New species of fish discovered in Arunachal - Exostoma Tenuicaudata

A new species of glyptosternine catfish, christened Exostoma Tenuicaudata has been discovered by scientists of Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).

This is only one of nine species under the Exostoma genus found in the world and second discovery of the genus in over a century, ZSI scientists said.

A team of ZSI scientists caught the fish from Siang river in Upper Siang district here recently and the report of the discovery was published in 'Zootaxa', a New Zealand-based science journal.

Read more at http://www.thestatesman.com/news/northeast/new-species-of-fish-discovered-in-arunachal/112435.html#oYAmlK41wG5GlFUp.99

Biologists think they've found a new dwarf crayfish species in the Black Warrior River

Alabama already boasts more species of crayfish than any other state, but the number of distinct species seems likely to go up in 2016. 

Biologists working within the Black Warrior River floodplain in Hale County say they've found a new species of dwarf crayfish that is previously unknown to science, and plan to publish their findings and name the species in the spring of 2016. 

University of Alabama PhD candidate Michael Kendrick led the surveys along with -READ MORE AND SEE PHOTO GALLERY -http://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2015/12/new_dwarf_crayfish_species_in.html

New species called the ninja lanternshark is discovered

It’s not often that someone discovers a new species, especially when it’s been under their nose for years.

A shark collected during a research expedition in 2010 turns out to be a ninja lanternshark, a brand new species of shark, so named because it is all black, which is how a ninja is typically dressed.READ MORE AND WATCH VIDEO-http://fox8.com/2015/12/25/new-species-called-the-ninja-lanternshark-is-discovered/

Crows' tool time captured on camera

Ecologists have used a tail-mounted "crow cam" to catch wild New Caledonian crows in the act of making and using hook-shaped tools.

This species is well-known for its clever tool tricks, but studying its behaviour in the wild is difficult.

These tiny cameras peer forwards beneath the birds' bellies and record precious, uninhibited footage.

As well as glimpsing two crows making special foraging hooks, the team was able to track their activity over time.

This "activity budget" offers a rare insight into the natural lives of New Caledonian -read more and watch video on bbc link-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35159872

'Underwater Christmas trees' help restore key habitat

Australian researchers are encouraging people to buy "underwater Christmas trees" to help restore seaweed that suddenly disappeared in the 1980s.

Poor water quality was blamed for the loss of crayweed from 43 miles (70km) of coastline around Sydney.

But as the water quality has improved, scientists are now replanting the seaweed that provides a vital habitat and food for marine life.

Scientists expect the replanted seaweed to recolonise the shallow, rocky reefs.

"These forests of seaweed are very important, not only because they provide important habitats and food for many little creatures, some of which are commercially very important, they can also sequester a significant amount of carbon," explained project leader Ezequiel Marzinelli, a senior research associate at the University of New South Wales.read more on bbc link-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35126133

Cichlid fish from a tiny volcanic crater lake in Africa have been caught in the act of sympatric speciation, whereby a new species evolves when there is no geographic barrier to physically separate the new species from the old. The study, led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and co-authored by the University of Bristol, is published today in Science.

Cichlid fish from a tiny volcanic crater lake in Africa have been caught in the act of sympatric speciation, whereby a new species evolves when there is no geographic barrier to physically separate the new species from the old. The study, led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and co-authored by the University of Bristol, is published today in Science.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-12-darwin-puddle-species-emerge-geographic.html#jCp

New species of ‘sail-backed’ dinosaur, found in Spain

Named Morelladon beltrani, it was a medium-sized styracosternan ornithopod of around 6 meters long and 2.5 meters high.

Scientists have discovered a new species of unusual ‘sail—backed’ dinosaur in Spain which inhabited the Iberian landmass about 125 million years ago.

Researchers from National University of Distance Education (UNED) in Spain described the species as Morelladon beltrani.

The specimen is a partial skeleton mainly composed of dorsal and sacral vertebrae and pelvic bones, researchers said.

Medium-sized styracosternan ornithopod

Morelladon is a medium-sized styracosternan ornithopod of around 6 meters long and 2.5 meters high, similar in body length and proportions to its relative Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis.

