Galaxy rasbora placed in new genus

Galaxy rasbora placed in new genus


"Microrasbora sp 'Galaxy' has been officially described and placed in a new genus. Tyson Roberts today described the new species as Celestichthys margaritatus in a paper in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology. He has also given the fish the new common name of Celestial pearl danio. Roberts says that the new species is a member of the cyprinid subfamily Danioninae and is most closely related to two danionins from Inle Lake in Myanmar, Microrasbora rubescens and "Microrasbora" erythromicron.


"Prior to its official description, the fish was only tentatively considered a member of the Microrasbora genus, on account of its similarity to M. erythromicron. Roberts believes that Celestichthys margaritatus is so different to other Microrasbora that it warrants a genus of their own, possibly along with "Microrasbora" erythromicron. The fish, which was discovered in August 2006, was first covered by Practical Fishkeeping in September and featured in the Interesting Imports column in the December 2006 issue of the magazine."

New shark, ray species found

Please note, the article below details some basic data on 20 new species of sharks and rays from Indonesia between 2001 and 2006, some have been formally described, others are pending. You can purchase a hard copy of the referenced field guide through the ACIAR, or also download a copy (over 6 mb) freely of "Economically important sharks and rays Indonesia "


Twenty new species of sharks and rays have been discovered in Indonesia during a five-year survey of catches at local fish markets, Australian researchers said on Wednesday.

The survey by the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, or CSIRO, represents the first in-depth look at Indonesia's sharks and rays since Dutch scientist Pieter Bleeker described more than 1 100 fish species from 1842-1860.

Researchers said six of their discoveries have been described in peer review journals, including the Bali Catshark and Jimbaran Shovelnose Ray, found only in Bali, and the Hortle's Whipray, found only in West Papua.Papers on the remaining 14 are being prepared.

"Indonesia has the most diverse shark and ray fauna and the largest shark and ray fishery in the world, with reported landings of more than 100 000 tons a year," said William White, a co-author of the study. "Before this survey, however, there were vast gaps in our knowledge of sharks and rays in this region."

Based on the survey's findings, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research has published a 330-page, full-colour, field guide titled: "Economically Important Sharks and Rays of Indonesia."From 2001 to 2006, researchers photographed and sampled more than 130 species on 22 survey trips to 11 ports across Indonesia.

More than 800 specimens were lodged in reference collections at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense at Cibinong, Java, and the Australian National Fish Collection at Hobart.The survey was part of a broader project working toward improved management of sharks and rays in Indonesia and Australia, researchers said.

"Good taxonomic information is critical to managing shark and ray species, which reproduce relatively slowly and are extremely vulnerable to overfishing," White said in a statement. "It provides the foundation for estimating population sizes, assessing the effects of fishing and developing plans for fisheries management and conservation."

Is Bigfoot Living In The Forest Above Marysville?

Note: See CBS13.com for the video segment

MARYSVILLE, Calif.

There's a big mystery in our backyard tonight. Is a Bigfoot living in the forest above Marysville?

A local couple has found big prints in those woods and experts are saying it may not be a hoax.

It was just after a rainstorm, a great time for hunting deer. It was a perfect place, high up in the dense woods of the Plumas National Forest.Chuck and Michelle Padigo had been down the logging road lots of times, including just a few days earlier.

Past two gates, about three miles from the highway, in a recently logged area, Michelle looked down and spotted something very strange. What the Padigo's say they encountered was more than three dozen huge footprints spread out over a hundred yards or more.

“I swear the hair on my arms stood up,” says Michelle.The couple recorded their discovery with photographs and returned to take more pictures.

Joining the Padigos now was Scot Woodland, a Nevada County search and rescue team member and a certified expert tracker.

Scot says he's got an open mind but when he first saw the tracks he figured here's another hoax."The closer I got and looked at the prints, the more I could see the detail and the movement in the foot. As a tracker you see how things move the weight and all that stuff. The complexity of the footprint made me go whoa!” he says.

What really impressed Scot was the force of the Bigfoot print which rippled the ground around it. Scot's footprint next to it hardly moved the earth.“If it's a hoax, somebody really did a good job, if it's not, then there's a big creature that lives among us," says Woodland.

All the prints appear to be from one animal walking slowly but with a stride twice that of a human.“We measured from heel of the left foot to heel of left foot, 56 inches," says Scott.

The footprint was gigantic. It was seven-and-a-half inches wide. The tape measure shows the impression is nearly double the length of an adult human foot. In Humboldt County, in the tiny town of Willow Creek, there's a Bigfoot museum run by Al Hodgson. Decades ago, he had a similar experience when he found what he believed were the footprints of a mother and child Bigfoot.Ever since the scratchy film of an alleged Bigfoot spotting was taken in 1963, a growing amount of potential evidence has been reported.

From a distant picture of a possible big foot, to plaster impressions of some very big feet. Compare them with the plaster cast Chuck Padigo made and you’ll see the same basic shape, same size. Almost square toes with little or no arching.

If there is a big foot living in the woods, it wouldn't be the first time somebody has reported the evidence. CBS13 checked the records over the past decade.In both 1997 and 1998, a science researcher found possible Bigfoot tracks and feces in the same Plumas Forest Area.And again in 1998, a veteran forest service employee found footprints fourteen inches long by six inches wide.CBS13 checked with residents of the small towns near where Michelle and Chuck found their footprints.

Store owner Peggy Pope says she's a believer.“I've never heard of anybody up here saying they've seen one, or any evidence? Or any evidence, but I believe there is such a thing," says Pope.Other locals say they have either heard or smelled what might be a Bigfoot, but they also tell of some big bears living in these woods.But pictures of bear paws, while certainly very large, clearly show big claws.

