Two new freshwater fish species found in Kerala

Underlining the importance of the State as a biodiversity hotspot for freshwater fishes, two new species have been reported from Central and North Kerala.

Both the species belonging to the family Cyprinidae have been reported by Mathews Plamoottil, Assistant Professor in Zoology, Government College, Chavara.

The first one, Systomus laticeps , was spotted in a small freshwater streamlined by dense vegetation at Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta district. The name laticeps was drawn from a Latin epithet referring to the wide head of the fish. The finding has been published in The International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies. Species of the genus Systomus are edible fishes found throughout India. They mainly reside in the low level and middle level regions of freshwater bodies. In Kerala, it is one of the common freshwater cyprinid fish consumed by the local people. Some of these are utilised for ornamental fish trade.

In 2014, Mr. Mathews had reported two new species of Systomus , the first such discovery after a gap of 150 years. The presently described cyprinid fish is the latest addition to this genus from Kerala.

The second new species named Puntius euspilurus is an edible freshwater fish found in the Mananthavady river in Wayanad. The epithet euspilurus is a Greek word referring to the distinct black spot on the caudal fin. The slender bodied fish prefers fast flowing, shallow and clear waters and occurs only in unpolluted areas. It appears in great numbers in paddy fields during the onset of the Southwest -read more

New Species of Drywood Termite Discovered in Colombia

Discovered by termitologists from Germany, the United States and Colombia, the new termite has been officially named Proneotermes macondianus.

“The species name honors Nobel laureate Gabriel García Marquez and the fictional town ‘Macondo’ in his novel ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude,” the scientists explained.

“Macondiano(a) is also a Spanish world used in Colombia to describe an incredible, rare or surprising event that could only be compared with the fictional universe and magical realism of this novel.”

“Proneotermes macondianus may have been one of those characters playing in the novel during the destruction of Macondo, remaining unrecognized until today,” added lead author Dr. Robin Casalla, from Freiburg University in Germany and the Universidad del Norte in Colombia.

The soldiers of Proneotermes macondianus have a characteristic elongated, rectangular heads, about 5 – 7 mm long, ranging in color from black (at the tip) to ferruginous orange (at the back).read more

Aboriginal Australians, Pacific Islanders carry DNA of unknown human species, research analysis suggests

People from Papua New Guinea and north-east Australia carry small amounts of DNA of an unidentified, extinct human species, a new research analysis has suggested.

Key points:

• Statistical geneticist carried out research analysis on percentages of extinct hominid DNA in modern humans
• "Discrepancies" in previous analyses show interbreeding between Neanderthals and Denisovans "is not the whole story"
• Researchers believe a third group, separate to Neanderthals and Denisovans, contributes to Pacific Islanders' DNA

The analysis suggests the DNA is unlikely to come from Neanderthals or Denisovans, but from a third extinct hominid, previously unknown to archaeologists.

Statistical geneticist Ryan Bohlender and his team investigated the percentages of extinct hominid DNA in modern humans.

They found discrepancies in previous analyses and found that interbreeding between Neanderthals and Denisovans was not the whole story to our ancestors' genetic makeup.

Mr Bohlender presented his analysis to the American Society of Human Genetics in Canada, saying that scientists were either "missing a population" or "misunderstanding something about the relationships".-read more

New species found by Great Australian Bight Research Program

MORE than 60 new species have been discovered in the Great Australian Bight.

The findings were made during the past three years of research by the Great Australian Bight Research Program.

The $20 million program is a collaboration between BP, CSIRO, the South Australian Research and Development Institute, University of Adelaide and Flinders University and will be completed in mid-2017.

Samples taken from the sea floor were collected from depths of between 100m to 3000m, and enabled researchers to identify at least 60 new species.

In its 2016 progress report released on Monday, the Great Australian Bight Research Program has identified eastern Great Australian Bight as one of Australia’s most productive marine environments.

But researchers admit little is known about the systems that support its rich biodiversity due to the high cost of sampling in these remote regions.

“The lack of existing knowledge about the organisms living there limit our -read more

Researchers discover terrifying millipede with 414 legs and four penises that secretes poison to kill its victims

Millipedes are invertebrates that coil up into a ball when they sense danger, however their name is very misleading.

