New Species

Did you know that there are still new species of tree to discover? Wei Harn does, and in this episode he tells us all about his trip surveying Malaysian Royal Belum State Park and an unexpected new species discovery. How does one collect a tree, this entomologist host would like to know! (there certainly aren’t any vials big enough). We learn all about the stunning diversity of the park including its unique assemblages and history, and the importance of studying and valuing natural areas like it.

Wei Harn’s paper “Castanopsis corallocarpus (Fagaceae), a new species from Royal Belum (Perak) in Peninsular Malaysia” is in the 219th issue of Phytokeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.219.95991

New Species: Castanopsis corallocarpusEpisode image courtesy of Wei Harn

To learn more about the evolutionary history, diversity, identification and conservation of this new species and over 700 others, check out www.asianfagaceae.com

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreoNesticuscom/NewSpeciesPod

How do you continue your research when the harsh climate makes collecting impossible most of the year, or when much of your focal area is contained within a Buddhist community which prevents the harm of any animal? What if it’s also a remote area that is difficult and costly to access? Oh, and don’t forget the trap-destroying monkeys and wild hogs!

But once you are able to navigate all of these obstacles, the nature you find is well worth the trouble. In this episode, Dibyajyoti Ghosh shares his experience collecting carpenter bees in a unique and understudied corner of India’s Himalayan mountains. In addition to tales from the field he shares his affection for native bees and speaks with conviction about why their habitats should be better surveyed and protected.

Dibyajyoti Ghosh’s paper “Description of a new species of genus Ceratina Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) from Eastern Himalayas, India with a new country record” is published in volume 9 issue 1 of the Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.52547/jibs.9.1.139

New Species: Ceratina tawangensis

Episode image courtesy of Dibyajyoti Ghosh

Find Dibyajyoti’s work on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Dibyajyoti-Ghosh-2242506077

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), Instagram (@newspeciespodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Meet Dr. Marshal Hedin. He’s an arachnologist fascinated with Nesticidae, a group of cave-dwelling spiders found in the southern Appalachian mountains, an area of tremendous beauty and biodiversity. In this interview he describes the joy of discoveries of new and interesting species, the struggles of collecting in rock piles and other dangerous terrain, as well as a few adventures along the way. What can we learn from Nesticus? Marshal says: “I just think generally if you live in some hollow or some mountain in southern Appalachia and you happen to have some Nesticus that’s only found in that mountain you might find that interesting and unique…a sense of place, you know? That’s your little cave spider.”

Marshal Hedin’s paper “New species in old mountains: integrative taxonomy reveals ten new species and extensive short-range endemism in Nesticus spiders (Araneae, Nesticidae) from the southern Appalachian Mountains” is in the February 3rd edition of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1145.96724

New Species: Nesticus binfordae, Nesticus bondi, Nesticus canei, Nesticus cherokeensis, Nesticus dellingeri, Nesticus dykemanae, Nesticus jemisinae, Nesticus lowderi, Nesticus roanensis, and Nesticus templetoni

Marshal’s lab site: https://marshalhedinlab.com/

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreoNesticuscom/NewSpeciesPod

For some, roadkill is just roadkill. For one researcher, it was the start of a brand new career path.

Did you know that there is a group of animals that are legless like snakes and burrow through the ground like worms? Meet Caecilians, an amazing group of amphibians that just received 3 new species courtesy of Dr. Juan David Fernández and his team from Bogotá, Colombia. They examined specimens from the Cordillera Oriental to help piece together the story of Caecilian biodiversity in the Andes. Listen to this interview to learn about these unique creatures and what they can tell us about one of the most fascinating biodiversity hotspots in the world.

And in case you’re curious, the new species pictured here (Caecilia macrodonta) is aptly named- it has the largest dentary teeth of the entire genus!

Do you want to share your thoughts on the podcast? Please do so here:

https://forms.gle/fnXUuiNknRFadXWj6

We now have an instagram! Follow @NewSpeciesPodcast

Juan David Fernández’s paper “On the identities of Caecilia degenerata Dunn, 1942 and of C. corpulenta Taylor, 1968 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) with descriptions of three new species of Caecilia Linnaeus, 1758 from the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia” is in the January 5th edition of Zootaxa.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5227.2.3

New Species: Caecilia atelolepis, Caecilia epicrionopsoides, and Caecilia macrodonta

Follow Juan on instagram: @jdfernandezr

Or check out his researchgate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Juan-Fernandez-Roldan-2

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

'When it comes to ants,' Dr. Kiko Gómez says, 'it’s important to know what you don’t know.' The ant genus Pheidole contains over 1,000 species, and is found across the world. But what does it mean to find a new species in this genus? In this episode, Kiko shares his experience collecting and identifying Pheidole ants in the Ivory Coast. He tells us what it’s like to visit the amazing Taï National Park, how myrmecologists differentiate between worker, soldier, and other ant designations, and what makes his group of ants unique from the rest.

Do you want to share your thoughts on the podcast? Please do so here:

https://forms.gle/fnXUuiNknRFadXWj6

I really appreciate the responses, and I’m working hard to make them happen. Expect bonus content, episode transcripts, a website, and more coming soon. If you’d like to support the podcast, please consider giving us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or supporting us on Patreon to get access to that bonus content. Even $1-2 a month really helps keep the podcast going!

