Plants, insects and dinosaurs. These are the new species discovered in 2015. Even if we feel we are the rulers of this planet, thinking we know everything, absolutely everything about those who populate it with us, there are many living species of which until a few days ago we did not even know the existence. The team of the State University of New York (SUNY ESF) together with an international committee of taxonomists has compiled the ranking with the top ten of the new species of the year
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Plants, insects and dinosaurs. These are the new species discovered in 2015. Even if we feel we are the rulers of this planet, thinking we know everything, absolutely everything about those who populate it with us, there are many living species that until a few days ago we did not even know existed. The State University of New York (SUNY ESF) team together with an international committee of taxonomists compiled the ranking with the top ten of the new species of 2015.
Around 18.000 new creatures are discovered every year around the world. An impressive figure, which puts us in front of the fact of not being so aware of what surrounds us.
But here's what the 10 most particular species discovered this year and classified by the ESF:
Index
Torquigener
Let's call it Puffer too. It is he who occupies the first position. A real mystery surrounded this creature. For more than 20 years, scientists have been trying to understand where the complicated circles with geometric designs of about 2 meters in diameter, observed on the seabed off the coast of Amami-Oshima, originated.
Mistery solved. They are the work of the new species of puffer fish, Torquigener albomaculosus. Males make these egg-laying circles by writhing on the seabed. These special nests are used only once to attract females. The presence of high edges serves to protect the eggs from currents and predators.
Religious Tillandsia
In second place we find a plant, with a bright pink color, often used in Christmas decorations in Mexico. Despite this, however, no scientist had ever documented this bold specimen until now.
The plant grows on cliffs and vertical walls and blooms from December to March.
Phyllodesmium acanthorhinum
For sea snail friends. It is a species found off the coast of Japan. But in addition to having a unique appearance, it has an equally unique scientific classification. This creature could be a "missing link" between sea snails that move on corals and those that feed on hydroids.
Characterized by bright colors, in shades of blue, red and gold, this snail has also contributed to a better understanding of the origin of the unusual symbiosis between other species of the genus.
Phryganistria tamdaoensis
It looks like a walking stick but it is a real sly since it has managed to escape the attention of entomologists until this year.
This long insect is quite common in the Vietnamese city of Tam Dao and is part of a family known as "giant sticks".
Limnonectes larvaepartus
It is a unique frog, discovered in Indonesia. What makes it so special? It is the only known species of frog capable of giving birth. Instead of laying eggs, females give birth to tadpoles.
It lives in streams, with herbaceous vegetation and rocky substrates.
Deuteragenia ossarium
This difficult-named wasp has a unique way of protecting its offspring. Like others of its kind, it creates a nest with multiple compartments but unlike its peers, the mother of this species will leave an egg and a dead spider in each compartment so that her young can feed immediately. The nests are also home to up to 13 dead ants.
In fact, they release a chemical odor that drives away potential predators. A very effective method as these creatures have significantly lower levels of parasites than other wasps found in the same region of China.
Enigmatic Dendrogram
These multicellular animals are more like mushrooms. Not only are these a new species, these creatures could represent a whole new phylum. While there is evidence to suggest these animals are related to the phylum Cnidaria (jellyfish anemones, hydras) or the phylum Ctenophora, many of the main identifiers of these groups have disappeared.
Cebrennus rechenbergi
This desert arachnid has a very particular type of defense. When he feels attacked, he accelerates while rolling at great speed towards his own threat.
He lives in the sand dunes of Morocco and is an acrobat not to be underestimated.
Coralliformis balanophora
It is a coral parasitic plant discovered in the Philippines. Parasitic plants are unable to produce their own chlorophyll so they must obtain nutrients from other living plants.
Although it was only recently discovered, it is already considered endangered.
Anzu wyliei
Affectionately nicknamed the "Chicken from Hell" by paleontologists due to its size, this dinosaur is the closest to a bird. It lives like the T-rex, but this species featured hollow bones and sat on its eggs until they hatched.
Its "beak" is very similar to that of the parrot.
Last year, the top ten species discovered in 2014 were a 12-meter-high tree, an anemone on ice, and a wasp called Tinkerbell.
Francesca Mancuso
Photo: ESF
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Biodiversity: the 2014 Top Ten of new species discovered last year