Boophis ankarafensis,New Frog Species Found In Madagascar, On The Verge of Extinction

An MSc Student from the University of Bristol, Samuel Penny, found a new species of frog in the forests of Madagascar while studying the amphibians in the Sahamalaza Peninsula as a part of his masters degree, reported Bristol 24-7.

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REUTERS/Ali Hashisho
A frog is pictured in Anan Lake near Lebanon's southern city of Sidon April 9, 2014.

The new species, named Boophis ankarafensis, is green with bright red specks on its back and head, found on the banks of the streams in the Akarafa Forest, is already on the verge of extinction. Only 56 of the brightly coloured tree frogs were found on the banks of two streams and is believed to be limited to this location as no such species were found anywhere else on the island by the researchers.
The adult males grow to about twenty-three to twenty-four millimetres in length and were around 0.5 to 2 metres above the ground, within close proximity to each other, on different leaves on the same branch while the females grow to around twenty-eight to twenty-nine millimetres.

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Samuel said that the beautiful frogs had a distinctive call and by placing sound recorders at the breeding sites, he could come out with its distribution around the area of the Sahamalaza Peninsula. He added that this detailed information enhanced their knowledge of the acoustic variety between the frogs as well as how its pattern of calling changed during the course of the night. 

The information about the species is published in the journal Zoo Keys, authored by Samuel along with an international team of scientists. They said that the frog's call is a triple click rather than the usual double and that they have not been detected anywhere else yet and could be a local endemic.
The researchers have said that though it was found inside a National Park, the frogs are threatened due to decline in quality and extent of its habitat. They also suggest that the new species should be classified as critically endangered based on the criteria of the IUCN Red List.
The protection of these species is important as there is so much to be learnt about them as they are newly discovered. Norm Dicks, a member of the Democratic Party in the U.S., said, "The Endangered Species Act is the strongest and most effective tool we have to repair the environmental harm that is causing a species to decline.

Exotic grains from cosmos identified

Scientists may have identified the first known dust particles from outside our Solar System, in samples returned to Earth by a Nasa space mission.
A team of scientists, with the help of more than 30,000 worldwide citizens, has identified seven exotic grains.
The material was captured by the Stardust spacecraft and brought back to Earth in 2006.
The region between stars - interstellar space - is not entirely empty, but is filled with microscopic particles.
The material that forms interstellar dust is a product of the aeons of stellar birth, evolution and death that went into building our cosmic neighbourhood.
These molecules originated in the extremely hot interior of other stars and were expelled into interstellar space where they condensed into tiny rocks as they cooled down.
Having these particles on Earth means that scientists can characterise them in unprecedented detail. The composition and structure of the collected samples could help explain the origin and evolution of dust in space.-READ MORE

EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT SEEN BY MARK ANTONY RAINES GHOSTMAN

Did i see a giant japanese wasp in jon/corinna downes cfz garden.We cleaning up on 15 heard a buzzing sound when looked down saw a bigger than average wasp told jon/corinna who witness this tried to capture but escaped metioned to richard frreman and lars thomas who said was possible but rare.or a german wasp

MUTANT FLIES

GM Flies could save crops ,this is a type of genetically engineered fly that eventually kills itself and is believed to bean effective pest control.The male mutant fly have a gene which interrupts female development,when trialled in a greenhouse the population collapsed making in theory a cheap environmentally way to prevent crop damage.  

Exmoor Zoo’s new arrival now on show

EXMOOR ZOO say they are ‘delighted’ to announce that their rare baby black lemur, born on April 30, is now on show for visitors to see.
The new arrival is a baby girl who is already spending time away from her mum, Copper, to explore the enclosure herself.
Head keeper Derek Gibson said: “She was a great surprise to us all. Herbert her dad was born here in April 2007 while Copper came from Dudley Zoo and is now 16 years old (equivalent to about 55 years of age in people terms), so it was a great moment.”

Endangered tansy beetle found on Woodwalton Fen nature reserve near Huntingdon - only the second site in the UK

A critically endangered beetle has been found living at the Woodwalton Fen National Nature Reserve near Huntingdon.
The once-common tansy beetle had been thought to be clinging on at a single site in the UK along the bank of the River Ouse in York.
But now the attractive iridescent green beetle with a coppery sheen has been found at Woodwalton where it was last recorded 40 years ago.
The beetle, which takes its name from the tansy plant it lives on, is critically endangered, not just in the UK, but across its worldwide range.
It is a conservation priority species in England which means that public bodies have a duty to protect it, together with it habitat.
Alan Bowley, senior reserve manager at Natural England, said: “This is such an exciting find.
“Woodwalton Fen is an isolated fragment of a one much larger wetland and so rare animals are always at risk of extinction, but this demonstrates how important these sites are for providing a refuge for these species to survive against the odds.”
He said: “There is only one other site in Britain where this beautiful creature is found and we will be working hard to try and ensure it can flourish here.

Read more: http://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/Huntingdon-St-Ives-St-Neots/Endangered-tansy-beetle-found-on-Woodwalton-Fen-nature-reserve-near-Huntingdon-only-the-second-site-in-the-UK-20140806160146.htm#ixzz3A0a97O2A

Ant colony 'personalities' shaped by environment

Ant colonies have their own personalities, which are shaped by the environment, a US study suggests.

Colonies of several hundred ants show consistent differences in the way they behave, just like individual people do.
Certain behaviours go together - for example, a colony that explores more widely for food also tends to respond more aggressively to an intruder.
Such a colony has a more "risk-taking" personality and this was more common in the north, where the climate is colder.
"I'm really interested in why personalities exist," said Sarah Bengston, a PhD student at the University of Arizona who led the research. Her study is published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
Ms Bengston explained that although we know most animals have personalities, we do not yet understand why these evolved.
"Sometimes individuals behave differently from one another, and when they do that repeatedly through time, we say that they have a personality."

The rock ants in the study are tiny (pictured with a one cent coin) but show consistent behaviour in colonies

As such, there is nothing to stop a colony of insects from having a personality - as Ms Bengston found when she tracked how colonies behaved up and down the western US, both in the wild and when she bundled them up and watched them in the lab.-READ MORE