Cape Parrot Identified as a New Species - http://clapway.com/2015/08/15/cape-parrot-identified-as-a-new-species123/

Probably our most famous impression of parrots is the classic line, “Polly want a cracker?”, But like most species on Earth, there is not just one type of talking parrot. The Cape Parrot is just one of those varieties. However, it is the only one that has been making an impression in recent news.

Our Talking Bird Friends

For those unfamiliar with the bird species, the Cape Parrot is usually found in the South Africa area and is listed as endangered due to habitat loss. Currently the population of Cape Parrots is listed as less than 1,200 birds. Cape Parrot’s have mostly green plumage, and an intermingling of red, gold, silver, blue, orange, black, and brown colors in different parts of their body under a variety of conditions.

Is it new or is it old?

Recently, science has been aflutter with the press release to the public announcing that what we knew about the Cape Parrot is perhaps mistaken. The announcement came as a shock that the Cape Parrot was not a branch off of an existing species, but rather is a distinct one of its own. The study and all that it entails can be found in the PLOS One journal that was published on the 12th of August a few days ago.

What We Know So Far About the Cape Parrot

The findings on the Cape Parrot being a distinct species of its own came about when researchers found that the bird was a new species based on several factors. These factors include morphology, taxonomy, behavior, and ecological issues that may separate it from two other species it was grouped with before. The study underwent testing and validation using DNA testing. Results all confirm the initial impressions to put the Cape Parrot as a species of its own. What this means is that the Cape Parrot, listed as an endangered species, now a species of its own can perhaps have better conservation efforts put forth for its safeguarding. But also informs people the way we constantly reevaluate our knowledge of the world.

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Cape Parrot Identified as a New Species

"Scarface" Fossils Reveal New Species of Venomous Mammal - http://clapway.com/2015/08/14/scarface-fossils-reveal-new-species-of-venomous-mammal/

It isn’t every day that a new species of venomous pre-mammal is found, but scientists at The Field Museum have come across an ancient animal from Zambia that they have named Ichibengops, which literally translates to Scarface.

”Scarface” is a New Species of Pre-Mammal Ancient Relative

According to a press release from the The Field Museum in Chicago, the public can now say hello to our little friend: Scarface, a new species of a prehistoric mammal relative.

The researchers discovered the new animal species by a unique groove on the upper jaw. In a nod to the animal’s origins in Zambia, they named the animal Ichibengops, which is a combination of the Bemba word ichibenga (which means scar) and the Greek suffix ops (which, if you guessed correctly, means face).

While the researchers and media have dubbed the fossil by its informal name of Scarface, the connotations to the Al Pacino movie from the 80s doesn’t just end with the moniker. Both the movie and the prehistoric animal have a history of violence and drug use, albeit the latter for the animal was seen mostly in its venomous bite.

New Species Of Venomous Mammals Survived Largest Mass Extinction

The researchers believe Scarface may have had a deadly bite. Due to grooves above its teeth, the scientists concluded it could have been one of the few pre-mammal species that could transmit venom when they take a nibble of an animal.

Venomousness is so rare in ancient mammals and even modern mammals that only a few now still produce venom. One of these is the odd-looking platypus, but also a few species of shrews carry a toxic set of chompers.

Though a venomous bite may sound scary, the now-extinct animal is believed to be the size of a modern-day dachshund, AKA weiner dogs. So, though the name implies a hardcore gangster and the bite could very possibly kill its prey, the creature needed all the weapons at its disposal thanks to its relatively tiny size.

Scientists from the University of Washington and the Burke Museum, as well as the University of Utah assisted the Field Museum scientists in publishing their findings and the species description in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Paleontologists Say New Species “Scarface” Can Teach Us About Evolution and Extinction

The Ichibengops was a part of the suborder Therocephalia, a large group of mammal-like relatives that lived about 255 million years ago. They made a good evolutionary run, being one of the lucky few species that survived the Permian-Triassic extinction, otherwise known as the biggest mass extinction event in the history of the world. However, competition with reptiles and climate change may have done them in somewhere between 247 to 237 million years ago.

The discovery of the new animal is exciting for the field of paleomammalogy as it can provide a better picture in the evolutionary puzzle of our pre-mammal ancestors.

Kenneth Angielczyk, the Field Museum’s associate curator of paleomammalogy, believes that researching these ancient relatives of mammals will lead us to apply the lessons to the latest mass extinction event.

