Newly discovered / described species 2015

Regional extinction, rediscovery and rescue of a freshwater fish from a highly modified environment: The need for rapid response

Abstract

There are high rates of regional and global extinctions among freshwater species and few chances for recovery. We report here on the rediscovery after 30 years of a small fish, the southern-purple spotted gudgeon (Mogurnda adspersa), once widespread in the southern Murray–Darling Basin of south-eastern Australia. The rediscovery was in a region, the Lower Murray, where temperate riverine and wetland habitats are modified by a broad spectrum of changes including intensive flow regulation and diversions. There was some doubt whether the rediscovered population was a true remnant or a recent introduction, particularly as there was a translocated population in a nearby artificial habitat. Fortunately, a non-government organisation acted to rescue into captivity about 50 specimens as the remaining wetland habitat dried completely, soon after rediscovery, as a consequence of a decade-long drought and water diversions. We describe the habitat and ecology of fish in the rediscovery site, and provide genetic data, both nuclear (50 allozyme loci) and mtDNA (1141 base pairs; two genes), to show that they were true remnants of the regional native population. This information allows clear planning for future recovery including reintroductions, and is a case study that provides strategies, and hope, for conservation and management concerning other modified habitats. Specifically, it highlights the need for a rapid response to conserve threatened species, the recognition of remnant natural values in altered environments, and the treatment of new finds as native until there is alternate evidence.

Source:

Hammer, Michael P. et al. (2015). Regional extinction, rediscovery and rescue of a freshwater fish from a highly modified environment: The need for rapid response. Biological Conservation 192: 91-100. [Abstract]
 
A new species of Asian horned frog from Vietnam:
Megophrys latidactyla

Ref. Orlov NL, Pyarkov Jr NA & Nguyen T. 2015 'Taxonomic notes on Megophrys frogs (Megophryidae: Anura) of Vietnam, with description of a new species.' Russian Journal of Herpetology 22:206-218
 
A new species of moray eel:
Gymnothorax mishrai

Ref. Zootaxa 4027 (1): 140–144. 'A new species of Short Brown Unpatterned Moray Eel of the Genus Gymnothorax (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae) from the Bay of Bengal.'
DIPANJAN RAY, ANIL MOHAPATRA & DAVID G. SMITH
 
A new genus and species of murine rodent from northern Sulawesi:
Sulawesi Snouter Hyorhinomys stuempkei

Ref. Journal of Mammalogy, Vol. 96/5: 'A hog-nosed shrew rat (Rodentia: Muridae) from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia'
Jacob A. Esselstyn, Anang S. Achmadi, Heru Handika & Kevin C. Rowe.
 
vogelcommando said:
New Lemur species :
Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo's scientists discover new lemur species in Madagascar - www.kmtv.com
Click to expand...
This refers to the same species I mentioned on this thread two weeks ago:
The Montagne d'Ambre Dwarf Lemur (Cheirogaleus andysabini), from the Amber Mountain National Park and the surrounding area in northern Madagascar.


A new species of 'flying' frog has been described - Rhacophorus malkmusi
Ref. Dehling JM. 2015 'A new species of Rhacophorus (Anura: Rhacophoridae) from Gunung Kinabalu, Borneo'. Salamandra 51: 1-11.
 
MikeG said:
A new genus and species of murine rodent from northern Sulawesi:
Sulawesi Snouter Hyorhinomys stuempkei

Ref. Journal of Mammalogy, Vol. 96/5: 'A hog-nosed shrew rat (Rodentia: Muridae) from Sulawesi Island, Indonesia'
Jacob A. Esselstyn, Anang S. Achmadi, Heru Handika & Kevin C. Rowe.
Click to expand...

Based on it's name I thought this was a joke, but apparently it's not.

:p

Hix
 
The rediscovery and precarious status of the Chihuahua dwarf crayfish Cambarellus chihuahuae

Abstract

We report rediscovery of the Chihuahuan Dwarf Crayfish Cambarellus chihuahuae at
the desert spring Ojo Solo in Ejido Rancho Nuevo in Chihuahua, México. This species was reported to be extinct. Morphological evaluation of 12 voucher specimens confirmed the population as C. chihuahuae. Crayfish were abundant upon rediscovery in September 2012 and remained so throughout bimonthly monitoring from February 2014 to April 2015. Despite abundance at Ojo Solo, the species is critically imperiled, with four of its five native habitats dry and the remaining one in decline; however, a population was established at Ojo Caliente, a nearby natural refuge habitat we created in Ejido Villa Ahumada y Anexos in late 2013. Conservation management of C. chihuahuae and associated endemic species is discussed.

Source:

Carson, Evan W. et al. (2015). The rediscovery and precarious status of the Chihuahua dwarf crayfish Cambarellus chihuahuae. Occasional Papers of the Museum of Southwestern Biology 12: 1-7.
 
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Rediscovery of the Threatened River Sharks, Glyphis garricki and G. glyphis, in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Recent surveys of the shark and ray catches of artisanal fishers in the Western Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG) resulted in the rediscovery of the threatened river sharks, Glyphis garricki and Glyphis glyphis. These represent the first records of both species in PNG since the 1960s and 1970s and highlight the lack of studies of shark biodiversity in PNG. Two individuals of G. garricki and three individuals of G. glyphis were recorded from coastal marine waters of the Daru region of PNG in October and November 2014. The two G. garricki specimens were small individuals estimated to be 100–105 cm and ~113 cm total length (TL). The three G. glyphis specimens were all mature, one a pregnant female and two adult males. These are the first adults of G. glyphis recorded to date providing a more accurate maximum size for this species, i.e. ~260 cm TL. A single pup which was released from the pregnant female G. glyphis, was estimated to be ~65 cm TL. Anecdotal information from the fishers of pregnant females of G. glyphis containing 6 or 7 pups provides the first estimate of litter size for this species. The jaws of the pregnant female G. glyphis were retained and a detailed description of the dentition is provided, since adult dentition has not been previously documented for this species. Genetic analyses confirmed the two species cluster well within samples from these species collected in northern Australia.

Source:

White, W. T., Appleyard, S. A., Sabub, B., Kyne, P. M., Harris, M., Lis, R. et al. (2015). Rediscovery of the Threatened River Sharks, Glyphis garricki and G. glyphis, in Papua New Guinea. PLoS ONE 10(10): e0140075.
 
Snouters

Hix said:
Based on it's name I thought this was a joke, but apparently it's not.

:p

Hix
Click to expand...

I can understand why, Hix. Snouters appeared in an issue of 'Animals' about 50 years ago. There is an article in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhinogradentia and I saw some models of snouters in the Strasbourg Natural History Museum. There is at least one book that includes the Order Rhinogradentia in its classification of mammals.
 
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