Saturday 29 July 2017

Three newly-found species of grape-sized frog discovered in Peru are already threatened with extinction

Three tiny species of frogs as small as a grape have been found hopping around the forests of Peru.
Conservationists have spent more than five years surveying the Montane forests in the central region and have discovered a number of previously unknown species.
Although their home is protected, the creatures face threats from habitat loss, the deadly chytrid skin fungus and climate change, they warn.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4738902/Three-species-frogs-small-grapes-Peru.html#ixzz4oDyord9b
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New lanternshark

Researchers have identified a new species of miniature lanternshark that glows in the dark. 
The shark, which measures 14.5 inches long (36.8 centimeters) and weighs less than two pounds (0.9 kilograms), was serendipitously found 1,000 feet (305 meters) below the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
The species, called Etmopterus lailae, was first discovered 17 years ago, but it's only just now been identified.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4733016/New-shark-species-glows-dark-huge-nose.html#ixzz4oDyXoGLH
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Saturday 22 July 2017

Biologists find clues to a 'ghost' species of ancient human in Africa and say interbreeding between early hominin species was 'the norm'

Ancient human ancestors that can be traced to populations alive today may have engaged in ‘sexual rendezvous’ with a ‘ghost’ species of archaic humans.
In a new analysis of a protein found in saliva, researchers discovered evidence of archaic admixture in modern people living in sub-Saharan Africa, indicating that another species had contributed to the genetic material of their ancestors.
The experts say it appears that interbreeding was common among early hominin species – but, with no fossils of the mysterious species in question, it’s considered a ‘ghost.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4719274/Biologists-clues-ghost-species-ancient-human.html#ixzz4n0O2YhBb
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Rare discovery of three new toad species in Nevada's Great Basin

A recently discovered new species of toad, the Dixie Valley toad, was found by a team from the University of Nevada, Reno in a spring-fed marsh in the Great Basin of Nevada, which was once covered by large marshes and giant inland lakes during the Pleistocene Epoch and is now among the most arid regions in the United States with only one percent of the landscape containing water.
Credit: Mike Wolterbeek, University of Nevada, Reno
Three new species of toads have been discovered living in Nevada's Great Basin in an expansive survey of the 190,000 square mile ancient lake bottom. Discoveries of new amphibians are extremely rare in the United States with only three new frog species discovered since 1985 -- and toad species are even more rare, with the last species discovered north of Mexico, the now extinct Wyoming toad, in 1968.
"We've found the toads in small, wet habitats surrounded by high-desert completely cut off from other populations," Dick Tracy, -read more

'Fascinating' 71 million-year-old bird-like dinosaur the size of a HUMAN is found in Canada

A colourful bird-like dinosaur that was almost as big as a man has been identified by scientists.
The blue and beige feathered creature stalked the Canadian 'badlands' of Alberta 71 million years ago.
Its remains had been dug up over the years in what is now Red Deer River Valley, a famous dinosaur graveyard, but it's only now that a true picture of it has emerged. 
The study suggests that more detailed studies of fragmentary fossils may reveal more, currently unrecognised, species.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4703944/New-species-bird-like-dinosaur-discovered-Canada.html#ixzz4n0Mh8M2y
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Massive two-ton species of the world's largest bony fish is finally discovered after hiding away in the ocean's depths for centuries

A bizarre species of giant fish that spent 130 years evading detection by scientists has finally been revealed.
The previously unknown species has been named the Hoodwinker Sunfish, or Mola tecta, thanks to its ability to hide for so long. 
It was discovered after a four-year search by an Australian student whose research led her to suspect the existence of a previously undiscovered sunfish species.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4717484/Bizarre-new-species-fish-discovered-Bali.html#ixzz4n0MIIDjX
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Saturday 15 July 2017

