India richer by 349 new species

The flower Impatiens paramjitiana. Photo: BSI/ZSI

June 11, 2015, www.thehindu.com | “The list of new discoveries by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), both headquartered here, were released on the World Environment Day on June 5.  ‘Of the new plants, some of the significant findings include nine new taxa of wild Musa (bananas), four species of black plum (jamun), three species of wild gingibers and 10 species of orchids,’ BSI director Paramjit Singh told The Hindu.”

Kannan Ambalam shared a link to GoodNews FortheEarth‘s Timeline.
At a time when plants and animals are under threat across the world, nature lovers and conservationists in India have 349 reasons to feel happy. Scientists and taxonomists of the country have discovered 349 new species
thehindu.com|By Shiv Sahay Singh
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Hope in the Heart of Darkness: huge population of chimpanzees discovered in the DRC

May 20, 2014, news.mongabay.com | “After weeks of slogging through thigh deep mud on hired motorbikes, passing dozens of bushmeat vendors offering everything from okapi skins to monkey meat to chained chimpanzee orphans, Dr. Thurston C. Hicks and his colleagues had finally arrived at their goal: they were sitting in a clearing in the legendary Gangu Forest, one of the most remote and pristine stretches of wilderness remaining in Africa.”

Huge population of Chimpanzees discovered in the Congo
news.mongabay.com
A recent study describes a new population of chimpanzees, which forms a continuous cultural group inhabiting an area of at least 50,000 square kilometers (19,000 square miles). The…”
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Scientists make one of the biggest animal discoveries of the century: a new tapir

Painting of the new tapir species. Painting courtesy of Fabrício R. Santos.

December 16, 2013, news.mongabay.com | “In what will likely be considered one of the biggest (literally) zoological discoveries of the Twenty-First Century, scientists today announced they have discovered a new species of tapir in Brazil and Colombia. The new mammal, hidden from science but known to local indigenous tribes, is actually one of the biggest animals on the continent, although it’s still the smallest living tapir. Described in the Journal of Mammalogy, the scientists have named the new tapir Tapirus kabomani after the name for “tapir” in the local Paumari language: “Arabo kabomani.””

 

Scientists make one of the biggest animal discoveries of the century: a new tapir
news.mongabay.com
In what will likely be considered one of the biggest (literally) zoological discoveries of the Twenty-First Century, scientists today announced they have discovered a new species of tapir in Brazil and Colombia. The new mammal, hidden from science but known to local indigenous tribes, is actually on…
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Two new species of octocorals discovered in the Pacific Ocean

Pink polyps of new species. Photo by: Marc Chamberlain

September 4, 2013, news.mongabay.com | “The vast expanse of the Earth’s oceans makes finding a new species like finding a needle in a haystack. In fact, finding a needle in a haystack may be easier than finding a new species of octocoral in the Pacific Ocean. But Gary Williams with the California Academy of Sciences has recently found not only one but two new species, including a new genus of octocoral. In a recent paper published in the journal Zookeys, Williams provides a taxonomic assessment of two new colorful species of soft coral and a new genus to accommodate a bright red sea fan.”

“It is these types of unexpected discoveries in presumably well-explored areas of the world that keep expanding our understanding of global biodiversity.”
http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0804-fessenden-new-species-octocorals.html?n3ws1ttr
Finding a needle in a haystack: two new species of octocorals discovered in the Pacific Ocean
news.mongabay.com

 

‘Beautiful’ new snake discovered in Cambodia

Photo: New "beautiful" snake discovered in Cambodia (photo)http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0716-hance-kukri-new.htmlScientists have discovered a new snake species in the biodiverse rainforests of the Cardamom Mountains, reports Fauna & Flora International (FFI). The new reddish-hued serpent has been named after its country of origin by native herpetologist Neang Thy: the Cambodian kukri (Oligodon kampucheaensis).

July 16, 2012, mongabay.com | “Scientists have discovered a new snake species in the biodiverse rainforests of the Cardamom Mountains, reports Fauna & Flora International (FFI). The new reddish-hued serpent has been named after its country of origin by native herpetologist Neang Thy: the Cambodian kukri (Oligodon kampucheaensis).”