The footprints Chuck and Michelle found show no sign of any claws, just clean imprints of five toes.The Padigos found the footprints four months ago and didn't publicize it until now.They do not seem to seek notoriety and appear to be genuinely and deeply affected by the incident but still, we had to ask if they were playing a hoax on us. “No sir, I wouldn't do that, I'm not that smart, I couldn't make something like that," says Chuck.

Photos and measurements of those big footprints have been sent to a renowned scientist who is researching Bigfoot sightings. No word yet on whether he thinks those prints are made by man or by a lot bigger and more secretive creature.

More on Bowness

Loren Coleman notes another image of the "creature" at Bowness, pointing out there is little to suggest an actual mystery animal in the picture. I don't know where that particular image comes from, but the photographer of the first noted picture, Linden Adams, is hawking several others in a "media packet." Apparently, there's money to be made in pics of wakes.

Dr. Charles Paxton notes on a discussion list that the newspaper article quoted him incorrectly and out of context. He also observes that "50 feet" was the length of the wake, not whatever was making it. The forensic photographer suggested that the solid portion at the front of the wake was perhaps 3.5 meters long, but that could also be part of the wake itself (waves), and so the responsible animal (or animals) could have been much smaller.

Rare Cuckoo Recorded

A large bird from Sumatra, rediscovered only in the last decade, has finally been recorded on audio tape, which should help ornithologists survey the rare species. From Eurekalert:

"A team of biologists with the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have recorded for the first time the call of the extremely rare Sumatran ground cuckoo, found only on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.
"The bird was captured by a trapper and handed over to WCS biologists, who recorded the bird’s call while it nursed an injured foot. Once fully recovered, the bird will be released back into the wild.
"Known only by a handful of specimens collected over the past century, the Sumatran ground cuckoo is considered to be one of the world’s rarest, most secretive birds, and is restricted to Sumatra’s deep jungles and rainforests. In fact, ornithologists believed the bird was extinct until 1997, when a single individual was briefly seen. Last year a second bird was photographed by a remote camera trap. It is now believed to be critically endangered. Until now, however, no one knew the bird’s call – a key field diagnostic ornithologists use to identify birds that live in forest. According to WCS, having a recording of the bird’s call will also make it easier for biologists to locate other individuals, and to possibly evaluate the bird’s total population.
"'We were extremely lucky to have recorded the bird’s unique call,' said Firdaus Rahman, of WCS’s Indonesia Program. 'Our team will use the recording to hopefully locate other Sumatran ground cuckoos, and to eventually secure their protection.'
"The recoded call can best be described as a pair of sharp screams. It is unknown at this point whether the bird has additional vocalizations.
"Sumatran ground cuckoos are relatively large birds (half a meter long) with long tails. It has green plumage with a black crown and green bill, and striking blue facial markings."

More Cougar Articles

Two news postings of interest:

Pros and cons of cougar sightings in Massachusetts.

A Michigan sighting near East Lansing.

Mystery Squid

Another squid story this week. From the News-Press:

"Scientists are trying to figure out the identity of a large squid found off the Keys by a charter captain earlier this week. Capt.
"Clint Moore was fishing in 850 feet of water near the Gulf Stream southwest of Key West Tuesday when he saw a large mass floating at the surface.
"He realized it was a squid and took it aboard; at the dock, he estimated the length at 13 feet, but was not fully intact — the giant squid, genus Architeuthis, can reach lengths of 30 feet.
"The animal was taken to Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota where Debi Ingrao performed a necropsy — post-mortem examination — Thursday.
"'The tail section was gone; it had no tentacles, so I can’t speculate what the overall length was,' Ingrao said.
"'What we have is 6.5 feet long. It weighed 13.2 pounds, but it may have been more than that.'
The squid is definitely not Architeuthis.
"'It’s much different, very, very different,' Ingrao said. 'I don’t know the genus. That could be my lack of knowledge. Someone who’s seen 50 million squid might know what it is.'
"So it might be a new species or even a new genus.
"'The thing is, I don’t think people realize how many things we don’t know about the ocean,' Ingrao said. 'We’re discovering hundreds of species a day.'
"A researcher from the Smithsonian Institution is expected at Mote on Tuesday for an attempt to identify the squid."

Bowness Monster

News and photo of an unidentified lake creature in England:

"It is little more than a dark smudge near the surface of a lake - but it could still signify the birth of a new legend.
"For this shadowy image is causing more than a ripple of interest among monster aficionados.
And to the man who took it, the picture is proof that something strange lurks in the waters of Windermere.
"Photographer Linden Adams, 35, was walking in the area with his wife Louise a fortnight ago.
They were at a secluded spot more than 1,000ft up a mountain when they spotted the 'creature'.
"'It just came out of the blue,' said the father of two. 'The water was incredibly peaceful and then this huge thing appeared, diving and thrashing around.'
"He said it appeared to be 50ft long, when compared to boats nearby. 'I snatched the binoculars from my wife and gasped when I got a better look. I could see this huge dark thing moving in the water. It had a head like a labrador, only much, much bigger.'
"Mr Adams, from Bowness-on-Windermere, said: 'I know the lake well and this was no freak wave or boat.'
"Aware of similar sightings in the lake, he began taking pictures of what he calls the 'Bowness Monster'.
"'When I looked at them on my computer I realised I had something,' he said. 'It was spine-tingling.'
"Aware of the scepticism surrounding photographs purporting to show the Loch Ness monster Mr Adams sent his picture to a forensic photographer, who confirmed it was not digitally enhanced.
"His wife, 38, said: 'I was just making excuses in my head for what it could be but when we saw the pictures we knew we had seen something really important.'
"Dr Charles Paxton, a Marine Biologist from St Andrews University in Edinburgh, said: 'A fish or a water mammal would not be that big and deer would not go under the water.'
"He said that new species of water creatures are often discovered, so he 'wouldn't rule out any possibilities'.
"The sighting comes just months after scientists visited Lake Windermere to examine claims by a tourist about a 20ft 'serpent-like' creature.
"Richard Freeman of the Centre for Fortean Zoology, which researches mystery animals, said the sightings could in fact be of giant sterile eels, which, unlike normal eels, 'just stay in fresh water and get bigger and bigger'."