Their Latin name means 'thousand feet', yet many do not surpass 200 – except for the new species discovered in California.

A common North American critter, these creatures usually measure about 2.5 centimeters to 4 centimeters long.

However, some can grow much larger, such as longest millipede known as the giant African millipede – it can grow up to 38.5 centimeters (15.2 in) in length, 67 millimeters (2.6 in) in circumference.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3871570/Just-time-Halloween-Researchers-discover-terrifying-millipede-141-legs-four-penises-oozes-poison.html#ixzz4OTpTWINV

Flying squirrel numbers soar in Helsinki

Helsinki has seen a boom in the population of Siberian flying squirrels in the past two years, according to researchers.

The city's Environment Centre says that the number of flying squirrel habitats - where evidence of their activity has been spotted - has more than tripled in Helsinki's northwest, from a dozen during the last count, to 39 this year. The biggest increase has been in city's wooded Central Park, where there are now 25 habitats, compared to just six in 2014, the Yle public broadcaster reports. The squirrels are protected by law nationwide in Finland, where the main threat comes from habitat destruction.

"It's clear that after many decades of absence the flying squirrel has returned in droves to the capital," says Esa Nikunen, the centre's director. The animals are notoriously hard to spot, and researchers track them by looking for their droppings. The squirrels need mixed forests to thrive, and Mr Nikunen tells Yle that they've benefited from the careful management of Helsinki's woods.

The squirrels' resurgence may not please everyone, though. Their protected status has in the past caused headaches for planning officials and developers, who have had to amend projects when squirrels have been found nesting nearby. But last year, architects unveiled designs for "squirrel friendly" student accommodation. The treehouse-inspired structures would allow the animals to move freely between the trees and wooden slats on the buildings' exterior.

Next story: Artist makes 'bloody stake' memorial read more

Parrot fossil unearthed in Siberia

A parrot fossil has been unearthed in Siberia - the furthest north one of these birds has ever been found, a study reports.

A single parrot bone was discovered in the Baikal region and dates to between 16 and 18 million years ago.

It suggests that the birds, which today mainly inhabit tropical and sub-tropical regions, may once have been widespread in Eurasia.

It is also the first time a fossil parrot has been found in Asia.

The research is published in the journal Biology Letters.

The study's author Dr Nikita Zelenkov, from the Borissiak Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, said he was surprised by the discovery.

"No-one before has ever found evidence of their presence in Siberia," he said.read more

BBC film crew record discovery of 'new species' of fossil found on South West cliff face

t's not everyday someone discovers a new species that has never been seen before, then gets Sir David Attenborough to film the 20-foot-long beast finally being revealed.

But that is what has been happening on the Jurassic Coast this week where local fossil hunter Chris Moore – who earlier this year discovered a previously unseen type of ichthyosaur – helped mastermind its removal from a beach with the help of a BBC television crew.

Read more at http://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/bbc-film-crew-record-discovery-of-new-species-of-fossil-found-on-south-west-cliff-face/story-29829116-detail/story.html#Gij8ri6qz0cW0iEr.99

New Species of Black Fly Discovered in Thailand

In April, we reported on a new species of black fly that was discovered in Borneo. Now the lead author, Hiroyuki Takaoka, is back at it again, discovering another new black fly species, but this time from Thailand.

The new species, Simulium (Gomphostilbia) maleewongae, was discovered by Takaoka, from the University of Malaya in Malaysia; Wichai Srisuka, from the Queen Sirikit Botanic Garden in Thailand; and Atiporn Saeung, from Chiang Mai University in China. It was found in a stream in a dry, deciduous forest area during a survey of insects of Mae Hong Song Province.

The finding is important because a species from the same subgenus as the new fly, Gomphostilbia, is a known vector of filariasis, a parasitic disease in mammals and birds caused by infection with roundworms. The knowledge that a related species is a vector suggests that the new fly could also be a vector, but that has not been confirmed.

While discovering new species is now old hat for Takaoka, the finding of the new black fly was not expected.

“Finding the new species was a surprise,” said Takaoka. “It suggests that many more new species will be discovered if unexplored areas in read more

New species of giant herbivorous dinosaur found in outback Australia

A new species of giant herbivorous dinosaur has been found in outback Australia, helping to rewrite the textbooks on how the gentle giants spread around the globe.