New fish species found in South America, named after Irish singer Enya

AN FRANCISCO, July 10 (Xinhua) -- A team of researchers have named a new species of fish from the Orinoco River, one of the longest rivers in South America at 2,140 kilometers after Irish singer and songwriter Enya.
Leporinus enyae is a "beautiful little fish," said Michael Burns, a doctoral candidate at Oregon State University (OSU) and lead author on the paper describing the new species as well another from the Xingu River of Brazil published this week in the journal Neotropical Ichthyology.
In 1988, Enya released a lead single titled "Orinoco Flow" from her second studio album, which went on to become an international hit, earn a Grammy Award nomination, and help launch her wildly successful career.
"Whenever we were in the lab at Oregon State working on the fishes, Ben Frable would always play 'Orinoco Flow,'" said Burns, referring to another graduate student in the lab. "I heard the song so often in the lab it got stuck in my head," co-author Marcus Chatfield said. "Then I just started listening to it on purpose when I was taking measurements of the specimens. When the time came around for choosing names, it just felt right to name this new beautiful fish from the Orinoco after the artist who wrote that beautiful song."-read more

NEW SPECIES OF GREEN-EYED CRAB HAS AN ODD HOME: A COAT OF LIVE ANIMALS

This is the story of the green-eyed hermit crab, and it's coat of many creatures. Most hermit crabs live in shells not of their own making, taking the cast-offs of clams, shellfish and the like. But this newfound species of hermit found off the west coast of South Africa takes a different path: It lives within a colony of living, anemone-like animals. (Anemones are ornate polyps with tentacles used to catch and feed on small fish and the like.) 
The new species was discovered during a survey of life on the seafloor during a research cruise in 2013, but was only fully described in a study published recently in the journalZooKeys. The most striking feature of the crab, dubbed Paragiopagurus atkinsonae, is its green eyes. Why does it have green eyes? Nobody knows. -read more and see video

New species of ancient bird discovered in New Mexico

—A new species of ancient bird has been discovered by a trio of researchers working in the New Mexico desert—its fossilized remains were found in the Nacimiento Formation in the San Juan Basin. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Daniel Ksepka with the Bruce Museum, Thomas Stidham with the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Thomas Williamson with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History describe the fossil that was found and how it contributes to better understand bird evolution after the massive die-off that led to the extinction of most of the dinosaurs.
Approximately 65 million years ago, planetary scientists believe, a large asteroid struck the Earth near what is now the Yucatan Peninsula. The impact and its aftermath were so massive that it caused the extinction of approximately 70 percent of plants and animals on the planet. Scientists have been able to piece together what happened to many land animals in the millions of years after the great extinction, but little progress has been made regarding birds. Because their bones are smaller and more fragile, birds do not fossilize as well as other animals. Thus, they leave behind fewer traces of their existence. That is why the new find is so important—because it is helping to fill in the phylogenetic tree


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-species-ancient-bird-mexico.html#jCp

Pink Salmon warning after species found in Irish rivers

A non-native species of salmon has been found in rivers along the west coast of Ireland, causing concern among Irish fishing authorities.
Inland Fisheries Ireland said the pink salmon, which are of Pacific origin, were found in rivers in Counties Galway, Mayo and Donegal.
The fishing board said it was concerned about the impact the fish may have on Ireland's Atlantic species.
The pink salmon was also found earlier this month in Scotland.
Pink Salmon, also known as humpback salmon, originate from the west coasts of the United States, Canada and northern Asia.
The fish are a favourite prey of North America's grizzly bears.
A potentially invasive species to the UK, the salmon may be related to fish introduced to the Barents Sea in Russia in the 1950s.-read more

Sunday 9 July 2017

New Species “Cobble Skink” Turns up Outside of New Zealand Pub

The Cobble Skink was discovered in 2007 but was discovered to be threatened by invasive species and climate change. Conservationists are stepping in to protect them.

