Newly discovered / described species 2018

Just seen this synthesis of the endemic mammals of Italy. One animal that is probably going to end up being elevated to species level (with high genetic divergence, differences in appearance and a population extremely isolated from its closest relatives) is the Southern Italian forest dormouse Dryomys aspromontis, previously considered a subspecies of the forest dormouse Dryomys nitedula.

There are lots of other divergences potentially of interest - the paper suggests that several subspecies of animals found in Sicily, Calabria or more widely in Central and Southern Italy may also be either evolutionarily distinct (at least) or a unique species. Animals that fall under this bracket include bank voles, wood mice, Mediterranean moles, Eurasian pygmy shrews, Natterer's bats and both hazel and edible dormice.

Mammal endemism In Italy: A review
 
The newly-discovered Baltic flounder Platichthys solemdali is the only known species of fish endemic to the Baltic Sea. It is largely similar to the European flounder Platichthys flesus that also occurs in the Baltic Sea, with one key difference being the breeding habits of the two species - the Baltic species lays sinking eggs on the sea floor in coastal areas while the European species lays buoyant eggs in the open ocean.

More information in the link below:
https://phys.org/news/2018-07-endemic-baltic-sea-fish-species.html
 
A new species of venomous bandy-bandy snake, named the Weipa bandy-bandy Vermicella parscauda sp. nov. has been found in the Weipa region of Queensland's Cape York Peninsula.

Visual and genetic analysis indicates the species is not most closely related to the common bandy-bandy Vermicella annulate which also occurs in Cape York, but instead its closest relatives are species from the Northern Territory and Western Australia. Like Vermicella parscauda, these related species occupy monsoon habitats.

Unfortunately, the new species is already threatened by bauxite mining - the individual found that alerted scientists to the existence of this new species was found on a concrete block by the sea, having slithered out of a pile of bauxite rubble waiting to be loaded onto a ship.

An article about the new discovery is included here:
https://phys.org/news/2018-07-australia-venomous-snake-threatened.html

The abstract of the scientific paper describing this new discovery (including the name of the new species) is included here:
A new species of bandy-bandy ( Vermicella : Serpentes: Elapidae) from the Weipa region, Cape York, Australia | DEREZ | Zootaxa
 
 
I'll just add three new species of archerfish described by Kottelat and Tan. The new are: Toxoter mekongensis, Toxoter siamensis and Toxoter sundaicus.

This is also of some importances for zoos and aquariums. First, it is almost certain that few or none of the "Toxotes microlepis" in captivity really are that species, but someone will have to take a closer look at the individuals to figure out what they are after the taxonomic update (I guess they are one of the Toxotes chatareus variants, but as said: a closer look is necessary). Secondly, the marbled archerfish of zootierliste is one of the newly described species, T. siamensis.
 
A re-examination of the forest cobra has found that it is actually a species complex comprising five different species that can be separated by appearance, location and genetics. The study has confirmed the species status of two cobras formerly split as separate and has also described two new species from West Africa.

The five cobras, with both their scientific and recommended common names, and their distributions are as follows (the two newly described species at the end of the list):
- Central African forest cobra Naja melanoleuca - centred on the Congo Basin, not extending east of the Albertine Rift Valley
- Brown forest cobra Naja subfulva - found across Eastern and Southern Africa, also seems to occur in the Congo Basin with N. melanoleuca
- Sao Tome cobra Naja peroescobari - endemic to the island of Sao Tome
- Black forest cobra Naja guineensis - upper Guinea rainforests of West Africa, from western Togo to Liberia and Guinea
- West African banded cobra Naja savannula - Senegal and Gambia east to northern Cameroon, appears to be restricted to gallery forest in Guinean forest/savannah mosaic

I have found several links related to the discovery include an article below about the discovery:
https://phys.org/news/2018-08-widespread-giant-african-cobra-revealed.html

A synthesis of the discovery, including the location information:
Species New to Science: [Herpetology • 2018] Integration of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Gene Sequences and Morphology Reveals Unexpected Diversity in the Forest Cobra (Naja melanoleuca) Species Complex (Serpentes: Elapidae) in Central and West Africa: Naja (Boulengerina) guineensis & N. (B.) savannula

The abstract of the paper describing the new species:
Integration of nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequences and morphology reveals unexpected diversity in the forest cobra ( Naja melanoleuca ) species complex in Central and West Africa (Serpentes: Elapidae) | WÜSTER | Zootaxa
 
- Abstract of the discription of a new species of monocle bream from Australia :

Scolopsis meridiana , a new species of monocle bream (Perciformes: Nemipteridae) from northern Australia | NAKAMURA | Zootaxa

Scolopsis meridiana.png

- Abstract of the discription of a new Threadfin bream from the Andaman Islands :

Nemipterus andamanensis , a new nemipterid fish (Perciformes: Nemipteridae) from the Andaman Islands | BINEESH | Zootaxa

- Abstract of the discription of a new species of catfish from India :

Pterocryptis subrisa , a new silurid catfish (Teleostei: Siluridae) from northeastern India | NG | Zootaxa
 
 
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