The species is a member of the group of dinosaurs known as sauropods – such as the brontosaurus, which have long necks and four thick, pillar-like legs. It belongs to a subgroup called “titanosaurs”, thought to have evolved in South America.Named Savannasaurus elliottorum after the savannah landscape it was found in, and David Elliott, who discovered the bones on his sheep station in central Queensland, its 40-or-so fossilised bones make up one of the most complete sauropod skeletons found to date in Australia.read more and see video

420-million-year old fossil reveals how the bones in our faces formed

You might take it for granted now, but your jaw is the result of an evolutionary journey lasting over 400 million years.

This claim comes from a new study, which found the iconic feature that helps us chew can be traced back to an extinct type of fish called a placoderm.

Previously, researchers had believed our jaws evolved separately to these ancient creatures, because they bore little resemblance.

But the discovery of a 423-million-year-old fish fossil has put the final pieces of the mystery into place.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3855376/Our-jaws-evolved-ancient-FISH-420-million-year-old-fossil-reveals-bones-faces-formed.html#ixzz4Nor9SGMK

Cave paintings reveal clues to mystery Ice Age beast

Cave art from the Ice Age has helped solve the mysterious origins of Europe's largest land mammal.

The modern European bison, now found only in protected reserves, once roamed widely on the continent.

Studies of ancient DNA show the bison arose from interbreeding between the extinct steppe bison and the aurochs, about 120,000 years ago.

The scientific evidence was confirmed by cave paintings that depict features such as horns and humps.

"When we asked, French cave researchers told us that there were indeed two distinct forms of bison art in Ice Age caves, and it turns out their ages match those of the different species," said Dr Julien Soubrier, from the University of Adelaide.

"We'd never have guessed the cave artists had helpfully painted pictures of both species for us."read more

Strange purple sea creatures found in deep ocean trenches

Scores of spectacular and rare under sea species have been found by expeditions this year to some of the deepest trenches in the Pacific Ocean.

They include strange purple orbs, "mud monsters" and a bizarre swimming sea cucumber reminiscent of a flying Mary Poppins.

Another voyage found around 500 new undersea methane vents off the US west coast.

This doubles the number of known seeps, bubbling up a powerful greenhouse gas.

The gas vents were found by an expedition mounted by Dr Robert Ballard, the man who first located the wreck of the Titanic.read more

Giant dinosaurs 'crossed continents'

Some of the giants of the dinosaur family may have originated in South America and crossed over Antarctica to Australia about 100 million years ago.

The dinosaurs were able to make the journey when a spell of warming allowed passage over frozen land bridges between the continents.

Two fossil discoveries in Australia shed new light on this theory.

Both specimens are sauropods - a group of large, herbivorous dinosaurs with long necks and small heads.

Further classified as titanosaurs, they are among the largest dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth.

Lead researcher Dr Stephen Poropot, of the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum, said the specimens add to our knowledge of the area 95 to 98 million years ago.

"We get a much better idea of the overall fauna," he said.

"And as a result we can start piecing together how climate affected these dinosaurs, how the positions of the continent affected those dinosaurs and how they evolved through time as well."read more

New Plant Species Forgot How To Photosynthesize, And It Lives Just Fine

Plants use photosynthesis as a way to convert sunlight into energy and nutrition it can use. Most plants have photosynthesis of some form. Some plants, however, do not do this, as in the case of a newly discovered plant species in Japan.

The new plant species has been found on the of Kuroshima in Japan. It has been given the scientific nameGastrodia kuroshimensis, after the place where it was found. Associate Professor Kenji Suetsugu of Kobe University Graduate School of Science has made the discovery, according to Science Daily.

G. kuroshimensis is mycoheterotrophic, which means that it gets nutrients not through photosynthesis but through a host fungi. This type of plants have been of interest to botanists, but is hard to find since most are small in size and scarce, as Natural Science News reports. Such plants are also found in dark places in the forest. The only time that they could be seen is when it is time for them to flower.

