fossils, amber, and even fossilized excrement.

In biology, the concept of a species is likely the most fundamental. It’s no surprise, however, that it’s generated so much consternation among experts. Charles Darwin despised the notion, believing it to be a means of defining the indefinable. Interbreeding is the most common definition, which states that a species is a group of individuals within which two individuals can breed to create fertile children.

The concept of species can get hazy due to intra-breeding, producing fertile offspring. However, that’s not the topic of the blog, but a food for thought. This year the pandemic disrupted a lot of discoveries but several new species have come to light and are being studied by biologists spanning the globe.

One such discovery is from the species Trigonopterus, a genus of flightless weevils found in the Indo-Australian-Melanesian archipelago, whose number increased dramatically in late October with an impressive 28 newly described species. All of these were described from Central Sulawesi (an Indonesian island, east of Borneo) and the majority were collected during just two field trips by Raden Pramesa Narakusumo, the lead author on the paper and the curator of beetles at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense in Indonesia. He worked together with Alexander Riedel of the Natural History Museum Karlsruhe, an expert in this genus whose research trip to Papua New Guinea was canceled due to the pandemic, resulting in studying these specimens instead. The specific names for the species come from a range of sources including ‘Ewok’ after the Star Wars species (joining T. chewbacca, T. yoda and T.porg), ‘gundula’ and ‘unyil’ after Indonesian movie characters, and even ‘corona’ to reflect the impact of the pandemic on this project. Although the 28 newly described species may be a big jump, it’s a small fraction compared to the 2019 paper by Riedel and Narakusumo where they described an astonishing 103 Trigonopterus weevils.

Another astonishing discovery comes from the mangroves of Kerala. New tree-spider crab species with purple patches was found near a patch of mangroves at the mouth of Chithari river in Kasargod district and is the first species from the genus Leptarma to be reported from India. Covered in dark purple patches, the shell of the crab is smaller than an adult thumbnail. The crustacean features long walking legs, large eyes, and a unique structure of its male genital appendages. Belonging to the newly-formed genus called Leptarma, the crab is named Leptarma biju after the head of the Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries at the University of Kerala, A. Biju Kumar, who has carried out extensive work on aquatic organisms including crustaceans in Kerala over the past three decades. He has to his credit 34 new species, which include fishes, crabs, and helminths (worms). The crab is the first species of this genus to be reported from India. This discovery is significant because it is the first time a member of the genus Leptarma has been recorded from India, said Jigneshkumar Trivedi, assistant professor of zoology at Hemchandracharya North Gujarat University. According to a list of marine bachyuran crabs prepared by his team in 2018, there are only 38 species of sesarmid (land-dwelling crabs) crabs reported from India. Crabs from the family Sesarmidae live on land, typically in marshes and mangroves. “There are high chances of getting new species of crabs belonging to family Sesarmidae from Indian mangroves,” added Trivedi, who has described four new species of brachyuran crabs over the past decade. The authors find it surprising that no species of Leptarma has been recorded from India until the present discovery of L. biju, but they believe that this is probably because these crabs only come out at night. The discovery highlights the need to document and conserve the remaining tracts of mangroves in northern Kerala, which support rich biodiversity. More species unknown to science are likely lurking in the region and the researchers plan to explore the mangroves further.

Similar to the tiny size of the Leptarma biju, a tiny chameleon the size of a seed has been discovered. It’s also a strong contender for the title of the smallest reptile on Earth. The male nano-chameleon (pictured) has a body just 13.5mm long, yet its genitals are one-fifth of its body size, possibly allowing it to mate with the larger female. An international team of eagle-eyed scientists spied the reptile within degraded montane rainforests in northern Madagascar. Fortunately, its habitat has been placed under protection, but the researchers have recommended that the bijou chameleon be listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Scientists discover a spider wearing ‘Joker’ makeup, naming it after Joaquin Phoenix. A striking pattern on the spider’s back resembles the Joker’s trademark grin. Scientists discovered Loureedia phoenixi in Iran; it’s the first Loureedia spider to be identified outside the Mediterranean region, they reported in a new study. The genus, first described in 2018, now includes four species. Scientists discovered Loureedia phoenixi in Iran; it’s the first Loureedia spider to be identified outside the Mediterranean region, they reported in a new study. The genus, first described in 2018, now includes four species. So far, scientists have collected and described only male Joker spiders. But the search will continue for the elusive females, targeting locations where males have been found. “Ideally, if you have enough time and patience, it would be interesting to track a wandering male. He should know how to find the female better than anyone else,” Zamani said. “This way, you would also have the chance of observing and photographing the actual mating behavior, which has not been documented for any Loureedia species yet,” he added.

Looming limestone mountains called karst formations to rise abruptly from rivers, bays, and valleys in northern Vietnam. In a region of the world already rich with life, these karsts and the lush green forests that cover them create habitats that support extreme biodiversity. Many of the species are endemic to the area, meaning they only exist there. In a paper published in the journal Copeia, researchers from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and the Institute for Ecology and Biological Resources at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology described a new species of snake that they discovered in the Ha Giang province. The species is part of a rare genus of burrowing snakes that branched from the evolutionary tree earlier than most other groups. Because of this, they look and behave unlike many other snakes and could help scientists piece together new information about snake evolution. The researchers named the new species Achalinus zugorum in honor of the Smithsonian’s retired curator of reptiles and amphibians, George Zug, and his wife, Patricia Zug. The group spent evenings wading through creeks and hiking through jungles, catching and recording information about various frogs and snakes along the way. One evening, while on the way to a survey site, the scientists spotted a strange snake on the road. It had dark, iridescent coloration with small, ridged — called keeled — scales. The crew knew right away that it was a new species. The researchers don’t know much about the snake’s behavior, but its physical traits — odd scale pattern; dark, iridescent coloration, and the absence of bright-light photoreceptors in its eyes — suggest that it burrows underground or beneath leaves. This subterranean lifestyle makes these snakes particularly hard to find, even for scientists who have spent decades in the field. “In 22 years of surveying reptiles in Vietnam, I have collected only six odd-scaled snakes,” said Truong Nguyen, the Vice Director of the Institute for Ecology and Biological Resources at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology. “This is one of the most poorly studied groups of reptiles.” As they conduct more biodiversity surveys, the group hopes to find other Achalinus snakes and learn more about their behavior.

A beautifully colored tiger beetle species that so far has been found in only two saline and muddy ditches. A total of 18 specimens were collected back in 1992 and 1994, and have since been held in museums and private collections. Little is known about the full distribution of this species, as it was collected from two sites in the state of Coahuila in northern Mexico. The extension northwards of the ridge and basin in which the species was found could mean that it may also be found in west Texas in the USA. The species’ scientific name of ‘mecocheila’ comes from its labrum, a flattened area of cuticle comparable to an upper lip, which is more elongated than in similar species. The word is derived from Greek where ‘meco-’ means long and ‘-cheila’ means lip.

These discoveries are astonishing but nothing new. Different species are discovered every year varying from the size of an earthworm to big underwater sharks. It’s just a testament to the fact that no matter how advanced we become, nature will always have something exciting in store for us. It just goes to say that the world is a very mysterious place shared by countless beautiful, exotic and dangerous living creatures. Our inquisitive nature has landed us on the moon, but it is yet to discover the depths of our oceans and the densest regions of our forests.

Co-Authors —

Nidhi Dhamne, Haritashva Shrivastava