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"Scarface" Fossils Reveal New Species of Venomous Mammal

Six New Dinosaurs Revealed After Study Analyzing Teeth - http://clapway.com/2015/08/08/six-new-dinosaurs-from-teeth-101/

Six new species of dinosaurs have been found after researchers from the University of Alberta analyzed theropod teeth from eight regions in Spain.

A Study On Teeth Revealed Six New Dinosaurs of the Theropod Species

University of Alberta researchers have quadrupled the number of known dinosaur species in Spain from only two species to eight new dinosaurs species. The research was conducted using 142 isolated theropod teeth from a part of the South Pyrenean Basin dated around the Late Cretaceous epoch.

The teeth analyzed in the study were from eight different localities in Spain, including Treviño County, Huesca, Lerida, and Laño. Though two species of theropod were already known, the researchers happened across six additional species during their research on dinosaur evolution at the final stages of the Cretaceous period.

The new species of theropod would have been present during the timeframe that spanned the Campanian age, which lasted about 83.6 million to 72.1 million years ago, and the Maastrichtian age, from 72.1 million to 66 million years ago.

The study was published in the journal Acta Palaeontologica Polonica.

More Teeth Means More Theropods For Researchers in Spain

Though the research was not initially to investigate the number of theropod species in the area, the sample of 142 isolated teeth revealed more species than researchers could have imagined.

Through analysis, the study concluded that a total of six toothed theropod species had lived in the area, five of which had been small, while the last one was large in comparison.

Angelica Torices, lead author of the study from the University of Alberta, believes the importance of the discovery may help lead paleontologists to better understand how the dinosaurs lived and what caused their extinction.

As no complete theropod skeletons have been revealed in Spain and the surrounding countries, paleontologists must rely on the smallest element available to know the timeline of dinosaur evolution: theropod teeth.

Though teeth may seem to be rather small, Torices and the other researchers say the teeth are the key to reconstructing the dinosaurs lives, especially in Europe during the Late Cretaceous ages.

Diversity of Carnivorous Dinosaurs in Cretaceous Europe

Theropods are a species of carnivorous dinosaurs who frequently lost and subsequently replaced their teeth. A massive number of teeth would be produced by one dinosaur during its lifetime.

These dental fixtures would fall out when the time was ready, only to be found millions of years later by scientists eager to learn more about the lives of theropods.

Though nothing else of the dinosaurs remained, the teeth showed their value in this study as their armed researchers with the knowledge that even the tiniest bit of extra information can help fill in the gaps in the evolutionary timeline of theropods.

The study researchers believe their findings have highlighted the diversity of carnivorous dinosaurs in Europe, but will also highlight how these dinosaurs and other large animals responded to climate change.

The fossil record may be incomplete for now, but at least the six new dinosaur species have been found thanks to a few forgotten teeth.

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Six New Dinosaurs Revealed After Study Analyzing Teeth

A new #anglerfish species in the Gulf of Mexico with weird #mating habits. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/06/terrifying-but-tiny-new-species-of-anglerfish-found-in-gulf-of-mexico-234/

A new species of deep-sea fish has been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico. The new anglerfish was discovered as researchers were studying the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill from 2010.

The New Species of Anglerfish found in the Gulf of Mexico

Researchers from Nova Southeastern University (NSU) and the University of Washington have teamed up to describe a new species of anglerfish discovered in the deep, dark depths of the northern Gulf of Mexico.

The researchers described the new species through the use of the three specimens they found. All three specimens were female and are considered type specimens. Because of their prestigious status as type specimens, their new home will be in the world’s largest collection of deep-sea anglerfish at the Ichthyology Collection at the University of Washington.

Dr. Tracey Sutton of NSU’s Halmos College of Natural Sciences and Oceanography and Dr. Theodore Pietsch of Washington have had their findings published by The American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) in the journal Copeia.

The Scary Features and Strange Feeding Preferences of the New Species

The anglerfish found in the deep waters are a new species of Ceratioid anglerfish. The anglerfish got its name from the appendage that dangles from the top of its head.

The appendage is believed to have evolved from a dorsal fin. Attached to the end of the appendage is a light of sorts. Over time, the anglerfish have acquired the ability to produce bioluminescence, which is helpful when they live over 1,000 meters down in the dark midnight of the deep ocean. The little dangly bit essentially acts as a fishing pole for unsuspecting prey who become mesmerized by the tiny light before the anglerfish gobbles them up.

The anglerfish look scary with their sharp teeth jutting from their jaws, their enticing way to captivate their victims for their dinners, and the fact they can withstand over on ton of pressure per square inch at the depths they live.