Colossal Squid Caught

New Zealand Fishermen Catch Rare Squid

A fishing crew has caught a colossal squid that could weigh a half-ton and prove to be the biggest specimen ever landed, a fisheries official said Thursday.

The squid, weighing an estimated 990 lbs and about 39 feet long, took two hours to land in Antarctic waters, New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderton said.

The fishermen were catching Patagonian toothfish, sold under the name Chilean sea bass, south of New Zealand "and the squid was eating a hooked toothfish when it was hauled from the deep," Anderton said.

The fishing crew and a fisheries official on board their ship estimated the length and weight of the squid: Detailed, official measurements have not been made. The date when the colossus was caught also was not disclosed.

Colossal squid, known by the scientific name Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni, are estimated to grow up to 46 feet long and have long been one of the most mysterious creatures of the deep ocean.
If original estimates are correct, the squid would be 330 pounds heavier than the next biggest specimen ever found.

"I can assure you that this is going to draw phenomenal interest. It is truly amazing," said Dr. Steve O'Shea, a squid expert at the Auckland University of Technology.

If calamari rings were made from the squid they would be the size of tractor tires, he added.
Colossal squid can descend to 6,500 feet and are extremely active, aggressive hunters, he said.

The frozen squid will be transported to New Zealand's national museum, Te Papa, in the capital, Wellington, to be preserved for scientific study.

Marine scientists "will be very interested in this amazing creature as it adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine environment," Anderton said.

Colossal squid are found in Antarctic waters and are not related to giant squid found round the coast of New Zealand. Giant squid grow up to 39 feet long, but are not as heavy as colossal squid.

Hairless Gray Fox = Piedmont Odd Animal from 2006

Professor identifies mystery creature

By Tom Steadman

The odd-looking animal spotted in several Piedmont counties last year evidently was a hairless gray fox.That's the conclusion of Jaap Hillenius. He examined the carcass of a similar animal that had been hit by a car in the Charleston, S.C., area.

So it wasn't an exotic cross-species, though some central North Carolina residents who spotted the animals had reported it having the head of a cat and the body of a canine.

Just a fox sans hair because of a mutant gene, said Hillenius, associate professor in the biology department at College of Charleston."That's the best we can think of," he said.

"There was no obvious reason for hair loss — no mange or malnutrition. It was normal except it didn't have hair follicles in the skin."Hillenius sent part of the carcass' tongue to a UCLA lab, which confirmed it was a fox, he said. His findings were presented last weekend at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston."It had been seen in the area, and people were so interested in it," Hillenius said.

Three years ago, interest was high in the Piedmont. Sightings of similar creatures were reported in Guilford and Randolph counties; in 2006, one was seen and photographed near Raleigh.

Area residents theorized it could be an Australian dingo, an escapee from the nearby North Carolina Zoo or even some new species.In May 2004, Asheboro businessman Bill Kurdian snapped a picture of one of the creatures feeding on corn he and his wife had put out for wild animals. After the sighting near Raleigh last year, state wildlife officials guessed that it could have been a hairless fox.

Hillenius saw Kurdian's photo Tuesday and said the animal seemed similar to the one he examined. The fox ID makes sense, Kurdian said ."I know that when he was out there, foxes would come up and feed next to it," he said. "There were no signs of aggression. They went up and smelled each other. There was no sense they feared each other."Kurdian had hoped to trap the animal so it could be identified.

But it disappeared about a year ago, he said.Still, his nighttime photo of the mystery creature remains on numerous Web sites."You wouldn't believe the number of people who have asked me about that," he said.Hillenius said his first goal was to identify the creature.

Now he wants to know how many are around. Evidently, there are more than a few. Sightings have been reported in Alaska and Colorado, in addition to the Carolinas.

Great Sea-Serpent

The Coachwhip Publications reprinted edition of Oudemans' classic, The Great Sea-Serpent, is now available. This text is one of the most important for sea-serpent studies, though current opinions may or may not agree with his theories. It is certainly a foundational text for the development of cryptozoology in a systematic fashion. My former ebook version of this text was very popular, and I believe this affordable paperback edition will be of interest to those wanting a physical book for their shelves. (The paperback, of course, has a brand new layout.)

This edition (ISBN 1930585365) runs 440 pages (8.25 x 11), retailing in the US for $19.95 (though I see Barnes & Noble is selling it for a few bucks less). More information, and a free chapter download (PDF), at CoachwhipBooks.

An additional reprint of this text will be available shortly from Cosimo Books. More info on that will appear at Cryptomundo.

Misc. Cougar Articles

A cougar that escaped from an Indiana feline rescue center is still on the loose. New box traps have been set up to try and recapture it.

Photos of a cougar are being circulated in hoax emails in Iowa, as DNR officials point out that the pictures were actually taken in South Dakota.

A Pennsylvania man believes he saw a cougar near Montoursville this past weekend.

Multi-Legged Duck is Born

A four-legged duckling has been born at a duck farm in Hampshire.

A rare mutation has left the bird, named Stumpy, with an extra two legs behind the two he runs about on.

