Latest news with #ZoologicalScience
Miami Herald
11-06-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
Lurking creature — with more than 200 legs — found as new species in Thailand
The tiny island of Ko Phayam in the Andaman Sea off the coast of Thailand is home to picturesque beaches and cashew plantations. Just a few miles across, the island is a tourist stop along the country's west coast. It's also home to a new species. Researchers on the island in 2022 looked around the bases of trees when they saw a creature lurking beneath the leaves, according to a study published June 6 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoological Science. Brown millipedes were 'found crawling and hiding underneath leaf litter of coconut trees, jackfruit trees and other native vegetation,' researchers said. The animals belonged to the genus Thyropygus, but a DNA analysis showed they were a species never seen before, according to the study. Thyropygus payamense, or the Payam (Phayam) Island millipede, is between 4.7 and 5.5 inches long, depending on the sex, researchers said. Their bodies are made from about 60 podous rings, or body segments that nestle together and allow the millipede to move and curl into a spiral shape, according to the study. Each podous ring is attached to four legs, meaning the animals have about 240 legs down the length of their bodies. 'Overall color of living animal (is) dark brown,' researchers said. The antennae, legs and other small appendages are 'reddish brown.' The species is differentiated from known millipedes by a 'small, slender pointed spine' on the base of a feature of the leg, which isn't found on other members of the genus, according to the study. 'The millipede genus Thyrophygus, (first described by) Pocock (in) 1894, is widely distributed across Thailand and Southeast Asia and currently comprises 67 recognized species, 46 of which are exclusively found in Thailand,' researchers said. Millipedes are not insects, but rather more closely related to animals like lobster, shrimp and crayfish, according to the National Wildlife Federation. The name 'millipede' directly translates to 'a thousand feet,' but no species has been found with quite that many. Millipedes consume organic matter and break down dead plant material that is then returned to the soil, bringing nutrients back into the landscape similar to worms, the National Wildlife Federation said. Ko Payam (Phayam Island) is off the western coast of Thailand, just south of the southern tip of Myanmar. The research team includes Piyatida Pimvichai, Henrik Enghoff, Karin Breugelmans, Brigette Segers and Thierry Backeljau.
Miami Herald
29-01-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Copper'-eyed creature found lurking in Ecuador forest and discovered as new species
In a darkened forest of northern Ecuador, a 'long'-limbed creature perched on a bush and called out. Its 'copper' eyes scanned the shadowy landscape, but it wasn't the only one looking around. Passing scientists spotted the lurking animal — and discovered a new species. Researchers hiked into the mountainous forests around the Mira River several times in 2023 to survey wildlife, according to a study published Jan. 29 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoological Science. They were primarily looking for some 'cryptic' and hard-to-identify frogs. During the nighttime hikes, researchers found several reddish-brown frogs. They took a closer look at the bumpy animals, tested their DNA and soon realized they'd discovered a new species: Pristimantis praemortuus, or Praemortuus' rainfrog. Praemortuus' rainfrogs are considered 'small-sized,' reaching less than an inch in length, the study said. They have 'proportionally long limbs' with slightly fringed fingers and toes. Their heads have a 'short' snout and 'copper' eyes. Photos show the color variation of the new species. The frogs range from 'chestnut to maroon' with stripes on their sides. Seen from below, their bellies are 'reddish' with a 'distinctive incomplete trapezoidal' marking on their throats. One Praemortuus' rainfrog had some green speckles on its back, another photo shows. Praemortuus' rainfrogs live in mountainous forests between elevations of 7,200 to 7,900 feet, the study said. The frogs were seen 'active at night perching or vocalizing on fern leaves and bushes.' Researchers said they named the new species after the Latin word 'praemortuus,' which means 'before dying,' to highlight 'the importance of describing species before they disappear or become extinct.' Praemortuus' rainfrogs may be at-risk due to their 'highly restricted' range and 'low relative abundances,' but researchers won't know for sure until further surveys are conducted. So far, these frogs have only been found at two sites in northern Ecuador near the border with Colombia. The new species was identified by its fingers, toes, throat marking, skin texture, eye color and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 3% genetic divergence from other related frog species. The research team included Mario Yánez-Muñoz, Juan Reyes-Puig, Carolina Reyes-Puig, Gabriela Lagla-Chimba, Christian Paucar-Veintimilla, Miguel Urgiles-Merchán and Julio Carrión-Olmedo. The team also discovered three more new species of rainfrog: Broaddus' rainfrog, Satheri's rainfrog and Robayo's rainfrog.
