Sunday 30 April 2017

New clingfish found

New Clingfish Species Found http://www.rdmag.com/article/2017/04/new-clingfish-species-found

Ant like jumping spider found

Unnamed species of ant-like jumping spider found in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park http://www.latimes.com/socal/coastline-pilot/news/tn-dpt-me-spider-20170427-story.html

Blind albino crab found

New species discovered in Meghalaya cave: Blind albino crab found in India http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/new-species-discovered-in-meghalaya-cave-blind-albino-crab-found-in-india/story-41O96XV0SM8mvj9zCM1IrN.html

50 new spider species found in Australia

Fifty new species of spider discovered in far north Australia https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/11/fifty-new-species-of-spider-discovered-in-far-north-australia

Saturday 22 April 2017

125 million year old herbivorous dinosaur discovered

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/new-species-of-125-million-year-old-herbivorous-dinosaur-discovered/article18071294.ece

New plant species found

http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/new-plant-species-found-in-eastern-ghats/article18075036.ece

New spider species found

http://www.star2.com/living/animals/2017/04/21/new-spider-species-discovered/

New species of giant shipworm found in Philippines

https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/bizarre-new-species-of-giant-shipworm-found-in-the-philippines

New clingfish species

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-has-1800-teeth-and-a-suction-cup-a-new-clingfish-species/

Saturday 15 April 2017

POSSIBLE BIG CAT ON POLICE DOCUMENTARY PART TWO

POSSIBLE BIG CAT ON POLICE DOCUMENTARY SERIES PART ONE

New shrimp species named after Pink Floyd

The shrimpA new species of shrimp has been named after Pink Floyd thanks to a pact between prog rock-loving scientists.
The synalpheus pinkfloydi uses its large pink claw to create a noise so loud it can kill small fish.
The team behind the discovery vowed years ago if it ever found a new pink shrimp it would "honour" the rockers.
Sammy De Grave, head of research at Oxford University Museum of National History, said he has been a fan of the band since he was a teenager.
And it is not the first crustacean he's named after a rock legend, having already named a specREAD MORE ies of shrimp after Rolling Stones front man, Mick Jagger - elephantis jaggerai.-

Poo sediments record Antarctic 'penguin Pompeii'

PenguinsThe perilous history of a penguin colony on a small Antarctic island has been recorded in their excrement.
For thousands of years, the birds have nested on the Ardley outcrop where their poop, or guano, would collect at the bottom of a lake.
But when scientists drilled into these sediments, they got quite a surprise.
Interspersed with the layers of penguin waste were thick sections of volcanic ash, indicating the Ardley birds were frequently decimated by eruptions.
"What causes the biggest declines in the penguins is the volcanic activity on nearby Deception Island," explained Stephen Roberts from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).
"Eruptions have gone off at regular intervals over the last 7,000 years. We found there were five phases when the penguin population grew quite significantly, and for three of these the population crashed. This was due to the volcano going off," he told BBC News.-READ MORE

Early dinosaur relative walked like a croc

Dinosaur relativeOne of the earliest relatives of dinosaurs had some features we associate today with crocodiles and alligators, a study suggests.
Many palaeontologists have wondered what the earliest dinosaur relatives looked like, as the fossil record in this time period is sparse.
Some assumed they walked on two legs, looking a bit like miniature dinosaurs.
But the newly described creature walked on four legs like a croc, the journal Nature reports.
The 2-3m (7-10ft) carnivorous animal, unearthed in southern Tanzania, lived some 245 million years ago during the Triassic Period. It pre-dated the earliest dinosaurs.
Prof Paul Barrett, from London's Natural History Museum, one of the authors on the new paper, said: "This is a little animal that we call Teleocrater. It's not very big...it probably would have weighed about the same as the average family dog."
He told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Visually, it would have looked a bit like a souped-up version of a komodo dragon, crossed maybe with something else. So it would have been a slender animal, not a big armoured thing like a crocodile."-READ MORE

Saturday 8 April 2017

Baseball-sized spider discovered in Baja California mine

Researchers at the San Diego Natural History museum recently discovered a new species and genus of spider in the hills of Baja California, called Califorctenus cacahilensis.  Photo: San Diego Natural History MuseumWhile traipsing through the a mine in the hills of Baja California, Michael Wall and Jim Berrian struck gold. Skittering across the abandoned mine shaft was a beast that would send most people running.  
The entomologists instead ran toward the creature – a whopping spider the size of a baseball – and captured it for analysis. With juicy fangs, a hairy yellow abdomen and legs for miles, the arachnid was certainly a looker, but neither of the scientists could classify it.
Back in their lab at the San Diego Natural History Museum, the researchers had a eureka moment. Upon corroborating with Mexican entomologist and southern spider expert Maria Jimenez, the scientists confirmed that they had discovered a new species and genus. They named it Califorctenus cacahilensis, after the Sierra Cacahilas mountain ranges where it was first found.-read more