The creature would not survive in the wild, but Nicky Janaway, who runs the farm in the New Forest, said: "We will make sure he's OK and hopefully he will carry on running around and using the extra two legs as stabilisers."

John Durnell, head of conservation for the West Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: "I have never heard of anything like this in my life, and I have been birdwatching for more than 30 years."

A duck with four legs was born in Queensland, Australia in 2002, but died soon afterwards.

Scorpions on Planes, and Fruit As Well

Imagine getting home from the supermarket and digging in to your favorite fruit only to find a scorpion inside.

Izabela Murray says she bought a container of raspberries at the Stop & Shop in Torrington, and it wasn't until she sat down in front of the TV and started eating did she realize the dangerous creature was in there.

"I noticed toward the end when they were just a few left. There was something stuck in the corner and I looked in there and it looked like some kind of stem. And it was actually a scorpion," said Murray.

Murray was startled at first because having a poisonous spider as an after-dinner treat was not in her plans.
"You know, it took me a second to realize it, you know I kind of just didn't believe it," said Murray.

Murray says the container of raspberries were shipped from Chile and she quickly told Stop & Shop about her ghastly discovery.

"I just wanted them to look at the fruit more cause I don't want someone else to find something like that and get hurt. Examine the boxes a little more careful and stuff like that," said Murray.

Murray now plans to inspect all her fruit from now on and she wants everyone to do the same.

"I'd like everyone to be aware that strange creatures can come from tropical countries and end up in your home, so just be aware and be careful," said Murray.

New Sponges - Cancer and Other Disease Aids?

Scientists soak up sponges knowledge

Divers have uncovered a treasure trove of underwater animals new to science off the coast of Rathlin Island - but warned that Spongebob Squarepants and his family are already under threat.

The scientists from the Ulster Museum have uncovered 128 different sponge species in the seas off the North Channel island - including nine which are new to Northern Ireland, three which have never been seen in UK waters and 28 which are new to science altogether.

And although most of us are familiar with Spongebob as the bath accessory we use to scrub our backs, it turns out he could be the granddaddy of us all.

New DNA research suggests a sponge could well have been the ancestor of all multi-celled animals - everything from seahorses to dinosaurs to humans.

Bernard Picton, who led the research at Rathlin, says our sponge ancestor probably existed 500 or 600 million years ago. Its descendants could hold the key to future medical research.
The new species found at Rathlin could contain chemicals that are potential antibiotics or anti-cancer drugs, he said.

"It's not just blue sky research," he said.

"We knew that Rathlin Island was an important area for sponges but the results of the project have surpassed our expectations.

"These findings make it one of the most important areas in Europe for sponges and this discovery is particularly important because it will aid other researchers in their study of sponge communities in the future."

Scientists first realised that the sponge communities of Rathlin were unusually rich during a study of Ulster's wildlife 20 years ago, but it was only during the recent six-week scuba diving survey that the four-strong team realised how special the spot is.

The team has collected 849 specimens, taken more than 3,000 photographs and are investigating another 19 species

Chinese Giant Salamanders Invade Japan

A recent study of Japanese Giant Salamanders (genus Andrias) discovered that some of the large amphibians were actually the closely related Chinese species, probably introduced for culinary purposes -- Iron Chef Giant Salamander? From the Japan Times:

"Giant salamanders inhabiting rivers in central and western parts of the country may be a nonnative species from China that threatens endemic species, according to recent DNA findings that have alarmed biologists.
"'This poses a huge problem for us in terms of protecting (Japanese) giant salamanders,' said Masafumi Matsui, a Kyoto University professor and amphibian expert whose research group released the findings.
"Biologists studied giant salamander habitats in various parts of the species' range between 2005 and 2006. After analyzing DNA taken from 22 animals, they were astonished to find that four were the Chinese species.
"The Japanese giant salamander, which can reach more than 1 meter in length and live up to almost 100 years, inhabits rivers in the central and western parts of Honshu, and in Shikoku and Kyushu.
"The rare animal used to be hunted for food and medicinal purposes but is now strictly protected by law, having been designated as a special natural monument in 1952.
"Its critically endangered Chinese relative, which is the largest of all amphibian species, is ostensibly protected in China, though it is mass bred under license for human consumption.
"The two sister species are not easy for nonexperts to tell apart by appearance, making it difficult to assess the extent of the invasive species problem.
"In years past, before an international ban on trade in Chinese giant salamanders came into effect, many were imported to Japan for human consumption, with one dealer in Okayama Prefecture having acquired 800 in 1972 for sale to restaurants."

Mangalore: Two new species of frogs found

MANGALORE Feb 20:

Two zoology professors-cum-researchers, one from Mangalore and another from Japan, have said that they have found two new species of frogs in the Western Ghats.

The new species of bush frog, which belongs to genus Philautus, are Philautus luteolus and Philautus tuberohumerus.

S. Hareesh Joshy, Head, Department of Zoology, St. Aloysius College, Mangalore, and Mitsuru Kuramoto, Emiretus Professor, Fukuoka University, Japan, have found them in Kudremukh and Kogadu region in the Western Ghats.

Philautus luteolus is a medium-sized yellow colour frog with a few indistinct markings.
In Latin, "luteolus'' means yellow. Hence, they called it by the same name. It has pointed longer snout and does not have noticeable black markings.

Advertisement calls (calls made by male frogs to invite females for breeding) of these species are that they produce trills (sound) consisting of short phase and long phase. This species are present in Kudremukh and Kirundadu areas in the Western Ghats, Mr. Joshy told The Hindu.

Philautus tuberohumerus is a tiny dark brown frog. This species has an extension of bone anterially in the tubero-humerus region.

It can be easily identified by its small size and absence of a papilla on the tongue. As it has an extension of bone in its tubero-humerus region, it got the name. It produces sharp and metallic sounds and is seen in Chikmagalur and Kudremukh areas, he said.