However, we have nothing to fear. The three female specimens found only ranged from between one to four inches long. So terrifying, yet so tiny. And that’s not the weirdest part about the new species.

Mating Habits of the New Deepwater Fish Species

The new anglerfish species is rather different from its cousins in the same family. Usually, the fish are stout and round, but the three females found were actually quite small with the largest at just around 4 inches. It wasn’t unusual that only females were found. Male anglerfish are much more elusive and also quite a bit smaller than their female counterparts.

What is unusual is why the male anglerfish are a bit harder to find: they bite into the female’s side and effectively become a parasite. They appear as lumps on the female’s bodies, but it’s for a good purpose!

Once attached, the male effectively decomposes, leaving only remnants of himself to be used as an attached reproductive organ. When the time is right, the female can use the sacrificial fish to reproduce.

While ugly and strange in terms of feeding preferences and sexual habits, this new species of anglerfish adds to the diversity of fish species known in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Terrifying, But Tiny New Species of Anglerfish Found in Gulf of Mexico

A new #dinosaur thought to be an old one... - http://clapway.com/2015/08/02/new-dinosaur-alert-raptor-species-found-in-museum-245/

A new dinosaur Saurornitholestes sullivani has been found by University of Pennsylvania doctoral candidate Steven Jasinski. The dinosaur specimen had been lurking in the State Museum of Pennsylvania under the name of another dinosaur–until now.

U. Penn Doctoral Candidate Discovers New Dinosaur

While studying for his doctorate degree in the Department of Earth and Environmental Science at the University of Pennsylvania, Steven Jasinski found a specimen that appeared to be different from the rest, though it was labeled already.

The fossil in question had been claimed as Saurornitholestes langstoni, a species of what we refer to as raptors, but what paleontologists know as Dromaeosaurs.

Jasinski, who works at the State Museum of Pennsylvania, noticed the skull fragment in the fossil collection just didn’t quite belong. The curator of paleontology then compared the specimen to other dromaeosaurs with the use of holotype specimens, which assist in comparing fossils to the known specimen that defined the species (think of it as comparing something to an original sketch). The comparison samples from the U.S., Canada, and Europe as well as Asia revealed his fossil was unique.

Jasinski had found a new dinosaur: Saurornitholestes sullivani.

What Distinguishes The New Dinosaur? A Keen Sense of Smell<h/3>

Saurornitholestes sullivani, or S. sullivani for short, had a skull that showed a particularly large olfactory bulb, a structure in the forebrain. Jasinski believes this structure shows the dinosaur had a keen sense of smell that possibly assisted the raptor in night hunting, giving it a competitive edge.

The heightened sense of smell may have also worked in conjunction with the animal’s pack mentality. For example, an acute sense of smell is often seen in species who live, hunt, and breed in packs, allowing them to communicate through chemical signatures, or pheromones. The dinosaurs could easily use their sense of smell to communicate with one another while mobilizing to attack a larger herbivore for a quick dinner.

The edge S. sullivani obtained from its olfactory senses may have been needed, as the new dinosaur is actually quite small in comparison to other dinosaurs which existed in the Cretaceous period around 8 million to 10 million years ago. Its speed and agility may have been contributing factors to its survival until the mass dinosaur extinction wiped it away along with its relatives.

How the S. sullivani Can Help Us To Find New Species Right Under Our Noses

Jasinski hopes that the S. sullivani study will spur more researchers, paleontologists, and students to check through museum specimens and collections to perhaps uncover new species that have been with us all along.

The fossil record has many gaps of knowledge, where our understanding and our discoveries haven’t been bridged. By reviewing fossils more thoroughly, finding intricate details that may have been overlooked and reassessing their status as a specific species, we may be able to see that what we thought was one species could in fact be two–or more.

As S. sullivani proves, new dinosaurs aren’t always waiting in dirt for us to come find them; new dinosaurs may be sitting in old collections, waiting for us to reevaluate their names.

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You Will Love This Adorable New Octopus - http://clapway.com/2015/07/04/you-will-love-this-adorable-new-octopus876/

Okay, let’s be honest and admit it: we could never really have a pet octopus. I know many of you are probably wondering why I would even suggest such an odd thing. As interesting as they seem with their 8 legs and ability to spray ink, they still don’t exactly measure up to that cute little puppy you’ve had your eye on at the shelter. Octopus cartoons can sometimes be cute, like Pearl in “Finding Nemo,” but the real life version never seems as cuddly. Until now…

Octopus Adorabilicus (I’ve Seen Harry Use that One Before)

A new octopus has been discovered that looks like it could be straight out of a Disney cartoon, doe-eyed and all. In fact, it’s so cute that it might actually be scientifically named to prove it. This insanely adorable little guy might actually be named Opisthoteuthis adorabilis, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute. Stephanie Bush, the postdoctoral fellow naming the octopus, couldn’t help herself. This cartoon-like cephalopod is said to have webbing between its tentacles, which causes it to look as if it’s bouncing around in the water when it swims. It seems as though Disney had it right! Pearl is apparently the same class of species as its newly discovered, real-life relative. The next step seems to be trying to understand the behavior and the lifestyle of this deep-sea creature.

Science is Winning this Decade

Along with this new octopus discovery are many more that have been made within the last few years. You may have read about the recent “Hell Boy” dinosaur that sported a crown of horns. This discovery was actually made about 10 years ago, but researchers have spent a lot of time excavating the bones and testing to see what relation it had, if any, to other dinosaurs of the time. Evidence of a once living “spiky worm” has also been found. This creature has been named Hairy Collins’ Monster and was said to have had 30 legs. That’s the stuff that nightmares are made of.

There are many other adorable discoveries that have been made aside from these. Despite the many years we’ve been on Earth, it’s incredible to be reminded that we are still so young as a civilization and that we are still learning new things about this planet. There are so many things undiscovered that are just waiting for us to find them. And who knows, maybe one day you really can have an octopus for a pet. Never hurts to keep dreaming!

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You Will Love This Adorable New Octopus

Make your speculations about this hairy #dolphin. - http://clapway.com/2015/07/01/russia-mysterious-furry-sea-creature-washes-up-on-beach-233/

A mysterious, unidentified sea creature washed up on the shore of Russia’s Sakhalin Island this week. Marine biology experts are mystified about the possible species the carcass belongs to.

Horrifying, Strange Sea Creature Baffles Russian Marine Experts

On Sakhalin, a island far in the east of Russia, a few locals have made a strange discovery of what appears to be the mutilated carcass of some unknown, weird sea creature.

Marine biology experts from the Sakhalin Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (SakhNIRO) have described the creature as sporting a long beak like a bird, a furry tail, and long tufts of hair-like structure on its bones. It’s also rather large, having been touted as twice the size of a human.

However, they have been unable to classify which species of animal the carcass actually is. Aside from the decaying flesh of its carcass and its location near the Shakhtersk Airport on Sakhalin, the scientists have no other clues to solve this mystery.

Speculations Run Wild to the Weird Species Washed Up in Russia

As Russian scientists work on finding the real answer, speculations erupt via social media as to what exactly the sea creature can be. The strange theories range from mundane–a small, decomposing whale–to insane–a prehistoric, mutant animal hybrid.

Some theorists are absolutely certain the hideous sea monster is actually just a the gory, gutted remains of a Ganges River dolphin. It’s not completely unheard of for this species to travel to cooler waters. However, the presence of fur on the animal’s tail makes it harder to back the Ganges River dolphin theory considering those animals do not have fur.

Many of these odd conjectures also like to throw in the fun fact that the rotting carcass came ashore on a beach that is technically closer to the United States than it is to Moscow, Russia’s capital city. Perhaps they’re showing the remoteness of the location or perhaps they just want to distance themselves from the bizarre anomaly.

So seriously, what species is that odd sea creature?

Marine scientists haven’t been able to identify the strange monster yet, though some SakhNIRO researchers are confident it is some species of dolphin.

Nikolay Kim, Deputy Head of the Forecasting Department, said the creature’s head and beak point towards it being a dolphin, albeit a rather large one.

And what about the fur on its skin? Kim attributes it to being the characteristic of such a rare species. Though unusual, because dolphins don’t have fur, the scientists say it may be some subset that is just now making its presence known.

As Russian researchers search for the true answer to the mystery, the case remains open to wild speculations about what strange species the sea creature can actually be.

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Scientists Discover New Coral Species That Lives 4000 Years - http://clapway.com/2015/07/01/scientists-discover-oldest-coral-species-that-lives-4000-years457/

Newly discovered Hawaiian coral species can live up to 4,000 years!

Recently, scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural have discovered a new coral species in Hawaii. The species is a milestone discovery for one remarkable reason. Like with its ground-based alternative, trees, the measurement of age is based on the number of rings in the coral. The new species is the longest living marine creature that is known to science so far based on radiocarbon measurements on the growth rings- four thousand years.