The most conspicuous feature of this new, relatively gracile ornithopod is the presence of tall neural spines on dorsal vertebrae, which the researchers suggest was possibly a ’sail’ used for -READ MORE-http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/new-species-of-sailbacked-dinosaur-found-in-spain/article8000283.ece

A gene for new species is discovered

SALT LAKE CITY, Dec. 17, 2015 - A University of Utah-led study identified a long-sought "hybrid inviability gene" responsible for dead or infertile offspring when two species of fruit flies mate with each other. The discovery sheds light on the genetic and molecular process leading to formation of new species, and may provide clues to how cancer develops. "We knew for decades that something like this gene ought to exist, and our approach finally allowed us to identify it," says biologist Nitin Phadnis, principal author of the study published today in the journal Science. The definition of a species is that it cannot breed successfully with another species, so "to understand speciation is to understand how these reproductive barriers evolved,"READ MORE -http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/uou-agf121115.php

Ancient flightless bird fossil found on B.C. beach identified as new species

A family out for a stroll on southern Vancouver Island stumbled upon the extraordinary fossilized remains of a 25-million-year-old flightless bird that has created a flap in the world of paleontology.

The fossil was in good enough condition for researchers to identify the animal as a new species of a plotopterid, a long-extinct penguin or cormorant-like bird never before found in Canada.

A collarbone from the bird was found inside a slab of rock on a Sooke, B.C., beach.

• 'Oldest bird tracks in world' found in B.C.

It's only the second set of fossilized bird bones found on southern Vancouver Island since 1895, said bird expert Gary Kaiser of the Royal B.C. Museum.

Fossils of birds are extremely rare because the fragile and hollow bones don't hold up to crushing weight, acidic soils and elements like other fossils do.-READ MORE -http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/fossil-bird-bc-1.3367313

New species of human may have shared our caves – and beds

As fire light flickered on the back of the cave, a group of people ate deer, porcupine and otter. Then a man solemnly took a large bone off the fire, broke it in half and sucked the bone marrow out. He then carefully painted the broken bone with red clay and buried it in the cave.

He observed this ritual because this bone belonged to another human species. One they shared not only the forest with, but also their beds.

This is the remarkable – though so far tentative – picture emerging from controversial discoveries from two caves in south-west China. If true, some think it could overturn our understanding of what it means to be human.

Among the discoveries appears to be a primitive human species, which most closely resembles the earliest human species, Homo habilis and Homo erectus.

But while these lived about 2 million years ago, this new species lived just 14,000 years ago, says Darren Curnoe of the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, who lead the team behind the discoveries. This would make it the most recent human species to have gone extinct.

“If true, this would be rather spectacular and it would make the finds of truly global importance,” says Michael Petraglia at the University of Oxford, who wasn’t involved in the discoveries.

The work is excellent, he says, but is likely to leave many in the field unconvinced.READ MORE -https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn28687-new-species-of-human-may-have-shared-our-caves-and-beds/

Several new species of clawed frog discovered in sub-Saharan Africa

African clawed frogs are characterized by their flat bodies and vocal organs which can produce sound underwater, as well as the claws on their first three toes that give them their name. Despite being commonly used as a study subject by developmental biologists, researchers say we're still learning quite a bit about the species. Researchers from Canada's McMaster University say they’ve discovered a wealth of new information on the frog’s evolution using new techniques for analyzing DNA.There are now 29 known species of African clawed frog. Researchers in west and central sub-Saharan Africa say they’ve discovered six new species of the frog and added another, Xenopus calcaratus, back to the list of known species (it had previously been lumped in with a close relative, X. tropicalis). The word Xenopus means “alien foot” or, basically, “strange foot,” in Latin. African clawed frogs live in slow moving or stagnant water, according to a report in PLOS ONE describing the new species. The frogs are also characterized by their flat bodies and vocal organs which can -READ MORE -http://news.mongabay.com/2015/12/several-new-species-of-clawed-frog-discovered-in-sub-saharan-africa/

Seismology of elephants investigated

Could putting vibrations into the ground be a way to keep elephants from coming into conflict with humans?

Already, attempts have been made to scare the animals away from villages using their own very low-frequency alarm calls - with partial success.

Now scientists are studying whether even better results could be obtained if this sound in the air is accompanied also by a seismic signal underfoot.

The work is being led by Prof Sue Webb from Wits University in Johannesburg.

The ultimate goal she said was to try to find a means of keeping everyone safe - both humans and elephants.

"Elephants can be incredibly destructive, especially with people's farmlands," she told BBC News.

"They come on to the farmland and they eat the crops and they push over the houses, and even kill people sometimes.