G. kuroshimensis might be difficult to find, however, as it does have flowers that do not bloom. In order for the plant to reproduce, it fertilizes itself within the closed buds of the flower. It would also be quite unique in that it is a completely self-pollinating plant. Most plants that have self-pollinating flowers also produce flowers that can be pollinated. The new species, however, is a completely self-pollinating plant.

Such plants are still a mystery to most botanists since few of them have been studied. The discovery of G. kurosimensis would provide botanists and researchers further opportunity to study this type of plant. Professor Suetsugu has discovered a number of them as well, having seen about a hundred of the plant on Kuroshima. With its discovery botanists hope to know more about the historical significance of the plant as well as self-pollinating plants in general. read more

New species discovered after fossil found in a drawer

For decades a fossilized carnivore jawbone sat largely unnoticed in a drawer at Chicago’s Field Museum. 

Now the scientist who grew curious when he opened that drawer has established with a colleague that the fossil belonged to an early, long-extinct relative of dogs, foxes and weasels known as a beardog. The Field Museum fossil and another at the University of Texas each represent a new genus, the taxonomic rank above species.

The researchers believe these beardogs, which lived up to 40 million years ago, may eventually tell the world more about the evolution of dogs and other carnivores and how animals adapt to changes in climate. 

According to a paper to be published Wednesday in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the jawbones belonged to two closely related types of Chihuahua-sized beardogs, new genera now named Gustafsonia and Angelarctocyon.read more

A NEW SPECIES OF PSYCHEDELIC LICHEN FOUND TO CONTAIN PSILOCYBIN & DMT

A newly discovered species of lichen from Ecuador that contains both tryptamine and psilocybin has recently been discovered, dispelling the belief that the infamous ‘magic mushrooms’ are the only plant species containing this hallucinogenic compound.

Lichens are of particular interest to biologists because of their symbiotic relationship between algae and fungi. The fungus creates the network that sustains, hydrates, and protects the algae, which in turn generates the sugars necessary to feed it through photosynthesis. While they both exhibit plant-like characteristics, neither are actually plants — they are composite organisms. This makes the psychedelic lichen even more intriguing.

Scientists have been speculating about this particular lichen for some time. Rigorous testing is needed before researchers can claim anything as fact, however, making anecdotal evidence simply insufficient. And so despite reports from a local tribe about its hallucinogenic qualities, researchers could not positively affirm the lichen to be so, although psilocybin is known to be a psychedelic compound.read more

Jumping spiders have real spidey sense! Arachnids can ‘hear’ you moving from across a room

Jumping spiders, so-called because they leap when hunting, have some of the best vision among arthropods which they use for hunting and finding a mate.

Paul Shamble, who conducted the work at Cornell University and has since moved to Harvard, explained: ‘The sensory world of the tiny jumping spider was thought to be dominated by sight and tactile touch.

‘Surprisingly, we found that they also possess an acute sense of hearing.

‘They can hear sounds at distances much farther away than previously thought, even though they lack ears with the eardrums typical of most animals with long-distance hearing.’

The discovery was a ‘lucky accident’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3836117/Jumping-spiders-real-spidey-sense-Arachnids-hear-moving-room.html#ixzz4N9x7azmh

New ant species found in poison frog's stomach

While new ant species are usually discovered when researchers go through leaf litter, it turns out that sifting through the stomach contents of insect-eating frogs might prove no less effective.

A new species of the rarely collected long-toothed ant was discovered in the belly of a Little Devil poison frog in Ecuador, and the finding was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

The new species, Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri, was described based on a single female worker ant recovered from the frog. It is the seventh known species in this little-known Neotropical genus.read more and see photo

Forgotten fossil that lay in a museum for over a CENTURY is found to be a new species of 'British' ichthyosaur

The process of identifying a new species usually involves discovering some new fossils.

But isn't always the case, it seems, as a new species of extinct marine reptile has been identified from remains that have been around for over 100 years.

The new species of 'British' ichthyosaur, named Ichthyosaurus larkini, was found when researchers re-examined fossils on display in a museum in Bristol.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3827002/Forgotten-fossil-lay-museum-CENTURY-new-species-British-ichthyosaur.html#ixzz4MVADCNZG
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Prehistoric predator is related to the 60ft Megalodon

A mysterious species of shark that lived 20 million years ago and was 12 feet (3.6 metres) long has managed to escape anyone's notice - until now.