Book mentioned: Journey to the Ants by Bert Hölldobler and E. O. Wilson

Found here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/journey-to-the-ants-a-story-of-scientific-exploration-edward-o-wilson/6711464?ean=9780674485266

Kiko Gómez’s paper Pheidole klaman sp. nov.: a new addition from Ivory Coast to the Afrotropical pulchella species group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) is in the June 20th 2022 issue of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1104.81562

New Species: Pheidole klaman

Episode image courtesy of Kiko Gomez

Find Kiko on Instagram: @netodejulilla

Virtual 3D data of the major worker holotype (CASENT0764691) and two minor worker paratypes (CASENT0764692 & CASENT0745509) can be found on Dryad (doi: 10.5061/dryad.mpg4f4r1k)

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Have you ever heard of Mud Dragons? They’re actually a group of marine invertebrates that can be found in oceans across the globe. And, as Dr. María Herranz tells us in this interview, collecting and processing them is a unique challenge. Listen in to find out how a piece of copy paper and Madonna in the early 90s are connected to these fascinating creatures!

María Herranz’s paper “Expanding the Echinoderes coulli group (Kinorhyncha: Cyclorhagida) with a new species from the Chuuk Islands, Micronesia” is in Volume 302 of Zoologischer Anzeiger.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2022.11.010

New Species: Echinoderes inaequalis

Episode image courtesy of María Herranz

Follow María on twitter: @Maríaherranz___

Check out María’s website: https://www.Maríaherranzm.com/

And visit the Natural History Museum of Denmark’s Collections Portal: https://collections.snm.ku.dk/en

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

The frogs are back! In a year of episodes rich in amphibians, New Species rounds out 2022 with Dr. Mark Scherz and his paper describing 20 new species of frogs from Madagascar. This paper has everything! Barcode fishing, large-scale scientific collaboration, and plenty of fascinating frog facts. The real question I should have asked Mark is how he became an expert in Brygoomantis calls - as you’ll hear in this episode, he’s very accomplished.

Do you want to share your thoughts on the podcast? Please do so here: https://forms.gle/fnXUuiNknRFadXWj6

Mark Scherz’s paper “An inordinate fondness for inconspicuous brown frogs: integration of phylogenomics, archival DNA analysis, morphology, and bioacoustics yields 24 new taxa in the subgenus Brygoomantis (genus Mantidactylus) from Madagascar” is in Volume 7 Issue 2 of Megataxa.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.11646/megataxa.7.2.1

New Species: M. ambohimitombi marefo, M. ambohimitombi miloko, M. mahery, M. steinfartzi, M. incognitus, M. jonasi, M. katae, M. kortei, M. riparius, M. fergusoni, M. georgei, M. jahnarum, M. marintsoai, M. grubenmanni, M. gudrunae, M. augustini, M. bletzae, M. brevirostris, M. eulenbergeri, M. glosi., M. stelliger, M. manerana, M. manerana fotaka, and M. manerana antsanga.

Episode image (M. stelliger) courtesy Miguel Vences

Find Mark on twitter: @MarkScherz

Or on Mastedon: @MarkScherz @EcoEvo.social

Or how about Tumblr: MarkScherz.tumblr.com

Or check out his website: MarkScherz.com

Mark’s other content includes:

Anatomy Insights: www.youtube.com/AnatomyInsights

Squamates Podcast: http://squamatespod.com/

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

It’s possible that you’ve heard about a new species of bee from Western Australia that has a snout like a dog. But did you know it specializes on just a few species of plant from the Fabaceae (legume) family? And how did it get named L. zephyr? And what does it mean to be a “plasterer bee?” Hear about all of this and more as we get a behind the scenes look into the wonderful world of native bees with Dr. Kit Prendergast.

Kit Prendergast’s paper “Leioproctus zephyr, an oligolectic new bee species with a distinctive clypeus” is in Volume 93 of the Journal of Hymenoptera Research.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.93.85685

New Species: Leioproctus zephyr

Episode image courtesy of Kit Prendergast

Follow Kit onTwitter: @BeeBabette

Or on Instagram: @bee.babette_performer

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Imagine this: you’re hiking in the savannah of western Angola when you spot the silhouette of a gecko in the brush. You pick it up, expecting to find your old friend Kolekanos plumicaudus, a little brown patterned gecko with a feather-like tail. But when you look at this gecko, its tail is entirely different, spines instead of feathery plumes. When his colleague brought him the first four specimens, Javier Lobon Rovira knew immediately that they had found a new species. Listen in as he shares his tips for finding geckos, how special this species is to him, and how important it is to give attention to understudied areas like the Angolan savannah.

Javier Lobon Rovira’s paper “A new species of feather-tailed leaf-toed gecko, Kolekanos Heinicke, Daza, Greenbaum, Jackman, Bauer, 2014 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from the poorly explored savannah of western Angola” is in the November 2nd issue of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1127.84942

New Species: Kolekanos spinicaudus

Episode image courtesy of Javier Lobon Rovira

Check out Javier’s stunning photography! www.javierlobonrovira.com

Follow Javier on Instagram: @javilbn_wildphotography

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

You’ve probably seen these organisms before. They’re green, shiny, and “quite nervous” according to Dr. Marc Pollet, who has been studying Dolichopodidae, long-legged flies, for decades. But there’s so much more to this group than what meets the eye. Take a deep dive into the fascinating world of flies with Marc, and learn a secret or two about the beauty of taxonomy, the importance of names, and what might be waiting to be discovered in your own backyard.

Dr. Marc Pollet’s paper “Discovery of a Lineage of Soil-Dwelling Medetera Species with Multi-Coloured Eyes in Southern Europe” can be found in volume 13 issue 11 of Insects.

An open access link is available here: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13111012

New Species: Medetera aglaops, Medetera corsicana, Medetera gibbosipyga, Medetera hispanica, Medetera lusitana, Medetera parva, and Medetera rectipyga.

Episode image courtesy of Andreas Stark

Find Marc’s work on his INBO Page: https://pureportal.inbo.be/en/persons/marc-pollet

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod