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   Australian researchers have discovered a huge number of new species of invertebrate animals living in underground water, caves and "micro-caverns" amid the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. A national team of 18 researchers has discovered 850 new species of invertebrates, which include various insects, small crustaceans, spiders, worms and many others. The team - led by Professor Andy Austin (University of Adelaide), Dr Steve Cooper (South Australian Museum) and Dr Bill Humphreys (Western Australian Museum) - has conducted a comprehensive four-year survey of underground water, caves and micro-caverns across arid and semi-arid Australia. Full story...Source: Physorg.com
[ From WWF News Release ]  A bird eating fanged frog, a gecko that looks like it's from another planet and a bird which would rather walk than fly, are among the 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year that are now at risk of extinction due to climate change, says a new report launched by WWF ahead of UN climate talks in Bangkok. During 2008 alone, scientists identified these rare and unique species within the jungles and rivers of the Greater Mekong, including a bird eating fanged frog that lies in streams waiting for prey, one of only four new species of musk shrew to be described in recent times, and a leopard gecko whose "other world" appearance - orange eyes, spindly limbs and technicolour skin - inspired the report's title Close Encounters. Such is the immense biodiversity of this region that some discoveries such as the tiger-striped pitviper were made by accident. "We were engrossed in trying to catch a new species of gecko when my son pointed out that my hand was on a rock mere inches away from the head of a pitviper! We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species," said Dr Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California. Close Encounters spotlights species newly identified by science including 100 plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, 2 mammals and a bird, all discovered in 2008 within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan. The reluctant flyer, Nonggang babbler, was observed walking longer distances than flying. It would only use its wings when frightened. "After millennia in hiding these species are now finally in the spotlight, and there are clearly more waiting to be discovered," said Stuart Chapman, Director of the WWF Greater Mekong Programme. But no sooner are these new species discovered than their survival is threatened by the devastating impacts of climate change, the report warns. Recent studies show the climate of the Greater Mekong region is already changing. Models suggest continued warming, increased variability and more frequent and damaging extreme climate events. Rising seas and saltwater intrusion will cause major coastal impacts especially in the Mekong River delta, which is one of the three most vulnerable deltas on Earth, according to the most recent International Panel on Climate Change report. "Some species will be able to adapt to climate change, many will not, potentially resulting in massive extinctions," said Chapman. "Rare, endangered and endemic species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats," he said. Often these newly discovered species are highly dependent on a limited number of species for their survival. If they respond to climate change in a way that disrupts this closely evolved relationship it puts them at greater risk of extinction. Over the next two weeks, government delegates will meet in Bangkok, Thailand, for the next round of UN climate change talks in the lead up to the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December, where the world is scheduled to agree on a new global climate treaty. "The treasures of nature are in trouble if governments fail to agree a fair, ambitious and binding treaty that will prevent runaway climate change," said Kathrin Gutmann, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the WWF Global Climate Initiative. "Protecting endangered species and vulnerable communities in the Greater Mekong and elsewhere around the world depends on fast progress at the UN talks in Bangkok - a hugely important conference that can lay the groundwork for success at the Copenhagen Climate Summit this December." Original story: WWF News ReleaseDownload: Greater Mekong new species report 5.18 MB pdf 5.18 MB pdf Text & Pictures courtesy of WWF
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown species off Brazil’s Bahia coast, which is more than six feet long, has small teeth, and has no scales covering its gelatinous body. According to a report in National Geographic News, the fish that has a long tail, was found floating in the sea by researchers from the TAMAR Project, a sea turtle conservation project. TAMAR project coordinator Guy Marcovaldi captured the first images of the fish, which was dead and lying near the surface of the water. His special underwater camera is normally used for tracking and filming sea turtles. "At first, I got really scared when I saw this huge thing in the water. But then, I decided to jump in the water and film it," said Marcovaldi. Specialists observing the fish told Brazils TV Globo that the animal weighs about 88 pounds (40 kilos). It has small teeth and no scales. Due to its large body fat content and gelatinous consistency, researchers do not believe it would be edible. According to Claudio Sampaio, Oceanographer, Federal University of Bahia, "It is a rare gem to find a species like this, which is completely new, scientifically speaking. There is no human record of this fish." The fish will be preserved in formaldehyde and maintained in the zoology department of the Federal University of Bahia, where experts hope to discover more about the fish, including its origins. There are over 200,000 known species of sea plants and animals in the world, but scientists believe there may be more than a million others that are still unknown. See video of the discovery hereSource: Breaking News 24/7
  Nine previously unknown species of worms were found hiding out on whale cadavers deep in the ocean, where the worms were feasting on bone-munching bacteria. The new species are bristleworms, or polychaetes, which have segmented bodies, and are among the most common marine organisms. The worms find refuge at ocean depths, near the sea surface and even in burrows in beach sand. Full story...Image credit: Helena Wiklund.