The discovery hit the Hawaiian news yesterday afternoon

The species is known now as the Leiopathes annosa. The Latin name refers to the species’ longevity. The coral is found in the ocean depths of one thousand to one thousand six hundred feet in the Hawaiian Island area, the area of Papahanaumokuakea included.

The various depths of the world’s oceans are still quite unknown to us

This sentiment is shared by all who study these underground terrains, most especially when they continue to find new specimens unknown to science to log into the books. It also shows how much we have yet to understand about the environments in which we find these new species as well.

According to the news story, the new coral species was incorrectly identified as one that exists in the Mediterranean Sea, but upon further inspection the consensus was that it was unique. Researchers after the initial impressions were done with could see that this new coral species was different in its morphology in the comparisons of Hawaiian and Mediterranean specimens.

Want more info about the new coral species?

For more in-depth detail about the specimen, you can read it here in the ZOOTAXA article.

The specimens of the new coral species were collected by the Hawaii Undersea Research Lab for study then given to the National Musuem of Natural History in D.C and to the Bishop Musuem in Honolulu for further studies whenever feasible. Time will tell what further information can be revealed from this new coral species and also the underwater environment that houses the species.

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Scientists Discover New Coral Species That Lives 4000 Years

New Species of Firefly Found by Undergrad in California - http://clapway.com/2015/06/26/new-species-of-firefly-found-by-undergrad-in-california967/

New version of your glow-in-the-dark friend found by undergrad student

Recently, a new species of firefly was discovered in Southern California by an undergraduate, Joshua Oliva, while he was collecting specimens for his semester insect collection. The discovery was announced by the Entomology Research Museum at the University of California in Riverside yesterday. The find was confirmed by head of the museum, Doug Yanega after the student brought it to him.

More info about Doug Yanega can be found in an interview with nature.com about his work.

Sometimes, having a good eye counts

After the undergraduate collected the insect, he was not entirely sure it was a firefly so brought it to Yanega to see if it was. The latter being familiar with the area, knew after seeing the specimen the undergraduate had found something new, much to the joy of the undergraduate. The find sure to make a nice notch in his student and life career.

Why the announcement?

The habitat in which the specimen was found may require some form of protection as the inquiry to find more about this new species of firefly becomes more and more intensive. But discovering a new species in the insect world is not an uncommon occurrence. In fact every year several new species of insects are found. This new species of firefly will end up being another bug to add to the list for the end of the year roundup.

Experts at the University of Florida also agree with Yanega that the specimen is a new species of firefly.

Although despite the discovery a name for the new species of firefly has not been discussed, as the naming hinges on the evidence gathered on the species. The process of collecting data and the naming may take several years. But it is not unusual to have the species named after the person who first discovered a specimen.

Already, some information has been gathered about the new species of firefly, and it is only a matter of time before all is known about the specimen and a name is given to it.

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New Species of Firefly Found by Undergrad in California

Ramisyllis Multicaudata: The Worm with Many Butts - http://clapway.com/2015/06/21/ramisyllis-multicaudata-the-worm-with-many-butts765/

Recently, butts have been all the rage.

We always see Kardashian butts, Bey butts, J-Lo butts, Nicki Minaj butts everywhere. So, the more butts the better, right?

How ’bout some worm butts?

A friend just told me (let’s call him Gordon) about a sea worm with endless butts- the Ramisyllis multicaudata.

Apparently, in the 18th century, a sea sponge was dredged up by a ship, and in those tiny holes that all sponges have, there was a living creature. A worm with endless butts. Now, this worm is a rare find, and no one knows much about it. It’s a branch-worm. It grows by spreading its body out into trees.

Worm with many butts is an Aussie parasite

Primarily found in Australian waters, this little guy is definitely a parasite to the sea-sponge. However, the worm with many butts is otherwise huge mystery to scientists. What can be said is that it is largely independent from other branched species (meaning it didn’t evolve to grow limbs or—in this case— butts from another genus). It just evolved to spread its body out in to tiny webs that fill the cavities of sponges.

But why butts? What is known about the worm is that it has one head, but then each extremity can independently grow more branches until the entire host-sponge is filled to capacity! In fact, multitudo means many, similar to multitude, and you can see this classification in other species. One such species is the two-tailed swallowtail butterfly. Many ends. Many tails. Many butts.

