‘Bizarre’ newly classified scorpionfly shines light on Nepal’s insect diversity

Lulilan obscurus is a newly discovered scorpionfly from Nepal. Image courtesy of Rainer WillmannKATHMANDU–  When German professor Jochen Martens and his associate W. Schawaller visited subtropical forests in Nepal in 1988, they collected samples of different insects found in eastern Nepal, including a “bizarre” one that had a long tail with a pincer resembling that of scorpions.  Martens, who paid several visits to Nepal along with his associates between […]

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First-of-its-kind freshwater mangroves discovered in Brazil’s Amazon Delta

Franco Ivan Macedo Tafur, a member of the Amazon mangrove research teamOn an expedition in the Amazon River Delta, researchers found mangroves growing in water with little to no salinity and overlapping with freshwater forested wetlands — a phenomenon never before documented in deltas or coastal mangroves anywhere else in the world. Mangroves are hardy trees and shrubs that have adapted to live primarily in saltwater […]

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Between six ferns: New tropical fern species described by science

Danaea alansmithii Colombia, Amazonas, Río Caquetá. PHOTO: HANNA TUOMISTOResearchers have described six species of ferns new to science from the tropical forests of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, all in the genus Danaea. “The described species are no tiny or unnoticeable creatures. They range from 20cm to 2m tall” — from 8-79 inches — “and some of them are very common locally,” Janina Keskiniva, […]

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Spectacular new fish species is first to be named by Maldivian scientist

Out in the azure waters and colorful corals of the Maldives, a resplendent, rainbow-hued fish has become the first to be named and described by a Maldivian researcher. New to science, the rose-veiled fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa) is named in the local Dhivehi language. Finifenmaa means “rose” and is a tribute to the islands’ pink-hued […]

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In Panama, a tiny rainfrog named after Greta Thunberg endures

Up in the trees of a misty sky island, folded into the foliage, a tiny rainfrog bears the name of a climate giant. The new-to-science species, found on a mountain in Panama, has been named after climate activist Greta Thunberg. Greta Thunberg’s rainfrogs (Pristimantis gretathunbergae) are minuscule (about 3 to 4 centimeters or 1.1 to […]

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