Saturday 24 September 2016

Swarms of "super fleas" with large penises to invade Exeter this autumn

The new breed of so called super-fleas, which are far bigger than 'normal' fleas, are expected to come out of hibernation early this yearBillions of 'super-fleas' with massive penises are expected to invade bedrooms across Exeter and beyond this autumn.
The new breed of so called super-fleas, which are far bigger than 'normal' fleas, are expected to come out of hibernation early this year.
The flea has a penis which is two-and-a-half times the length of its body - the largest genitalia relative to size of any bug on earth.
With yesterday being the first day of autumn and the night's drawing in, the fleas are about to leap indoors to relax in our warm homes.
Conditions for flea breeding have been perfect with a mild summer and the right amount of rain and damp weather.
The new flea breed is believed to have come from Europe over the past few years.
Rob Simpson, of pest control group Basis Prompt, warned that the super-fleas will come out of much earlier than expected.
"Fleas which would usually remain dormant for much longer, became active sooner, leading to more prolific breeding and therefore a larger population," he said.
Warm, damp summers and mild winters, along with improved central heating and home insulation, have made life easy for fleas, bed bugs and head lice all year round, and their numbers have risen.read more

Species found in county not endangered

The U.S. Fisheries and Wildlife Service issued two press releases earlier this week after deciding that one local species is not threatened with extinction and another southern Arizona species should be considered endangered.
The Huachuca springsnail, found in Cochise County as well as Santa Cruz County and northern Sonora, Mexico, was one of nine species the service recently determined does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act.
The small aquatic snail — measuring just 1.7 to 3.2 millimeters — continues to occupy a large portion of its historical range and its habitat remains substantially intact. Currently, it is found in 23 of 29 spring sites studied since 2004, and 25 of those 29 sites are “high- or medium-quality habitat,” according to the species status assessment released by the service.

Bizarre new species of extinct reptile shows dinosaurs copied body, skull shapes of distant relatives

Iconic dinosaur shapes were present for at least a hundred million years on our planet in animals before those dinosaurs themselves actually appeared.
In a study in today's (Sept. 22) issue of Current Biology, a multi-institutional team of paleontologists including Virginia Tech College of Science researcher Michelle Stocker have identified and named a new species of extinct reptile estimated to be 230 million years old -- predating dinosaurs.
Called Triopticus primus -- meaning the "First of Three Eyes" because the large natural pit in the top of its head lends the appearance of an "extra"eye -- Triopticus bears an extremely thickened skull roof, just like the very distantly related pachycephalosaur dinosaurs that lived more than 100 million years later. And even more unexpected, many of the other extinct animals found with Triopticus resemble later dinosaurs as well.
"Triopticus is an extraordinary example of evolutionary convergence between the relatives of dinosaurs and crocodylians and later dinosaurs that is much more common than anyone ever expected," Stocker said. "What we thought were unique body shapes in many dinosaurs actually evolved millions of years before in the Triassic Period, about 225 million years ago."-read more

Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri,Devil Frog Vomits Up a New Ant Species

Finding new species may call to mind images of scientists tracking mysterious footprints in the mud or cutting paths through the dense jungle.
But sometimes, a discovery is as easy as getting a frog to open its mouth and say, “Ah.”
Such is the case for Lenomyrmex hoelldobleri, a new tropical ant species found in the belly of a diablito, or little devil frog (Oophaga sylvatica), inEcuador.
The diablito, a kind of bright orange poison frog, is known for its love of ants, says Christian Rabeling, a myrmecologist at the University of Rochester, New York. The new ant species is named after Bert Hölldobler, a German evolutionary biologist and ant expert, for his 80th birthday.
Because ant-eating frogs go hunting for bugs in tiny and hard-to-access places, scientists use them as a tool to go where they can’t go. By capturing a wild frog and flushing their stomachs, the amphibians vomit whatever is in their bellies—revealing potential treasures, like the new ant.
“Sometimes people think that our world is very well explored. Nothing could be farther from the truth,” says Rabeling, who led a new study on read more

Saturday 17 September 2016

New “Singing” Psyllid Species Found in Taiwan

A new species of psyllid has been found in Taiwan and is described in an article in the Annals of the Entomological Society of America. The new species belongs to the genus Trioza, which comprises more than 400 species worldwide.
Trioza acuminatissima feeds on its host plant, Neolitsea acuminatissima(family: Lauraceae), in the larval stage. However, in the adult stage it also feeds on nonhost plants.
It exists in the understory of forests at 1,000-2,000 meters above sea level, and the larvae are known to induce individual pit galls in their host plant.
Like other psylloids, Trioza acuminatissima uses acoustic signals to find mates, with males and females performing acoustic duets to confirm choice before mating. The acoustic signals consist of simple chirps, and are accompanied by rapid wing vibrations.
Interestingly, the authors found that the duration of the chirps depended on what type of plant the adults inhabited.
“Psylloids produce shorter acoustic signals when they are on a nonhost read more