Scientists discovered fossils belonging to the extinct species of shark in California, North Carolina, Peru and Japan.

This elusive species is an ancestor of the modern day great white and mako sharks.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3820011/A-new-species-extinct-shark-discovered-Prehistoric-predator-related-60ft-Megalodon.html#ixzz4MV9Sz8VD
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British 'sea dragon' fossils are 'new to science'

Scientific detective work on fossils collected in Victorian times has identified two new species of Ichthyosaurs - the giant reptiles that swam at the time of the dinosaurs.

It brings to six the known species of Ichthyosaurus - ''sea dragons'' that ruled the oceans in Jurassic times.

Both fossils were unearthed in Somerset in the 1800s.

One specimen has been on display at Bristol University for decades, under the gaze of countless students.

The other was donated to a museum in Philadelphia, US, by Thomas Hawkins, a well-known Victorian fossil collector.

He amassed a huge collection of marine reptiles from Somerset in the first half of the 19th Century.

Such was the Victorian craze for skeletons of ichythyosaurs - the first was found by Mary Anning on the Dorset coast - that they ended up in museums and collections right across the world.

Palaeontologists Dean Lomax of Manchester University and Judy Massare of Brockport College, New York, examined hundreds of ichthyosaur fossils in Europe and North America, including some that had been kept hidden for decades.read more

Giant Millipede Fossils May Reveal New Species

Visitors to a world-famous fossil bed in Canada have discovered a handful of strange specimens that may likely turn out to be up to three new species of large ancient millipedes.

The find was made by chance last year in the Joggins Fossil Cliffs, which stretch several miles along the Bay of Fundy. The fossils are being analyzed now in labs in the United States and Canada.

Giant ancient millipedes are nothing new for the Joggins cliffs, which are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Since the 1800s, the cliffs have yielded numerous finds, including tracks and segments of millipedes that may have been seven feet long.

The new fossil millipedes weren't quite as large: They were likely about a -read more

These burrowing bees really rock! New species discovered which chews through STONE to make itself a home

Scientists have discovered a new species of bee which makes its home by chewing its way through solid rock to create burrows in sandstone cliffs.

The new species, called Anthophora pueblo, was first spotted around 40 years ago in the arid deserts of the south-western US, but after finding a number of new nest sites entomologists have now identified it as a new species to science.

The hardy bees chew through rock with their mandibles to create a hidey-hole, but this has raised questions as to why they go to such lengths to set up home.read more

Bizarre new species of ant is found in poisonous 'little devil' frog's VOMIT

The new ant, which is less than a quarter of an inch long, was found in the vomit from a species known as the little devil frog, or 'rana diablito' in Spanish.

Frogs can often be a good way to discover new species of insects, the researchers say, because they forage and can reach places humans cannot.

The scientists capture wild poisonous frogs, Oophaga sylvatica, and flush out their bellies.

Then they search the vomit to see what discoveries it could be hiding-read more

New species of crane fly with forked penis found in Kosciuszko National Park

After discovering 750 different species in a career spanning 50 years, one would think environmental scientist Gunther​ Theischinger​ had seen it all.

But then came the fly with a forked penis.

It was a morning of "atrocious" weather conditions in May last year when Professor Theischinger came across the crane fly in a creek in Kosciuszko National Park "by accident".read more and see video

Drepanosaurus -Strange reptile fossil puzzles scientists

A 200-million-year-old reptile is rewriting the rulebooks on how four-legged animals conquered the world.

Newly discovered fossils suggest Drepanosaurus had huge hooked claws to dig insects from bark, much like today's anteaters in the forests of Central and South America.

Scientists say the creature defies the convention on how reptiles evolved and flourished.

Their research is published in the journal Current Biology.

The new fossils, found in a New Mexico quarry, suggest Drepanosaurus was the size of a cat and lived in the trees.

It had a bird-like head on a chameleon-like body, but the most unusual feature was its forearms, said Dr Adam Pritchard, of Yale University, who led the research.

Massive arms

"Drepanosaurus itself has extremely massive arms and forearms - very muscular," he said.read more