 A lost world populated by fanged frogs, grunting fish and tiny bear-like creatures has been discovered in a remote volcanic crater on the Pacific island of Papua New Guinea. A team of scientists from Britain, the United States and Papua New Guinea found more than 40 previously unidentified species when they climbed into the kilometre-deep crater of Mount Bosavi and explored a pristine jungle habitat teeming with life that has evolved in isolation since the volcano last erupted 200,000 years ago. In a remarkably rich haul from just five weeks of exploration, the biologists discovered 16 frogs which have never before been recorded by science, at least three new fish, a new bat and a giant rat, which may turn out to be the biggest in the world.   The discoveries are being seen as fresh evidence of the richness of the world's rainforests and the explorers hope their finds will add weight to calls for international action to prevent the demise of similar ecosystems. They said Papua New Guinea's rainforest is currently being destroyed at the rate of 3.5% a year. "It was mind-blowing to be there and it is clearly time we pulled our finger out and decided these habitats are worth us saving," said Dr George McGavin who headed the expedition. The team of biologists included experts from Oxford University, the London Zoo and the Smithsonian Institution and are believed to be the first scientists to enter the mountainous Bosavi crater. They were joined by members of the BBC Natural History Unit which filmed the expedition for a three-part documentary which starts tomorrow night. They found the three-kilometre wide crater populated by spectacular birds of paradise and in the absence of big cats and monkeys, which are found in the remote jungles of the Amazon and Sumatra, the main predators are giant monitor lizards while kangaroos have evolved to live in trees. New species include a camouflaged gecko, a fanged frog and a fish called the Henamo grunter, named because it makes grunting noises from its swim bladder. "These discoveries are really significant," said Steve Backshall, a climber and naturalist who became so friendly with the never-before seen Bosavi silky cuscus, a marsupial that lives up trees and feeds on fruits and leaves, that it sat on his shoulder. "The world is getting an awful lot smaller and it is getting very hard to find places that are so far off the beaten track." More species discovered in Lost Land of VolcanoNews Source: Guardian.co.ukImage credit: Jonny Keeling/BBC
 Crossota millsae, a brilliant red and purple jellyfish found at a depth of 2000m in the Arctic Ocean, is also found off California and Hawaii. New details are emerging about the life-forms that survive in one of the world's most inaccessible places.Scientists have published descriptions of a range of jelly-like animals that inhabit the deep oceans of the Arctic.The animals were originally filmed and photographed during a series of submersible dives in 2005. One of the biggest surprises is that one of the most common animals in the Arctic deep sea is a type of jellyfish that is completely new to science.The deep Arctic ocean is isolated from much of the water elsewhere on the globe. One area, known as the Canadian Basin, is particularly cut off by deep-sea ridges. These huge barriers can isolate any species there from other deep-water animals. So in 2005, an international team of scientists, funded primarily by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, conducted a series of deep-sea dives using a remote operated vehicle (ROV). Details of what they found have now been published in the journal Deep Sea Research Part II. Other findings:  The small blue jelly, a type of Narcomedusae, is new to science. The large bright orange Aulacoctena species may get its colour from worms that it eatsFull story...Image credit: Kevin RaskoffNews source: BBC News
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