Both the new species have adhesive pads in their legs, Mr. Joshy said.In India, there are 260 species of frogs. Of them, 135 species are found in the Western Ghats.

They have published the findings of the research on the new species in the scientific journal, "Current Herpetology'', published by the Herpetologist Society of Japan.

Mr. Joshy is involved in research on bio-diversity of frogs in Western Ghats for the past 12 years and has published scientific papers in national and international journals.

He obtained his Ph.D from Mangalore University for his research on "Cytogenetic studies of anurans of Western Ghats''.

Rondano Bio-diversity Research Laboratory at St. Aloysius College is involved in research on frogs. The research activities are supported by the college.

Two New sisorid catfish from the Yunnan Province

In Environmental Biology of Fishes (2007) 78:223-230, K. DePing, C.X. Yong and Y. JunXing outline in their paper "Two new species of the sisorid Genus Oreoglanis Smith from Yunnan, China (Teleostei: Sisoridae)"

The species are Oreoglanis jingdongensis and Oreoglanis immaculatus. There are described from the Mekong and Salween River Basins of the Yunnan Province in China.

New deep-sea spider crab from Micronesia

In the paper "A new species of Cyrtomaia Miers, 1886 (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Majidae) from Micronesia" by B.R. de Forges and P.K.L. Ng in Zootaxa 1409: 61-67 (2007) a new species of Cyrtomaia deep-sea spider crab.

The species is described from Guam and Palau as was discovered as part of a arthropod survey of Micronesia.

Cyrtomaia micronesica is different than its closest relative (Cyrtomaia cornuta from New Caledonia) by shorter basal antennal spines, longer chelipeds, varied male meri and pleopod and a varied carapace.

New Indian Caecilian

Earlier it was reported on a new species of caecilian from Goa, India. Called 'immandehavu' . The description of this species has now been printed in Zootaxa 1409: 51-59 (2007) by G. Bhatta, K.P. Dinesh, P. Prashanth and N.U. Kulkarni in a paper entitled "A new species of Gegeneophis Peters (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from Goa, India".

The species differ from the other eight known caecilian members of the genus Gegeneophis in India by the presence of visible eyes, over 120 annuli and over 75 secondary annular grooves.

New Genus of Centipede from Australia

A new genus of centipedes has been described from Western Australia. This new genus is Pilbarascutigera and is described in the paper “A new genus of scutigerid centipeds (Chilopoda) from Western Australia, with new characters for morphological phylogenetics of Scutigeromorpha” by G.D. Edgecombe and L. Barrow within Zootaxa 1409: 23-50 (2007)

The new genus is described based on collected specimens since 2000 by the Department of Environment and Conservation of Western Australia, Biota Environmental Sciences and the Australian Museum from the Pilbara region of Australia.

Morphological differences serve as the basis for the new Pilbara regions genus.

This species has a taxonomic breakout as follows:

Order: Scutigeromorpha
Family: Scutigeridae
Subfamily: Thereuoneminae
Genus: Pilbarascutigera
Species: Incola

Description:

Length: Up to 31 mm in males, 28 mm in femalesColor: Orange brown with yellowish sections

Australian Night Parrot Found (dead one)

Ex-parrot sighting in Qld sparks interest

The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service says the discovery of a rare bird in outback Queensland will probably attract worldwide scientific interest.

Rangers found a dead night parrot - one of Australia's rarest birds - in the Diamantina National Park in the state's far south-west late last year.

The last reported sighting was 1990.

Keith Twyford from Parks and Wildlife says the parrot is classed as endangered, but the most recent discovery has sparked big interest.

"I suspect it is of international significance, we haven't got that level of interest just yet but it wouldn't surprise me if we did," he said.

"There's been calls from all across Australia coming into the Queensland Museum and into our office so there's an enormous amount of interest from the 'twitchers' [bird watchers who focus on collecting new species] out there and the scientific and conservation community as well, so it's a very, very exciting find."

Mr Twyford says more surveys will now be done.

"Before the big wet that you've had out west we had park rangers and park scientists working through western Queensland looking for night parrots," he said.

"Unsuccessful at this stage and the weather got in our way to continue that but once conditions get a bit better, we'll be looking to continue that survey work probably in conjunction with Birds Australia, who've already indicated they'd be very keen to help us out."

DNA genetic "barcodes"

Genetics reveal 15 new N.American bird species

OSLO (Reuters) - Genetic tests of North American birds show what may be 15 new species including ravens and owls -- look alikes that do not interbreed and have wrongly had the same name for centuries, scientists said on Sunday.

If the findings from a study of birds' DNA genetic "barcodes" in the United States and Canada hold true around the world, there might be more than 1,000 new species of birds on top of 10,000 identified so far, they said.
A parallel study of South American bats in Guyana also showed six new species among 87 surveyed, hinting that human studies of the defining characteristics of species may have been too superficial to tell almost identical types apart.

"This is the leading tip of a process that will see the genetic registration of life on the planet," said Paul Hebert of the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario, a co-author of the report in the British Journal Molecular Ecology Notes.

"You can't protect biodiversity if you can't recognise it."

The scientists found 15 potential new species among 643 types of bird studied from the Arctic to Florida. The sample covers almost all 690 known breeding species in North America.

"North American birds are among the best studied in the world," said co-author Mark Stoeckle of the Rockefeller University in New York. "Even in a group where people have been looking very carefully there are genetically different forms that appear to be new species."

Look alike species were of the Northern Fulmar, Solitary Sandpiper, Western Screech Owl, Warbling Vireo, Mexican Jay, Western Scrub-Jay, Common Raven, Mountain Chickadee, Bushtit, Winter Wren, Marsh Wren, Bewick's Wren, Hermit Thrush, Curve Billed Thrasher and Eastern Meadowlark.

