A species of frog that is completely new to science has been discovered in the cloud forests of Ecuador. The Ecuadorian rainfrog (Pristimantis ecuadorensis), adult female. Image credit: J.M. Guayasamin et al, doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172615. Writing in the journal PLoS ONE, Professor Juan Guayasamin of the Universidad San Francisco de Quito …
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A fossil crustacean, discovered by a University of Leicester-led team of paleontologists, has been named Cascolus ravitis in honor of the naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, in celebration of his 90th birthday. Cascolus ravitis. Image credit: David J. Siveter et al. Cascolus ravitis, a member of the stem-group of …
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A new species of tapaculo — called the Tatama tapaculo (Scytalopus alvarezlopezi) — has been discovered in the cloud forests of Colombia’s Western Andes. The Tatama tapaculo (Scytalopus alvarezlopezi) upon capture at Cerro Montezuma, Risaralda department, Colombia, April 2, 2015. Image credit: Julian Heavyside, doi: 10.1642/AUK-16-205.1. The Tatama tapaculo was …
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New research by Brockport College Professor Judy Massare and University of Manchester paleontologist Dean Lomax confirms that two species of ichthyosaurs — Ichthyosaurus communis and I. intermedius – are actually one and the same species. Ichthyosaurs. Image credit: Julio Lacerda. Ichthyosaurs — predatory marine reptiles that ranged in size from …
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Brazilian taxonomists have discovered and described three new species of the ‘bird-eating’ tarantula genus Avicularia from Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Avicularia merianae, female. Image credit: H.-W. Auer. The description is published in a new issue of the journal ZooKeys, authored by Dr. Caroline Sayuri Fukushima and Dr. Rogério Bertani, researchers …
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Seven new species of the genus Nyctibatrachus (Night frogs) have been discovered in the Western Ghats global biodiversity hotspot in India. Seven new species of night frogs from the Western Ghats, India. Image credit: SD Biju. The genus Nyctibatrachus (family Nyctibatrachidae) is endemic to the Western Ghats and represents an …
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A bizarre new species of the fish-scale gecko genus Geckolepis has been found living in the ‘tsingy’ karst formations of northern Madagascar. Geckolepis megalepis in life. Image credit: Frank Glaw. The Geckolepis fish-scale geckos are small- to medium sized arboreal and nocturnal lizards endemic to Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. …
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A new dwarf lemur species has been discovered in the dry and transitional forests of northern Madagascar, according to a paper published in the latest issue of the journal Primate Conservation. The Sheth’s dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus shethi) at Ankarana Special Reserve, Madagascar. Image credit: Richard Randriamampionona. Dwarf lemurs (genus Cheirogaleus) …
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A new species of hoolock gibbon has been discovered in eastern Myanmar and southwestern China by an international team of scientists from the United States, the United Kingdom, China, Australia and Germany. A juvenile male of the Skywalker hoolock gibbon (Hoolock tianxing) from Mt. Gaoligong jumping across trees. Image credit: …
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A new species of ground beetle has been identified by Cornell University Professor James Liebherr. Holotype specimen of Bryanites graeffii. Image credit: J.K. Liebherr. “Bryanites graeffii is described from Samoa based on a single male specimen collected between 1862-1870 that was recently discovered in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris,” …
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