Imagine stepping outside of your local pub and discovering a species that no one knew existed. This is exactly what happened to reptile expert Tony Jewell in 2007 when he spotted a small skink hiding in the cobblestones while walking out of a pub in Granity, New Zealand.
The “Cobble Skink” as it has been nicknamed is endemic to Granity and lives amongst the rocks that cover the beach. Researchers believe that the skink’s distinctive, large eyes help it maneuver through the dark crevices of the cobblestone beach. Unfortunately, these adaptations have not helped the skink avoid predation by invasive -read more
here is some more information as supplied by cindy fairhall -I used to live up the hill from Granity, where the "cobble skink" was discovered. This was in the mid 1980s and there was talk of skinks, weasels and stoats but I can't say I've heard of the "cobble" form. For those that don't know or are interested, Granity is a tiny village,perhaps these days with a population of less than 100 individuals. It sports one pub, and a bunch of houses that follow the main highway and it backs onto the Tasman Sea. The beach is extremely stony, covered in boulders that average the size of two fists roughly. I think they're made of greywacke and are prized in suburban gardens. As you walk up the hill towards MIllerton (where my friends and I lived), at night you will see glow worms doing their thing in the bush. Past Millerton is a township called Stockton. It's been pretty much destroyed through open coast coal mining. It is here that the worlds largest snails existed in a really small area and were "rescued" and put into "safe storage" whilst a decision was made on where the best place to relocate them would be. Unfortunately, for these cool and very rare creatures, someone turned the electricity off, and they all died. The coolest thing about these very cool snails, is they carried their shells on their sides. Like a disc, rather than upright. The shell was about 4cm in diameter, IIRC.

Saturday 8 July 2017

Meet the Lassen Pack: New family of gray wolves found in Northern California

A recently discovered gray wolf pack is now the second-known family of the endangered species to call the Northern California wilderness home, state wildlife officials confirmed Wednesday.
Known as the Lassen Pack, the family includes two adult gray wolves and at least three pups.
The pups and the group’s matriarch were tracked this summer crossing into industrial timberlands and private and public properties throughout western Lassen County, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The pack also has ventured into Plumas County.
The family’s arrival comes two years after the first pack of gray wolves was spotted in the area since the 1920s. In 2014, state wildlife authorities added gray wolves to California's endangered species list.-read more

Why Are There Two SexS

Sex is one of the greatest mysteries in biology. Why on earth do most large complex animals have two sexes? Asexual reproduction can efficiently produce twice as many offspring as sexual reproduction without the complications of finding and courting a mate. There must be major benefits to having two sexes, but if so, why shouldn’t three sexes be even better? Isaac Asimov explored this complicated scenario in his 1972 Nebula Award-winning novel “The Gods Themselves,” and he wasn’t the only science fiction writer to do so. Is there some reason why three is definitely a crowd?
Many biological hypotheses have been proposed to explain the -read more

New species of yeast could help beer brewers reach new heights

Researchers at the University of Manchester have discovered a new species of yeast that could help brewers create better lager.
Working in collaboration with the National Collection of Yeast Cultures (NCYC), the team say it is a new of member of the Saccharomyces family and is closely related to the familiar brewers' and bakers' yeast.
However, this new  was found at altitude, growing more than 1000 metres above sea level on an oak tree in Saint Auban, in the foothills of the French Alps. To survive at this altitude, the yeast has developed an ability to tolerate colder conditions than most other known strains of Saccharomyces yeasts.
Professor Daniela Delneri, from the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology at The University of Manchester, said: "This ability is of interest to brewers, as lagers rely on yeasts that thrive in the cold; it also open the opportunity to create arrays of novel yeast hybrids with improved biotechnological traits."
Yeasts also play a major role in many industrial biotechnology applications that rely on their fermentation, and a yeast that operates at lower temperatures opens up potential new applications in this field.
Dr Steve James from (NCYC), which is based on the Norwich Research Park, said: "This is the first new species belonging to the brewing yeast family to be discovered since 2011. It's really exciting to find this new Saccharomyces yeast, as it extends even further the genetic diversity from which we can draw in the yeast gene pool."
As well as their familiar roles in brewing and baking, yeasts are one of the best model organisms scientists use to study


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-species-yeast-beer-brewers-heights.html#jCp