New species of 'Spider-Man' worm-snail discovered

A photo of the Thylacodes vandyensis, discovered in an artificial reef off the Florida Keys. The "foot" of the worm-snail is poking out of its shell.It's a worm. It's a snail. It's... Spider-Man?
Scientists have discovered a new species of a marine creature called a worm-snail (scientifically known as a vermetid) that shoots out a substance much like a web from our popular comic-book superhero.It's a worm. It's a snail. It's... Spider-Man?
Scientists have discovered a new species of a marine creature called a worm-snail (scientifically known as a vermetid) that shoots out a substance much like a web from our popular comic-book superhero.-read more

New Spider-Like, Tree-Climbing Crab Species Found

A striking new species of crab has been found living in tree-holes high above the ground. The animal, which fits in the palm of a human hand, has a deep bluish black body that stands out against the tree bark that it prowls for worms and seeds to eat.
Scientists discovered the crab—named Kani maranjandu—in the lush forests of the Western Ghats in south India. It’s an entirely new genus and species named after the Kani, the tribal community that noticed the crabs, and maranjandu, the local colloquial term for tree crab.-read more

Saturday 1 April 2017

New species of wild ginger discovered in DR Congo

In a remote mountainous rainforest in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), scientists have discovered a new species of wild ginger.
The newly described plant — discovered on the Misotshi-Kabogo Massif  located in the Albertine rift — is currently known only from forests at elevations of 1,500-2,000 meters, where it occurs in large patches. It is locally abundant, and can be seen flowering at the peak of the rainy season from October to November, researchers report in a new study published in the journal Phytotaxa.-READ MORE

Three new frog species found in disappearing Atlantic Forest

Three new “cryptic” species of frog have been discovered in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, one of the the world’s most degraded biodiversity hotspots. On looks alone, the new species are nearly identical to their brethren in the genus Chiasmocleis, so the researchers relied on DNA and skeletal analysis to make the discovery, which was published in PeerJ last month.
“Morphologically, they were very similar, so until we had additional points of data, we really didn’t know what to look for,” Rafael de Sá, a study co-author and researcher at the University of Richmond, told Mongabay.
It’s what’s on the inside that matters – at least for cryptic species, organisms that appear nearly identical yet are genetically distinct. What makes them cryptic, of course, makes them difficult to identify, obliging scientists to dig deep into their toolbox.
To discover Chiasmocleis migueli, C. veracruz, and C. altomontana – three new additions to the genus commonly known as “humming frogs” – the researchers first turned to molecular analysis. Using DNA from several specimens that were collected from the field, the researchers produced what’s called a “phylogenetic tree,” a hypothesis of genetic relationships, not so unlike a family tree. The tree revealed three genetically distinct “clusters” – each representing a new candidate species, in this case – sending the first strong signal of an impending discovery.
In search of another line of evidence, the researchers then analyzed skeletons of each specimen.-READ MORE

New species of crocodile-like dinosaur discovered

Scientists have identified a new species of tyrannosaur dinosaur and found their face was covered in a scaly protective layer with a high degree of tactile sensitivity, similar to crocodiles.
Researchers, including those from University of New Mexico in the US, identified and named the new species of the tyrannosaur clan: Daspletosaurus horneri - Horners Frightful Lizard.
They analysed the texture of the facial bones of the new species found at the banks of Montana river in the US.
"Being a tyrannosaur, they had really small arms," said Jason R Moore of University of New Mexico.
"They would not be able to interact with their environment with their hands the way mammals do - find food, build nests, tend to eggs and young. In order to do these things, Daspletosaurus needed to use its feet or head," said Moore.
"The discovery and analysis of the tyrannosaur shows that the dinosaur had a developed face sensitivity similar to the sensitivity in our finger tips, suggesting it could use its snout for all those complex ecological interactions, similar to the way crocodiles do today," Moore -READ MORE

New 'Maerdy Monster' millipede species found at coal mine

The Maerdy MonsterA millipede found at an old Welsh coal mine - dubbed the "Maerdy Monster" - is a new species, according to experts.
The bug, found by a naturalist group at the former Maerdy colliery, in Rhondda Cynon Taff, is distinct from the other known groups of millipede species.
Steve Gregory, of the British Myriapod and Isopod Group (BMIG), said the 12mm (0.5in) species is new to science as it is "unknown and undescribed".
BMIG believe it is the first millipede species found in the UK since 1993.
Mr Gregory said it belonged to the Turdulisoma and Haplobainosomatidae family.
The creatures are usually found across the Iberian Peninsula and it is not known how the millipede came to be in south Wales.
Experts said it could have been accidentally introduced via imported industrial -READ MORE