"It would be a reasonable guess that there are likely to be at least 1,000 genetically distinct forms of birds (worldwide) that will be recognised as new species," Stoeckle said.

The genetic tests, for instance of a feather, give a readout of a "barcode" for each creature similar to the black and white parallel lines on packages at supermarkets.

They said DNA diverged by at least 2.5 percent -- enough, they said, to define a species despite almost identical shape, plumage and song. A one percent difference typically indicated a million years without interbreeding, they said.

The study also found 14 pairs of birds with separate identities that were almost genetic "twins", two trios of birds were DNA triplets and eight gull species were almost identical.

"Some of these on close inspection may really be better considered as a single species," said Stoeckle. "Others are probably very young species at the borderline."

The Snow Goose and Ross's Goose, for instance, shared 99.8 percent of DNA and the black-billed magpie and the yellow-billed magpie 99.6 percent. Gulls such as the Glaucous and Iceland Gulls were 99.8 percent the same.

The scientists said there was no clear scientific definition of a species -- inability to interbreed was often favoured.

"But that's difficult -- we're not watching bats mate in caves, we're not often watching small life forms," Hebert said.

The scientists are hoping to raise $100 million to compile a barcode of life -- 10 million DNA records of 500,000 animal species by 2014.


Please note, the entire published paper is entitled BOLD: The Barcode of Life Data System (www.barcodinglife.org) by Sujeevan Ratanasingham and Paul D. Hebert through Molecular Ecology Notes , 2007. This was originally submitted in July 2006, revised in November 2006, and awaiting final print publication in 2007. However, the paper is available through OPEN ACCESS online in PDF format through Blackwell Synergy.

King Moose

Craig's article on King Moose folklore is now available for perusal at BioFortean Review.

Ugandan Mangabeys Upgrade to Species

Primatologist Colin Groves has upgraded a Uganda population of gray-cheeked mangebays (Lophocebus albigena) to full species status (Lophocebus ugandae). From the news:

"A new monkey species believed to be endangered, has been discovered in Mabira forest reserve in Mukono. According to a report by Prof. Colin Groves of the Australian National University, the monkey species is now one of the 19 primate species in Uganda." ...
"Groves revealed that when he revised the research he undertook three decades ago, he discovered that the Uganda monkeys were much smaller than similar ones in other parts of the world. 'It was really striking,' he said.
"The species is dramatically smaller than the true lephocebus albigena (sic) and the new methods of analysis have made it more obvious, according to Groves.
"Groves’ report is proposing to raise the conservation status of Uganda mangabeys to the IUCN’s list of endangered species. This means that they will be of the same priority for conservation internationally as gorillas and chimpanzees.
"The Uganda species have a short skull and face compared to the ones in their previous grouping that widely occur in Rwanda, Burundi and DR Congo.
"The gray-cheeked mangabey can also be found in Central Africa and westward toward the Congo River and east to the shores of the Lualaba River in DRC. They occupy northern Zaire southward into northern Angola. In Uganda, they are only found in Kibale, Semliki, Itwara, Bugoma, Bujuko, Mpanga, Sango bay and Mabira forests.
"When completed, the upgrade will separate the Ugandan monkeys from those in central and southern Africa, becoming the only species found exclusively in Uganda.
"'This is excellent news as it will sell Ugandan forests for tourism,' said William Olupot, a researcher on primates at the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society. 'It also raises the tourism potential of Mabira one or several notches,' he said.
"The new species prefer to live in the middle and upper layers of the forest, where they feed on fruits. Because of this, they rarely come out of the forest to raid crops."

Robotic Cameras for Ivorybills

Eurakalert this morning notes that robotic cameras will be placed in suspected Ivorybill Woodpecker territory, which may provide greater scope in the search to positively identify any remaining birds:

"In the bayous of eastern Arkansas, amidst ancient trees both living and dead that provide nourishment to creatures of the swamp, hangs a high-tech sentinel patiently waiting to capture video of an elusive bird once thought to be extinct.
"Developed by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, and Texas A&M University, the high-resolution intelligent robotic video system installed in the Bayou DeView area of the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas is part of a major effort to locate the ivory-billed woodpecker in its historic habitat, the bottomland forests of the southeast United States.
"If the researchers obtain conclusive photographic evidence of the woodpecker, it will settle a debate that has become heated in recent years and fascinated millions of people around the world, from bird-watchers and environmentalists to Arkansas farmers and duck hunters.
"In the meantime, the new robotic video system provides detailed video sequences of other birds, suggesting a new high-tech approach to doing field biology work." ...
"The robotic video system is part of a new project, called Collaborative Observatories for Natural Environments (CONE) and funded by the National Science Foundation, to develop automated systems that can observe and record detailed natural behavior in remote settings." ...