New species of Wisconsin bat discovered in Rock County

Researchers from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources have discovered a new species of tree bat living in Rock County, bringing the official count for species of bats in Wisconsin to eight.
The species, called the evening bat, is the first new species of bat discovered in Wisconsin since 1954. The evening bat is frequently found in the southern United States and has been seen once in Minnesota, but Wisconsin is the first northern state to have a sustained evening bat population, said Owen Boyle, section chief of the DNR National Heritage Conservation branch.
Researchers found the bat living in hollow trees in the Avon Bottom-read more

North Dakota fossils could be new species of ancient marine reptile

A routine dig in northeastern North Dakota may have unearthed an entirely new species of ancient marine reptile that roamed underwater while dinosaurs walked the earth.
Paleontologists with the North Dakota Geological Survey are inching closer to classifying rare skull bones discovered last month during a public dig in the the Pembina Gorge, about 100 miles northwest of Grand Forks. The bones were found in rock formed about 80 million years ago—back when this part of North Dakota was covered in shallow ocean.
Paleontologist Clint Boyd found the bones while digging into rock his team had already fully excavated, or so they thought, the previous summer.
“As I was brushing the back wall of the quarry where the other bones had come from, a little bit of that back wall caved and this bone fell right into my lap,” Boyd said. “We could tell right away as soon as we pulled it out that it was not the same animal we’ve seen elsewhere in the state. The question became what type it could be.”
Boyd’s team is confident the bones belong to a mosasaur, a giant marine reptile known to exist in North Dakota during the dinosaur age. But they do not resemble the bones of the one species of mosasaur previously identified in the state, he said.
The difference was obvious after comparing the animal’s quadrate, an important jaw bone that varies from species to species, with that of the state’s previously known mosasaur, Boyd said.read more

New species found in Danum

Rare sightings: (Clockwise from top left) Begonia, which is quite possibly a new species, a Sumatran pit viper (yellow stripe) and a reticulated python in a fight to the death, an orang utan in its natural habitat and a clouded leopard marking its territory.A team of researchers carrying out a two-week survey at the never-explored areas of Danum Valley has found some rare and new species of flora and fauna.
The team spotted and photographed or caught on camera traps several iconic and rare wildlife species like the pygmy elephant, clouded leopard, orang utan, sun bear, flat-headed cat, hornbill, Bornean bristlehead, pitta, great Argus, and bulwer’s pheasant.read more

Tool-using crow: Rare bird joins clever animal elite

A bird so rare that it is now extinct in the wild has joined a clever animal elite - the Hawaiian crow naturally uses tools to reach food.
The bird now joins just one other corvid - the New Caledonian crow - in this exclusive evolutionary niche.
Dr Christian Rutz from St Andrews University described his realisation that the bird might be an undiscovered tool user as a "eureka moment".
"I've been studying New Caledonian crows for over 10 years now," Dr Rutz told BBC News. "There are more than 40 species of crows and ravens around the world and many of them are poorly studied.
"So I wondered if there were hitherto undiscovered tool users among them."
Previously, Dr Rutz and his colleagues have reported that New Caledonian crows have particular physical features - very straight bills and forward-facing eyes. The researchers suggested these might be tool-using adaptations.read more and watch video

Dinosaur's camouflage pattern revealed

3-D reconstruction of PsittacosaurusScientists have recreated the colour patterns of a dinosaur, revealing a camouflage used by animals today.
A study of a well-preserved Chinese Psittacosaurus fossil shows it had a light underside and was darker on top - an arrangement called counter-shading.
This suggests the species lived in an environment with diffuse light, such as a forest.
As part of their research, the scientists teamed up with an artist to produce a 3-D model of the creature.
The findings by an international team of researchers have been published in Current Biology journal.
Co-author Jakob Vinther, from the University of Bristol, UK, said the camouflage pattern sported by this particular dinosaur "has been shown to function by counter-illuminating shadows on a body, thus making an animal appear optically flat to the eye of the beholder".read more

Saturday 10 September 2016

Prognathodes basabei: New Species of Butterflyfish Discovered in Hawaiian Waters

The Pete Basabe’s butteflyfish (Prognathodes basabei) at a depth of 180 feet (55 m) off Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Image credit: Greg McFall / NOAA.Butterflyfish are the glamour fish of the coral reefs,” said Dr. Richard Pyle of the Bishop Museum, one of the scientists who described the new species.
“They are colorful, beautiful, and have been very well-studied worldwide. Finding a new species of butterflyfish is a rare event.”
Dr. Pyle and his colleague, NOAA scientist Dr. Randall Kosaki, officially named the species Prognathodes basabei and gave it the common name Pete Basabe’s butteflyfish.
“We take great pleasure in naming this species basabei, in honor of Peter K. Basabe, long-time diver, aquarium fish collector and resident of Kona, Hawai‘i, both for his role in the collection of the first specimen of this new species in 1998, and more generally for his extensive contributions and assistance to many researchers in the ichthyological community,” the authors explained.-read more