The relationship between the host and the worm with many butts is unknown.

We are still not even sure if it the relationship is a symbiotic one, like that between sharks and pilot fish, or if the worm is slowly killing the sea sponge. It seems that, either way, the branched butts absorb nutrients to allow the worm to support itself. It makes sense, because how can one head feed that large a body?

I, for one, have never been more interested in butts. The potential this guy has is only beginning, and I think he has a lot to show us. I’m looking forward to hearing more about Ramisyllis multicaudata: the worm with many butts.

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Ramisyllis Multicaudata: The Worm with Many Butts

Discovery: new early hominin species lived alongside Lucy - http://clapway.com/2015/05/27/discovery-new-early-hominin-species-lived-alongside-lucy123/

New research has concluded that an early hominin species lived alongside Lucy, our 3.2-million-year-old bipedal ancestor. Scientists have named this new species Australopithecus deyiremeda. A team from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History first found the upper and lower jaw fossil of the hominin species in the Afar region of Ehtiopia. The team has deduced that this new species lived approximately 3.3 to 3.5 million years ago — and that several early human species lived, in fact, side-by-side in East Africa.

New early human has striking features

The newest early human species discovered has some particular physical characteristics that distinctly separate it from Lucy. For one, the size and shape of both its lower jaw and thick enamel teeth suggest that it had a different diet. It most likely consumed tougher and harder resources. Even though this new species shows clear similarities with the Australopithecus (the extinct genus of hominid), it branches away from the features of Ardipithecus, Kenyanthropus, Paranthropus and Homo. Information derived from an examination of the dental structure signals that it might have to be assigned to have its own anthropological category.

The newly discovered hominin species spurs on the continuing debate concerning early hominin diversity. There are some scientists who are skeptical about the new find, but the importance lies in raising questions about just how many early hominin species were living alongside one another in the same region at the time.

Early humans: sharing the same turf

The fossils of the new deyiremeda species were unearthed a mere 21.8 miles south of Hadar, Ethiopia, where Lucy was discovered. Anthropologists speculate that the two might have lived in closer territories than we think, and that more early hominin species than previously thought lived in close range to each other. One theory that supports this tells us that during the middle Pliocene time period (around 3.3 million years ago), the East African landscape was dotted with bountiful rivers, forests, woodlands and grasslands, allowing many species to thrive simultaneously.

It was an ecosystem that supported many habitats and the coexistence of different hominin species, but, as with many cases throughout ecological history, the habitats diminished, forcing species to compete for resources and for the less successful ones to face extinction.

Discovery: new early hominin species lived alongside Lucy

Petrifying Wasp Found Among New Species in Mekong - http://clapway.com/2015/05/27/petrifying-wasp-found-among-new-species-in-mekong123/

The Mekong River, a trans-boundary river teeming with curious wildlife, was recently the site of the world’s newest species discoveries. Among the 139 new species was what researchers described as a “soul-sucking wasp” — a creature that paralyzes its prey before eating them alive. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the newly found species are already under major threat of extinction.

A closer look at the “dementor” wasp

Discovered in Greater Mekong — registered by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund as one of the five most threatened natural habitats in the world — the wasp preys most often on cockroaches, by injecting venom into the roaches’ abdomen that transforms them into a zombie-like state. Poisoned, the cockroach has no control over its mobility, and would be dragged by the wasp to its safe place.

Other new species of the Mekong Delta

A total of 90 plants, 23 reptiles, 16 amphibians, nine fish and one mammal species were discovered in the Delta region in the past year (which crosses the borders of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam). The ampulex dementor wasp is only one of a large score of newly identified animal species. Other newly discovered species include a long-fanged pipistrelle bat (whose teeth may have evolved to prey on bigger insects). There was a color-changing frog, a bent-toed gecko (which has become the 10,000th reptile species to be documented by biologists), and the world’s recorded second-longest insect. The Phryganistria heusii yentuensis measures 54 centimeters, and appears to be so drastically different from other insects of its kind, that it may represent a whole new species.

The race for new species conservation

Just last year, three new species were catalogued as some of the biggest insect specimens the world has ever seen. There are certainly more new species (including many more stick insects, whose recent discovery numbers have risen to more than 150 species) to be discovered. The struggle, however, is accomplishing this feat — according to WWF, many, if not most, of these species are under constant and increasing threat. There needs to an ensured protection from poachers in addition to steady conservation of natural habitats and free-flowing rivers.

Petrifying Wasp Found Among New Species in Mekong