"'A single photographic frame would have to clearly show the unique markings of the ivory-billed woodpecker,' said Goldberg. 'Much better would be a high-resolution video clip that would also capture its unique wing and flight patterns.'
"The researchers note that simply pointing video cameras at the sky and recording is not practical, as the images would quickly fill up the computer's hard drive. The challenge, they say, is for the software to automatically recognize when animals are present. 'Passive infrared (PIR) motion sensors are sometimes used in wildlife research,' said Goldberg, who has pioneered networked teleoperation systems for more than a decade. 'The problem is that PIR sensors look for heat and are not triggered by birds flying overhead. So we're developing a robotic system that analyzes high resolution video in real time.'
"In February 2006, the Cornell researchers took Goldberg and Song out to the Cache River National Wildlife Refuge to scout out potential locations for placing the remote cameras. Because no one knows exactly where the bird might appear, the cameras must cover a relatively wide swath of sky.
"They settled upon a power line that cuts through the bayou and provides a 50-foot-wide clearing unobstructed by trees.
"'It's a natural bottleneck in the forest, and birds passing through that corridor are relatively easy to spot because they expose themselves,' said Ron Rohrbaugh, project director at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. 'At this location, we should have the highest probability of capturing an image of the ivory-billed woodpecker.'
"With the generous help of the Arkansas Electric Cooperative, a 69 kilovolt transformer was erected for the project that provides both a power source and a post to mount the equipment. The researchers decided against solar and battery cells because they would not provide a reliable enough power source.
"The two cameras - one pointing east and the other west - are connected to a computer that processes the data. Waterproof gear helps protect the equipment from the elements, including rain and wind, and even from occasional bird droppings.
"The researchers created software that keeps video files only when potential 'bird flight' movement is sensed.
"The software is based on new algorithms that can handle the unpredictable conditions of a natural environment, filtering out false readings from clouds, water reflections and falling leaves. 'The program knows, for instance, that the ivory-billed woodpecker flies 20 to 40 miles per hour, so anything outside that range is deleted,' said Song, who worked with Ni Qin, a computer science Ph.D. student at Texas A&M, on the software.
"'The high-resolution camera we have shoots at 22 frames per second, with approximately 2 to 3 megapixels per frame,' said Song. 'That's a huge amount of data that must be managed.'
"Collecting the video data involves a decidedly low-tech approach: Luneau takes a boat out to the site every two weeks to change the disk.
"Not only is Luneau skilled with computer equipment, he is an avid bird-watcher and a leading member of the ivory-billed woodpecker search team in Arkansas. He does an initial screening of the images from the hard drive, and then sends the data to researchers at Cornell, Texas A&M and UC Berkeley.
"And what if a high-quality image of the ivory-billed woodpecker is captured? 'If something really interesting is in the frame, Cornell makes the call (on the identity of the bird),' said Song.
"Rohrbaugh pointed out the benefits of using an autonomous camera. 'There are other ways of searching for the ivory-billed woodpecker, but those ways usually involve a human positioned in the forest for a very long time,' he said. 'Humans are expensive, and they're not always alert, and their simple presence is a disturbance to the environment, even when they're camouflaged and sitting quietly. Remote systems that can serve as our eyes and ears are a big advantage.'
"Song also noted that using the camera extends the search season to the entire year.
"'Usually people do this type of bird-watching in the winter because there are fewer leaves, making it easier to spot the woodpecker,' Song said. 'Also, in the summer, the temperature is hot, it's swampy, and there are mosquitoes and snakes to deal with. Our system can run the whole year, and it is not bothered by mosquitoes.'"

Big Bird Book

Noted on CFZ's blog, Ken Gerhard has published Big Bird!, though I'm not clear on the specifics of what the book covers. From the description:

"The Indians called it the Thunderbird, a winged monster so vast that the beating of its mighty pinions sounded like thunder. But this ancient beast is not to be held in the cage of mythology. Today, from all over the dusty U.S. / Mexican border come hair-raising stories of modern day encounters with winged monsters of immense size and terrifying appearance. Further field sightings of similar creatures are recorded from all around the globe. The Kongamato of Africa, the Ropen of New Guinea and many others. What lies behind these weird tales?"

North Florida Panthers

An article at Gainesville.com notes recent alleged encounters with cougar in northern Florida. Not much given for investigation purposes, but the article does include a clickable audio file of a panther vocalization.

SC: Genes Responsible for Hairless Foxes

Research on those hairless foxes in the news last year has come up with an interesting finding:

"The latest research results on the weird-looking Shem Creek hairless foxes reported around the area last summer will be presented at the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, a College of Charleston biologist said Thursday.
"Jaap Hillenius, associate professor in the biology department, said a necropsy performed on a dead hairless fox found in a neighborhood off Chuck Dawley Boulevard in Mount Pleasant showed no obvious causes for the fox's hairless condition.
"There was no mange or other skin parasites or disease, and the fox was in reasonably good nutritional condition, Hillenius said.
"'The most likely explanation thus remains that this concerns a genetic fluke, a hereditary trait that shows up in some families of foxes,' Hillenius said.
"One of his students, Amanda Jenkins, will have a poster presenting the findings today through Sunday at Marion Square. Students will be on hand to answer questions about the fox research, he said." ...
"A hairless-fox sighting has been reported in the town as recently as two weeks ago, Hillenius said." ...
"Hillenius sent genetic material from the dead fox to a colleague at the University of California at Los Angeles, who identified it as a gray fox.
"Hillenius said similar fox sightings were reported in Finland in the 1930s and 1940s. The reports declined over the next 20 years. 'We're still reading up on this, but there doesn't seem to be an obvious explanation for this decades-long population spike,' he said.
"Hillenius said more research is needed to determine whether local reports of bald foxes are on the upswing or whether they are relatively constant over time."

Fantagraphics CZ Art

In January, Fantagraphics published Beasts!, by Jacob Covey, a bestiary of sorts that includes both purely mythological and some cryptozoological creatures. The entries are illustrated by artists and cartoonists, showing a wide range of styles and perspectives.

More information can be found at the Beasts! blog, and an online interview with Covey.

More on the Virginian Foot Mystery

Earlier it was noted that an odd "foot" had been discovered in Virginia. Here then is more information on the continuing investigation by locals.

Foot 'looks like bear's hind paw'
BY KIRAN KRISHNAMURTHY
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER

FREDERICKSBURG -- The apelike foot found in a Spotsylvania County landfill still has folks scratching their heads.