"So this is a huge problem in some rural parts of Africa and the issue is to try to find a way to keep the elephants out of human areas."

Prof Webb was speaking at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union - the world's largest annual gathering of Earth scientists.-READ MORE AND SEE VIDEO ON BBC LINK-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35129175

200-year-old fossil mystery resolved

Scientists have reconstructed how an ancient reptile swam in the oceans at the time of the dinosaurs.

Computer simulations suggest the plesiosaur moved through the water like a penguin, using its front limbs as paddles and back limbs for steering.

The creature's swimming gait has been a mystery since bones of the first known specimen were dug out of a Dorset cliff 200 years ago.

The plesiosaur was discovered by the fossil hunter Mary Anning in 1821.

At the time even the name dinosaur had not been invented.

A scientific paper unveiling Anning's find a few years later raised the question of how the marine creature swam, given its unusual pairs of wing-like flippers.

The debate has continued until today, with a computer simulation based on a Jurassic fossil specimen providing evidence in favour of penguin-like motion-READ MORE AND WATCH VIDEO ON BBC LINK-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35115195

Synophis zaheri: New Species of Fishing Snake Found in Ecuador

The newfound species, named Synophis zaheri, is a small-sized, non-venomous snake with a slender body and head distinct from neck.

“The species is named after the preeminent Brazilian herpetologist Hussam El-Dine Zaher, for his innumerable contributions to South American herpetology and snake systematics,” Dr Pyron and his colleagues explained in a paper that was published last week in the journal ZooKeys.

Synophis zaheri measures only 14 inches (36 cm) in length. Its eyes are large and bulbous, making up for more than a third of its head.

“Being black in color, it is hard to tell the pupil and the iris apart,” the scientists said.

“While the upper part of the body is grayish-brown with an iridescent sheen, the abdominal side stands out with its yellowish-white coloration.”READ MORE-http://www.sci-news.com/biology/synophis-zaheri-new-species-fishing-snake-ecuador-03495.html

New Plant Bug Genus With Four New Species Identified In Australia

The diverse family of plant bugs (Miridae) just got a little bigger. Researchers from the University of California, Riverside, recently discovered a new genus of plant bug and four new species hidden in Australia.READ MORE http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/18680/20151209/new-plant-bug-genus-four-species-found-australia.htm

Hualianceratops wucaiwanensis,Species of Ceratopsian Dinosaur Discovered in China

This new dinosaur was a distant cousin of the famed ceratopsian dinosaurTriceratops and lived early in the Late Jurassic period, roughly 160 million years ago.

According to a study published this week in the journal PLoS ONE, the find is one of the oldest known of ceratopsians.

The remains of Hualianceratops wucaiwanensis – a partial skull and foot – were collected from the Shishugou Formation of the Junggar Basin, northwestern China.

Like Triceratops, the new species was a plant-eater. But it didn’t have horns and was about the size of a spaniel.

Hualianceratops wucaiwanensis walked on two legs and had ornamental texture on nearly all parts of the skull.-READ MORE -http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/hualianceratops-wucaiwanensis-new-species-ceratopsian-dinosaur-china-03504.html

Hawaii: 74 new species of round-waisted beetle discovered living on Haleakalā volcano

More than 70 new species of beetle have been discovered on one of Hawaii's volcanoes. Researchers announced 74 new round-waisted beetles had been identified on Haleakala volcano, Maui Island, in the latest edition of ZooKeys.

James Liebherr from Cornell University, said the discovery shows how Haleakalā is a centre for biodiversity, with the beetles evolving far faster into new species than normal because of their isolation. The group – Mecyclothorax – came from just one single colonising species, with speciation (splitting into a new species) taking place regularly since it arrived on Maui.READ MORE-http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/hawaii-74-new-species-round-waisted-beetle-discovered-living-haleakal-volcano-1533039

Which Fish Can Live Out of Water?

Some fish didn’t get the memo.

For Saturday’s Weird Animal Question of the Week, Ving Salcedo asked what type of fish can live without water for a small period of time. It turns out quite a few have a fin in both worlds.

Out of the Pool to Get Cool

Several fish are amphibious, meaning they can typically survive out of water,Andy Turko, of the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, says via email.