Saturday 1 July 2017

Five new species in world’s largest tree genus found on Sulawesi

The Indonesian island of Sulawesi’s unique fauna has received far more attention than its flora. But the authors of a study describing five new tree species — the first new species belonging to the world’s largest tree genus found on Sulawesi in 167 years — hope to change that.
Syzygium is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the myrtle family that contains more than 1,500 species. Only 14 of those were previously known to occur on Sulawesi, the world’s eleventh-largest island, however. By comparison, Borneo, Sulawesi’s larger neighbor to the west (and the third largest island in the world), is home to around 200 Syzygium species.
PhD student Fabian Brambach was part of a team of ecologists with Germany’s University of Göttingen who collected specimens of the newly discovered species while doing fieldwork in the mountain rainforests of Sulawesi’s Lore Lindu National Park. The researchers couldn’t identify some of the myrtle species they’d sampled when they got back to their lab. Brambach says that, in addition to the general lack of knowledge about the botanical richness of Sulawesi, that might be due to the abundance of known species in Syzygium, which could have discouraged researchers from focusing on the genus in the past.
One of the newly described species, Syzygium balgooyi. Photo by Fabian Brambach.
“This is probably why our basic knowledge of the taxonomy of Syzygium hasn’t improved much since the early days of botanical exploration of the region in the first half of the 19th century,” Brambach, the lead author of a paper describing the -read more

Researchers discover a new species of whale 30 million years after it swam through the Lowcountry

Fang-like front chompers. Back molars shaped like scallop shells. The odd teeth struck the researchers in their first glance.
The fossil pulled from the Wando River was a whale no one had ever seen before.
We're not talking teeny. The jagged teeth gape from a squat skull that looks as ferocious as a crocodile. The whale would have weighed 125 tons — the weight of 20 African elephants.-read more

New plant species discovered in new national park in Australia

Fruit of Solanum jobsonii, a relative of the cultivated eggplant.
Credit: Chris Martine
A team of botanists from the US has named a new bush tomato species, based on collections made by their Australian colleagues, during government-funded surveys in a brand new national park.
After looking at collections from biodiversity surveys of a 10,000 km2 area now known as Limmen National Park, Bucknell University biology professor, Chris Martine, decided to form an expedition to relocate and describe a mysterious bush tomato uncovered during the government-sponsored studies.
A year later, Martine and his co-authors, including an undergraduate student, have published the new species in the open access journal PhytoKeys. The discovery offers a powerful case for investing in conservation through park systems at a time when these systems are under threat.
For the team of US scientists, knowing where to go was one challenge, but understanding the landscape in such a remote corner of the Australian Northern Territory and figuring out how -read more

Scientists have discovered a new species of deep-sea worm

Scientists have released a trove of photographs of marine animals, captured in the depths the Australia's eastern abyss.
From shortarse deelerfish and flesh-eating crustaceans to zombie worms and sea pigs, the team from Museums Victoria uncovered a whole range of nightmare-inducing creatures.
But the one that appears to have been generating the most interest is the so-called peanut worm, which bears an unfortunate resemblance to a certain male appendage.-read more

Meet a new species of flying squirrel, discovered by North Carolina researchers


Researchers have discovered America’s newest mammal – a new type of flying squirrel.
A team led by UNC-Wilmington associate professor of biology Brian Arbogast has discovered “Humboldt’s flying squirrel” and published its findings in “Genetic Data Reveal a Cryptic Species of New World Flying Squirrel: Glaucomys oregonesis,” in the Journal of Mammologyaccording to the university. Their work also was featured on National Geographic’s website.
The new species was named for the famous geographer and naturalist, Alexander von Humboldt.-read more

Four new species of burrowing frogs discovered in India

Scientists have described four new species of burrowing frogs in India, adding to the rapidly growing list of new amphibian species that have recently been discovered in the country.
The frogs — which burrow and live underground — belong to the genus Fejervarya, researchers report in a new study published in Zootaxa.
For a long time, scientists believed that the aptly named Rufescent Burrowing Frog (Fejervarya rufescens) was the only frog within the Fejervarya genus to build its home underground. The frog was also considered to be widely distributed in the Western Ghats in India. But its secretive burrowing lifestyle meant that the amphibian rarely surfaced and so was seldom encountered. Consequently, the species remained little studied.-read more

Newly discovered and endangered: The Blue-winged Amazon parrot

A parrot with unusual blue plumage and a distinctive squawk has been identified in Mexico as a new species.
The blue-winged Amazon has a distinctive shape, colour pattern, call and behaviour and evolved from the White-fronted parrot around 120,000 years ago.
It joins just two parrots from the Amazon parrot family, the red-crowned amazon and lilac-crowned amazon, to be found only in Mexico.
And because of the species' small range and rarity scientists claim they should be classified as endangered. 


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-4643064/New-species-parrot-Mexico.html#ixzz4kvHzLpRH
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