Tag Archives: species

Two new Early Cretaceous specimens from the Wessex Formation of the Isle of Wight, UK, represent distinct and novel genera and species of spinosaurids: Ceratosuchops inferodios and Riparovenator milnerae, according to a team of paleontologists led by the University of Southampton. Artist’s impressions of Ceratosuchops inferodios (foreground) and Riparovenator milnerae …

Scientists have described a new species of the crayfish genus Cherax from the Murray-Darling Basin in eastern Australia. The swamp yabby (Cherax latimanus). Image credit: McCormack & Raadik, doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5026.3.2. Cherax is the most widespread genus of fully aquatic crayfish in the southern hemisphere. Commonly known as yabbies, members of …

A new species of large-sized penguin being named Kairuku waewaeroa has been identified from the fossilized bones found in Kawhia Harbour on the North Island of New Zealand. Life reconstruction of giant penguins. Image credit: Simone Giovanardi. Kairuku waewaeroa roamed Earth during the Oligocene epoch, between 27 and 35 million …

Paleontologists in China have identified a new species of pengornithid enantiornithine bird with a pair of elaborate tail feathers. An illustration showing what Yuanchuavis kompsosoura might have looked like in life. Image credit: Haozhen Zhang. Enantiornithes are the most successful group of Mesozoic birds, arguably representing the first global avian …

Entomologists have described a new species in the window fly genus Scenopinus from Finland. Frontal view of male Scenopinus jerei. Image credit: Pohjoismäki & Haarto, doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1059.70085. Window flies are members of Scenopinidae, a small family of primitive flies belonging to the superfamily Asiloidea. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with …

Paleontologists have described a new species of kiwi that lived during the mid-Pleistocene period on the North Island of New Zealand. The little spotted kiwi (Apteryx owenii). Artwork by John Gerrard Keulemans, 1870s. “Kiwi are an enigmatic and threatened group of birds, unique to New Zealand, with six living species …

A team of U.S. scientists led by Chicago State University has analyzed species limits and diversification patterns in spotted skunks using nuclear and mitochondrial DNA datasets from broad geographic sampling representing all currently recognized species — Spilogale angustifrons, Spilogale gracilis, Spilogale putorius, and Spilogale pygmaea — and subspecies. A spotted …

Paleontologists have described two new species from the Cambrian period of Utah, which illuminate the early evolution of nervous and sensory features in ctenophores (comb jellies). An artist’s reconstruction of Ctenorhabdotus campanelliformis (top) and Thalassostaphylos elegans (bottom). Image credit: Holly Sullivan. Ctenophores are a group of over 200 living species …

Paleontologists have identified three new species of placental mammals called condylarths (archaic ungulates) from fossils found in Wyoming, the United States. Left to right: Conacodon hettingeri, Miniconus jeanninae, and Beornus honeyi. Image credit: Banana Art Studio. The newly-discovered archaic ungulates are Miniconus jeanninae, Conacodon hettingeri, and Beornus honeyi. These animals …

A new, pseudo-cryptic species of the Amazonian marmoset genus Mico has been identified by a team of researchers led by Dr. Rodrigo Costa-Araújo of the Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi and the Federal University of Amazonas and Dr. Tomas Hrbek of the Federal University of Amazonas and Trinity University. The Schneider’s …