Spotsylvania Sheriff Howard Smith said yesterday that he plans to send the foot to an as-yet-undetermined expert for further examination. "So we can find out what it is," he said.
Already, word of the find is making the rounds on Internet sites dedicated to Bigfoot sightings and theories.

William M. Dranginis, who operates the Virginia Bigfoot Research Organization, has offered to have DNA samples, if he can obtain them, tested by experts, including renowned primatologist Jane Goodall. Dranginis said he has already made arrangements with Goodall in case an unidentified creature is ever found.

"You prepare for this," he said in a phone interview yesterday.

Goodall has said she is certain Bigfoot creatures exist in nature.

"Dr. Goodall is curious and keeps an open mind on the subject," Nona Gandelman, a spokeswoman for the Jane Goodall Institute in Arlington, said yesterday, adding that Goodall was traveling and not immediately available for comment.

Dranginis, who has viewed photographs of the foot found in Spotsylvania, said it resembles a bear's skinned hind paw. Authorities say the foot, which appeared sawed off above the ankle, is about 8 inches long.

"That would be relatively small even for an adolescent Bigfoot," said Dranginis, who has been on a quest since spotting what he described as a Bigfoot creature in Culpeper County in 1995.
"There's big bucks in bear poaching," said the 48-year-old Manassas man. In Virginia, bear-hunting season runs for specified periods from mid-October to early January, depending on the locality and the weapon to be used.

Authorities initially thought the foot might belong to a human and that it might be evidence of a homicide. Workers found the appendage Saturday afternoon in the treaded tracks of a bulldozer used to move garbage at one of the county's landfills.

Three dozen searchers -- sheriff's deputies and volunteers from the fire and rescue departments -- sifted through half of a 127-ton load of fresh garbage looking for more body parts.

Authorities halted the search Monday morning after receiving word that the state medical examiner's office in Richmond determined the foot belonged to an apelike species, based on the bone structure revealed through X-rays. At the time, the sheriff said he considered the case pretty much closed unless someone came forward with information.

Yesterday, Smith said he plans to send the foot for testing after it is returned from the medical examiner's office. Arkuie Williams, a spokesman for the medical examiner's office, said officials there are still doing further investigation. He would not say what tests are being performed but reiterated, "It's not human."

Glowing Squid Attack

Japanese scientists have found that one squid uses its bioluminescence to disorient prey during an attack. From BBC News:

"Taningia danae's spectacular light show was revealed in video footage taken in deep waters off Chichijima Island in the North Pacific.
"Japanese scientists believe the creatures use the bright flashes to disorientate potential victims.
"Writing in a Royal Society journal, they say the squid are far from the sluggish, inactive beasts once thought.
"In fact, the footage, taken in 2005 - the first time T. danae had been captured on camera in their natural environment - reveals them to be aggressive predators.
"The squid, which can measure over 2m (7ft) in length, deftly swim backwards and forwards by flapping their large, muscular fins. They are able to alter their direction rapidly by bending their flexible bodies.
"The films, taken at depths of 240m to 940m (790 to 3,080ft), also show the cephalopods reaching speeds of up to 2.5m (8ft) per second as they attack the bait, capturing it with their eight tentacles.

"However, the intense pulses of light that accompanied the ferocious attacks surprised the research team." ...

"The footage reveals the creatures emitting short flashes from light-producing organs, called photophores, on their arms.

"Writing in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, the team said: '[The bioluminescence] might act as a blinding flash for prey.'
"The light would disorientate the squid's intended prey, disrupting their defences, they added.
"It could also act, the scientists commented, "as a means of illumination and measuring target distance in an otherwise dark environment."
"However, further investigation revealed the light bursts may also serve another, quite different, purpose away from the hunting field - courtship.
"As the squid drifted around torches that had been attached to the bait rig, they emanated long and short pulses of light.
"The team believe the torch lights may have resembled another glowing T. danae, and the squid were possibly emitting light as courtship behaviour."

Giant Noctule Bat Eats Migrating Birds

Interesting behavior in a European bat. From Eurekalert:

"It was until now believed that nocturnally migrating songbirds, while venturing into the unfamiliar night sky for accomplishing their long, challenging trans-continental migrations, could at least release anti-predator vigilance thanks to the concealment of darkness. A new study by Spanish and Swiss scientists – published this week in PLoS ONE – shows that migration at night is not without predation risk for passerines. A unique creature is indeed capable of exploiting the formidable food source represented by the billions of high-flying, Eurasian songbirds which engage twice a year into long-distance, north-south or south-north nocturnal movements. The danger seems especially acute where birds' flight routes converge around the Mediterranean basin, such as the Iberian Peninsula. This newly recognized hazard adds to the numerous obstacles that sea and desert crossings already represent for fragile migratory passerines. Actually, the newly uncovered danger comes from the deep black sky, in the form of a 45 cm wing-spanned aerial-hawking mammal, equipped with sharp canines and an efficient radar system which remains probably largely inaudible to songbirds.
"In 2001, Carlos Ibáñez and his colleagues at the Doñana Biological Station in Seville, Spain, suggested that the giant noctule bat (Nyctalus lasiopterus), a rare European species occurring principally in the Mediterranean, may feed to a large extent on birds (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 98, 9700-9702). They had found numerous feathers in the faeces of Spanish giant noctules, with occurrence peaks in the diet in spring and autumn, i.e. during main songbirds' seasonal migration. This contrasted strikingly with food composition of other European bat species which all feed exclusively on invertebrates!
"This finding brought about a heated controversy among bat scientists. Some claimed that eating feathers was no proof of preying upon birds: they suggested that giant noctules could simply, and accidentally, ingest feathers hovering in the air, which are particula