Four New Wasp Species Identified in China



Four New Wasp Species Identified in China
G. pannuceum (from the Latin word "pannuceus," meaning "wrinkled") gets its name from the wrinkled sheath covering its midbody.
Credit: Jiang-Li Tan
Four species of parasitoid wasps have been discovered in northwest China, a new study reports.
The new species belong to the genus Gasteruption. These wasps have slender bodies and inflated, club-shaped hind legs. They also have elongated necks, and keep their abdomens raised and hind legs dangling during their slow, quiet flights. Their heads have a satin-like sheen and long eyes that extend almost to their mouth, the researchers said.
The four new species — G. bicoloratum, G. huangshii, G. pannuceum andG. shengi — have a body covering that resembles black leather with grooves and stitches. The bugs range in size from 0.3 inches (8 millimeters) long to 0.5 inches (13 mm) long, and females are typically larger than males-read more

Scientists Found New Bivalve Species in Japan

BivalvesScientists have discovered a new bivalve species that prefers living on the body surface of earthworm-like sea cucumbers.
Most of the bivalve species can be found in sand, mud or attached to rock surfaces. However, the newly discovered species of bivalve, described in a paper published in the journal ZooKeys, was found attached to the body of a sea cucumbers living in mudflats at the mouth of the Souzu River in southwestern Shikoku Island, Japan.
The new bivalve, dubbed as Borniopsis mortoni (Galeommatoidea), uses its foot and byssal threads to attach itself to the body surface of its potential host, an earthworm-like sea cucumber called Patinapta ooplax (Synaptidae). Reaching only up to 4.1 mm in length, B. mortoni is considered to be one of the smallest species of the genus.
B. mortoni is characterized by its elongated ovate shells covered by a tan to dark brown periostracum. Researchers believe that the small size of the B. mortoni is adapted to fit in the very narrow burrows of sea cucumbers, which is most likely used to shelter them from predators.read more

New species of crab found hiding in plain sight in Chinese pet market

New crab species (Yuebeipotamon calciatile)Researchers have discovered a colourful new species of freshwater crab, which is also the first of an entirely new genus – the taxonomic rank above species – hiding in plain sight in a Chinese pet market.
There is a growing demand in China for eye-catching pet crabs from the south of the country, which fisherman are trying to meet by collecting and trading the crustaceans, often without knowing exactly what they are selling. These pet markets are often good starting points for scientists on the hunt for new species.read more

Giraffe genetic secret: Four species of tallest mammal identified

GiraffeIt is a famous, gentle giant of the African savannah, but the giraffe's genetics have just revealed that there is not one species, but four.
Giraffes have previously been recognised to be a single species divided into several sub-species.
But this latest study of their DNA suggests that four groups of giraffes have not cross-bred and exchanged genetic material for millions of years.
This is a clear indication that they have evolved into distinct species.
The study published in the journal Current Biology has rewritten the biology of Earth's tallest mammal.
The scientists say their findings could inform the conservation efforts for all four species of giraffe.
Conservation was the catalyst for this genetic research; the Giraffe Conservation Foundation asked the team to carry out genetic analysis of giraffes in Namibia.
The foundation wanted to understand the genetic differences between different giraffe populations, to see how the animals might be affected if different subspecies were mixed together when animals were moved into protected areas.read more

Saturday 3 September 2016

New species of snake discovered in Madagascar by a team of researchers has been named ghost snake

New-species-of-snake-discovered-in-Madagascar-by-a-team-of-researchers-has-been-named-ghost-snake---indialivetoday A new species of snake discovered in Madagascar by a team of researchers has been named “ghost snake” for its pale grey colour and elusiveness.
The ghost snake was found within the Ankarana National Park in northern Madagascar in February 2014.
The snake is part of a common group of snakes called Madagascarophis, or cat-eyed snakes, named for the vertical pupils often found among them. They are active in the evening or night, the researchers said.
“None of the other snakes in Madagascarophis are as pale or have this distinct pattern,” said lead author Sara Ruane, post-doctoral researcher at the Louisiana State University’s Museum of Natural Science, US.
The team studied the snake’s physical characteristics that includes counting all of the scales on its belly, its back, including how many scales touch the eye and the number of scales on the upper and lower lips.
They also extracted DNA from tissue samples of the ghost snake and the previously found Madagascarophis -READ MORE

200 million-year-old intact skull of a new species of pterosaur is found in Patagoni

Scientists have announced the discovery of a new species of pterosaur from the Patagonia region of South America. Pictured is an artist's impression Scientists have discovered a new species of 200-million-year-old pterosaur from the Patagonia region of South America.
Remarkably, the brain case of the flying reptile was well preserved, offering scientists a new look at the pterosaur's brain anatomy.
The researchers have named this new species 'Allkauren koi' from the native Tehuelche word 'all' for 'brain', and 'karuen' for 'ancient'.read more