“~ Nature is full of surprises!
New “beautiful” snake discovered in Cambodia (photo)
http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0716-hance-kukri-new.html
Scientists have discovered a new snake species in the biodiverse rainforests of the Cardamom Mountains, reports Fauna & Flora International (FFI). The new reddish-hued serpent has been named after its country of origin by native herpetologist Neang Thy: the Cambodian kukri (Oligodon kampucheaensis).”
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Google Earth used to discover unknown forest in Angola, scientists find it full of rare birds

The forests of Mount Moco were once considered the largest montane forests left in Angola, until researchers discovered more forsts in the Namba Mountains. Photo courtesy of Google Earth.July 9, 2012, news.mongabay.com “An expedition, followed up by some computer hunting on Google Earth, has discovered large remnants of old growth forest, including thriving bird communities, in the mountains of Angola.”

“Unknown Forest Discovered in Angola, Full of Rare Birds
An expedition, followed up by some computer hunting on Google Earth, has discovered large remnants of old growth forest, including thriving bird communities, in the mountains of Angola. The Namba Mountains in Angola were expected to contain around 100 hectares of forest, but an on-the-ground survey,…”
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Extinct Toad Back From The Dead

June 20, 2012, www.globalanimal.org | “A toad that was thought to be extinct is making a sudden comeback. The Kandyan Dwarf toad has not been spotted since 1872 and was listed as extinct by the IUCN. Recently scientists rediscovered the toad at the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary in Sri Lanka.”

The Kandyan Dwarf Toad Spotted In Sri Lanka And Not Extinct | Global Animal
www.globalanimal.org
(ANIMAL DISCOVERY) SRI LANKA — A toad that was thought to be extinct is making a sudden comeback. The Kandyan Dwarf toad has not been spotted since 1872 and was listed as extinct by the IUCN. Recently scientists rediscovered the toad at the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately it ap…

COMMENTS:
    • Robert Brothers ‎”NATURE IS STILL FULL OF SURPRISES! For more critters who can say, with Mark Twain, “Reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” see this category on the GoodNewsfortheEarth.org, https://goodnewsfortheearth.org/category/animals-plants/species-re-discovered/”
    • Sharon Morgan “Nice–thank you!!”

Blue tarantula, walking cactus, and a worm from Hell: the top 10 new species of 2011

This mysterious primate (seen here in a reconstruction) not only made headlines last year, but continues to do so as a population of the believed to be Critically Endangered species was recently found in China. The new monkey, the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus strykeri), was discovered byway of a carcass killed by a local hunter. Since then camera trap photos and video have been taken of the species. They are reportedly easy to hunt as locals say their up-turned noses cause them to sneeze in the rain. Researchers believe only a few hundred survive. Photo reconstruction credit: Thomas Geissmann/Fauna & Flora International.

May 23, 2011, news.mongabay.com | “A sneezing monkey, a blue tarantula, and an extinct walking cactus are just three of the remarkable new species listed in the annual Top Ten.  The top 10 is intended to bring attention to the biodiversity crisis and the unsung species explorers and museums who continue a 250-year tradition of discovering and describing the millions of kinds of plants, animals and microbes with whom we share this planet.”

Lindy Rose shared a link.

“A sneezing monkey, a blue tarantula, and an extinct walking cactus are just three of the remarkable new species listed in the annual Top Ten New Species put together by the International Institute for Species Exploration at Arizona State University. This year’s list includes a wide-variety of life f..”

New species of purple crab discovered in the Philippines

Apr 23, 2012, news.yahoo.com | “Four new species of crab have been discovered in the Philippine island of Palawan. And one of the crabs truly stands out with its unusually bright purple shell.  It is known that crabs can discriminate colours. Therefore, it seems likely that the colouration has a signal function for the social behaviour, e.g. mating.”

Lindy Rose shared a link.
“New species of purple crab discovered in the Philippines
news.yahoo.com
Four new species of crab have been discovered in the Philippine island of Palawan. And one of the crabs truly stands out with its unusually bright purple shell. National Geographic reports that the Insulamon palawanese may use its uniquely colored shell to help identify its own kind. “It is known th…”
  • Comments:
    • GoodNews FortheEarth‎ “~ the better we know all the creatures who we share the Earth with, the better we can protect them, and all of us.”

2 new frog species found in Philippines

new species of frog discovered in Philippines

Apr 17, 2012, www.mnn.com | “Two new species of frog have been discovered in fast-disappearing forests in the Philippines, boosting hopes for the survival of the country’s rich but threatened wildlife, scientists said Tuesday.”

Lindy Rose shared a link.
“2 new frog species found in Philippines
www.mnn.com
Two animals were discovered in fast-disappearing forests, boosting hopes for the survival of the country’s rich but threatened wildlife.”