Turko co-authored a recent study on the mangrove rivulus, a fish that leaps on land when its tropical waters get too warm. (Related: "To Cool Off, This Fish Leaves the Water.")-READ MORE -http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/151205-animals-science-fish-walking-water-oceans/

Puffins and nightingales among 20 new species to join Red List of endangered British birds

The number of British birds whose numbers have declined to dangerously low levels now stands at more than a quarter of the native species in the UK, the latest survey from conservation groups has found. Puffins, curlews and nightingales are among the 20 species to have joined the Red List of endangered British birds, as rural development and overfishing continues to wreak havoc on the feathered population. The additions, which also include merlins, kittiwakes and white-fronted geese, bring the number of bird species on the “threatened” list that frequent the UK to 67 - 27% of the entire population of 244 species, and a significant increase on the 52-READ MORE -http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/puffins-and-nightingales-among-20-new-species-to-join-red-list-of-endangered-british-birds-a6757791.html

Rare 'Velvet Spider' species found in Maharashtra's Melghat

Mumbai: Velvet Spider, a very rare spider species which was believed to be extinct has been found in the jungles of Melghat in Maharashtra's Amravati district.The spider, thought to be extinct from the Indian subcontinent, has been found almost after a gap of 80 years," arachnologist Prof Dr Ganesh N Vankhede of Amravati University said.

This particular arthropod species is known for its woolly black or black and red body structure, he said.-READ MORE -http://zeenews.india.com/news/sci-tech/rare-velvet-spider-species-found-in-maharashtras-melghat_1830352.html

New sand fly species discovered in Brazil

In an attempt to better understand the taxonomy of a group of sand flies, researchers in Brazil examined specimens in museum collections. After detailed morphometric and morphological analyses of three different flies in the genus Psathyromyia, they found that the specimens were originally misidentified and that they were actually an undescribed species. The new species, Psathyromyia baratai, is described in the Journal of Medical Entomology. The species name pays homage to Professor José Maria Soares Barata of the Public Health School of the University of São Paulo for his important contribution to medical entomology, mainly through his teaching and research into the Triatominae.-READ MORE -http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-12/esoa-nsf120315.php

Xiaochelys ningchengensis - Fossil Discovery Reveals New Species of Jehol Turtle

The Jehol Biota is a rich Cretaceous ecosystem preserved in a multi-layered rock formation cropping out in the Chinese provinces of Liaoning, Hebei and Inner Mongolia. A huge variety of ancient organisms became fossilized there 125 million years ago.

Over the course of the last two decades, a large number of turtle fossils were recovered from the Jehol Biota but very few of them were described.

Dr Chang-Fu Zhou of the Shenyang Normal University and Dr Márton Rabi of the University of Tübingen and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences have now identified a new species of Jehol turtle and named it Xiaochelys ningchengensis.

According to a new paper published in the journal Scientific Reports, this new species is so unique that it also represents a new genus.

Dr Rabi and Dr Zhou also investigated its possible relationship with today’s chelonians (turtles, tortoises, and terrapins).READ MORE -http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/xiaochelys-ningchengensis-new-species-jehol-turtle-03485.html

Animals found living in rock deep, deep underground

A wide variety of animals have been found living more than a kilometre underground — far deeper than scientists used to think it was possible for life to thrive.

A new study, published recently in Nature Communications, has discovered 17 species of animals living in water trapped in rock as deep as 1.4 kilometres underground in two South African gold mines. They include:

• A wide variety of worms — flatworms, roundworms, and ringed worms related to earthworms.
• Aquatic organisms called rotifers.
• A copepod, a tiny relative of shrimp.

Some of the same species were found in both mines.

The 17 species found deep underground include a) a flatworm b) a segmented worm c) a roundworm and d) a copepod. (Borgonie et al./Nature Communications)

The discovery of such animals so deep underground "is promising for the search for life on other planets/moons in our solar system," the researchers wrote.-READ MORE -http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/deep-life-rock-kilometre-down-1.3351408

Warty Wonders: Three New Toads Found in Brazil

He and his team had left Paraná, Brazil (map), at the crack of dawn for a long, bumpy ride in a beat-up 4x4. Parking at the base of a mountain called Serra do Quiriri, the group left their vehicle and began a steep ascent into the cloud forest, exhausted and drenched.

Then, Pie heard a quiet croak. Tiptoeing through the forest in nearly complete darkness, he tracked the sound back to a small, red-bellied toad in the branches of a bromeliad. (See "Seven New Mini-Frogs Found—Among Smallest Known.")-READ MORE -http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/151203-toads-brazil-new-species-science-discovery/