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top 10 new species
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Fruit Bat Crosses
Name: Styloctenium mindorensis How it made the Top 10: This large and charismatic fruit bat species is known only from the Philippine island of Mindoro. It is only the second known species in the genus; the other species is known only from the Indonesian island of Sulawesi and nearby Togian Islands, and was originally discovered (and named after) Alfred Russell Wallace. Wallace was a colleague of Charles Darwin and coauthor of their famous paper On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties; and -
Rare Frog
Name: Philautus maia How it made the Top 10: This species was described from a single female museum specimen collected around 1860. It and a number of related species from Sri Lanka are almost certainly now extinct. Its discovery demonstrates the importance of museum specimens in determining baseline information on biodiversity and in documenting the natural heritage of nations. Had this specimen not been collected in the 19th century, it would possibly have never been known. Reference: Meega -
75-Million Year Old Giant Duck-billed Dinosaur
Name: Gryposaurus monumentensis How it made the Top 10: This new dinosaur species was discovered by a team from Alf Museum, the only nationally-accredited paleontology museum on a high school campus. It is one of the most robust duck-billed dinosaurs ever found, and probably the largest dinosaur in the 75 million-year-old Kaiparowits Formation fossil ecosystem. Reference: Gates, T.A. & S.D. Sampson. 2007. A new species of Gryposaurus (Dinosauria: Hadrosauridae) from the late Campanian Kaiparow -
One of the Most Venomous Snakes in the World
How it made the Top 10: This is perhaps one of the most venomous known snake species. Its two closest relatives, the inland taipan (or fierce snake) and the coastal taipan, are ranked first and third most venomous snakes in the world, respectively. The discovery of the new species (known only from a single specimen) highlights how little is known of even relatively large animals in harsh, poorly collected habitats (in this case an isolated arid region of Australia). It also emphasizes the need f -
jelly fish
Name: Malo kingi How it made the Top 10: The new species is the second known species of the dangerous box jellyfish genus Malo, one of several genera of irukandji jellyfish. It is named after American tourist Robert King, who apparently died after being stung by the species while swimming off northern Queensland, Australia. King’s death was a pivotal point in irukandji management, raising public awareness about safety. Reference: Gershwin, L.A. 2007. Malo kingi: A new species of Irukandji jel -
Michelin Plant
Name: Tecticornia bibenda How it made the Top 10: This new species made the Top 10 because of its charismatic appearance; according to press releases, it looks like the Michelin Man™. It has been also the subject of media releases on the lack of support for taxonomic work in Western Australia, a biodiversity hotspot. There is a huge backlog of new plant species awaiting description, ironically generated by environmental impact surveys for mining companies. It is one of 298 new plant species des -
Shocking Pink Millipede
Name: Desmoxytes purpurosea How it made the Top 10: Millipedes (relatives of centipedes) are highly variable in appearance and coloration, but this shocking pink stands apart. The authors suggest that its gaudy coloration and habits (it sits openly on the ground and vegetation during the day) probably indicates to would-be predators that it is not edible (spiny and toxic). Reference: H. Enghoff, C. Sutcharit & S. Panha. 2007. The shocking pink dragon millipede, Desmoxytes purpurosea, a colourf -
Rhinoceros beetle
Name: Megaceras briansaltini How it made the Top 10: Rhinoceros beetles are named for the horn-like structures on their heads. According to the author, this charismatic new species has a unique form of horn that is otherwise similar only to the one on Dim, the blue rhinoceros beetle in the Disney/Pixar animated film A Bug's Life. This makes for a rare instance of Nature imitating art. Reference: Ratcliffe, B.C. 2007. A remarkable new species of Megaceras from Peru (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Or -
mushroom
Name: Xerocomus silwoodensis How it made the Top 10: This new mushroom species was discovered on Silwood Campus, a campus of Imperial College, London, although it is also found elsewhere (two additional sites in England and one each in Spain and Italy). The discovery of a new species in one of the most intensely studied floras in the world and on the campus of a leading education center for biologists illustrates how poorly species are known. Reference: Taylor, A.F.S., A.E. Hills, G. Simonini
