Pensoft blog - Part 3

How Citizen Science and Fieldwork Rediscovered Papilio alexanor in Southern Italy

The rediscovery of Papilio alexanor in southern Italy marks a historic moment for Italian lepidopterology.

Guest blog post by Paolo Mazzei

For decades, butterfly enthusiasts and lepidopterists across Italy have wondered: could the lost southern populations of the Southern Swallowtail still be out there?

Historical records of Papilio alexanor in Southern Italy were sparse and dated, often dismissed as stray individuals blown in by strong winds from Greece or the Balkans. But for many lepidopterists, alexanor represents a true holy grail – a majestic, bright-yellow species that is strictly protected.

Our research didn’t start in a lab, but with a smartphone screen.

Table of Contents

When Citizen Science Meets Expert Curiosity
A 1,400 km Journey into the Wild
Surprising Ecology: A New Host Plant for Italy
Protecting the Future: Simple Actions for Big Impact

When Citizen Science Meets Expert Curiosity

male Papilio alexanor — Male *Papilio alexanor* on C. ruber. Picture by Stefano Meraglia.

In May 2023, a marine biologist kayaking along the rugged cliffs of Basilicata uploaded a brief video to iNaturalist. It captured an unmistakable female Papilio alexanor fluttering around a giant fennel (Ferula) stalk.

A year later, a second record appeared on iNaturalist: a pristine, freshly emerged female photographed by a German tourist in Campania. Together, these two sightings hinted that the species might be more than a mere vagrant here.

*Papilio alexanor*. Picture by Paolo Mazzei.

This is where the power of modern biodiversity platforms like iNaturalist, Observation.org, and the eBMS (European Butterfly Monitoring Scheme) shines: they act as distributed networks of eyes on the ground, catching subtle shifts in nature that a single research team could easily miss. Inspired by these community sightings, our team from the Italian Lepidopterological Association (ALI), in collaboration with the University of Turin, decided it was time to step in.

A 1,400 km Journey into the Wild

Obtaining research permits for a strictly protected species under EU law takes time, ethics, and rigor. With support from the University of Turin, we secured formal authorization from the Italian Ministry of Environment in early 2026.

Driven by passion, our team funded the expedition ourselves, driving over 1,400 km round trip to systematically survey the steep coastal cliffs and dry habitats along the Campania–Basilicata border.

Pupa of Papilio alexanor. Photo by Paolo Mazzei.
5th instar Papilio alexanor caterpillar. Picture by Stefano Meraglia,
Papilio alexanor caterpillars feeding F. glauca. Picture by Paolo Mazzei.
Papilio alexanor caterpillars of different instars, feeding on seeds of F. glauca. Picture by Stefano Meraglia.
Papilio alexanor on C. ruber. Picture by Andrea Baruzzi,

The thrill of discovery was immediate. Standing at a cliffside turnout, we watched the first bright-yellow male soar up from the ravine. Soon we spotted courting pairs feeding on red valerian (Centranthus ruber) and females in the act of ovipositing.

Encouraged, we started scouting similar spots nearby, and the hunch paid off. About 15 to 20 km away, we found a second active breeding colony.

Surprising Ecology: A New Host Plant for Italy

Female *Papilio alexanor* laying eggs on the flowers of F. glauca. Picture by Luciano Valeri.

Our fieldwork revealed two ecological twists, since published in our paper in Nota Lepidopterologica.

First, the Northern Italian populations rely on host plants such as Ptychotis saxifraga or Opopanax chironium, but the southern caterpillars feed exclusively on Ferula glauca. This host-plant association was previously documented in Greece and the Balkans, but never before in Italy.

Second, the flight begins significantly earlier here than in northern populations, reflecting local adaptation to the semi-arid, thermo-Mediterranean climate.

Protecting the Future: Simple Actions for Big Impact

Finding a “lost” population is cause for celebration, but it also brings responsibility. These isolated coastal colonies remain vulnerable to habitat fragmentation, fire, climate extremes, and road infrastructure development.

Female Papilio alexanor — Female *Papilio* alexanor on C. ruber. Picture by Andrea Baruzzi, 2026,

To help Papilio alexanor keep thriving here, effective conservation management should prioritise targeted monitoring, integrating structured transects through schemes like eBMS to track population trends over time; habitat protection, preserving coastal slope vegetation and preventing over-mowing or destruction of Ferula glauca stands during roadside maintenance; and responsible citizen engagement, encouraging nature lovers, hikers, and photographers to submit observations with precise geolocation, while ensuring that delicate breeding sites remain respected and undisturbed.

This story is a reminder that remarkable biological discoveries are still waiting to be made right under our noses. All it takes is a curious eye, a smartphone upload, and a community of passionate researchers ready to follow the trail.

Original source:

Meraglia S, Baruzzi A, Mazzei P, Valeri L, Zerunian Z (2026) First documented record of a reproducing population of Papilio alexanor Esper, 1800 (Lepidoptera, Papilionidae) in Southern Italy, with ecological notes. Nota Lepidopterologica 49: 157-170. https://doi.org/10.3897/nl.49.206084

Five New Wasp Species Discovered In Cyprus, Including One Named After Aphrodite

New research expands the knowledge on chalcid wasps in Cyprus, with five new species described from the island. One was named after the Greek goddess Aphrodite.

Scientists have described five new species of parasitoid wasp from Cyprus, more than doubling the number of chalcid wasps known to be found nowhere else on the island. The wasps, all belonging to the family Pteromalidae, are small insects that play an important role as natural pest controllers, yet remain poorly studied across much of Southeastern Europe and the Middle East.

The research, carried out by Evangelos Koutsoukos and Mircea-Dan Mitroiu and published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, was part of a wider project funded by the UK Government’s Darwin Plus initiative. The project, titled “Species richness and biological invasions of Chalcid wasps in Akrotiri Peninsula”, was administered by the Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre and supervised by Dr Angeliki Martinou, with support from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, the University of Leeds, and Alexandru Ioan Cuza University.

“Before the start of this study, our knowledge regarding the chalcid wasp fauna of the Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area (SBA) and the rest of the island of Cyprus was extremely limited,” said Koutsoukos.

Chalcid wasps comprise a hyperdiverse group of insects that serve as biological controllers both in natural and manmade ecosystems, and as such it is crucial to enrich our knowledge, towards understanding their true extend of biodiversity, ecology, and their role in the various trophic webs they participate across different ecosystems.

Ablaxia makrisi, photo credit to Evangelos Koutsoukos.
Erythromalus makrisi, photo credit to Evangelos Koutsoukos.

“Each of the five new species was named with a story behind it. Two of the species [Ablaxia makrisi and Erythromalus makrisi] were named after Mr. Christodoulos Makris, prominent Cypriot entomologist, for his contributions on the Cypriot biodiversity, and for collecting the holotypes of these two species,” Koutsoukos explained.

*Hemitrichus* *akrotiriensis*. Photo credit to Evangelos Koutsoukos.

Hemitrichus akrotiriensis takes its name from the Akrotiri peninsula, described by Koutsoukos as “a protected area and one the greatest biodiversity hotspots in Cyprus, where the holotype was also collected from.” Another species, Ablaxia toxeftrae, was named after Toxeftra beach in the Akamas peninsula, where its holotype was found.

The final species carries perhaps the most evocative name of all:

Janssoniella aphrodite was named after the Greek Ancient Goddess Aphroditi, since the holotype of this species was collected in Yeroskipou area of Paphos, where the Goddess was worshipped during ancient times.
said Koutsoukos

Janssoniella aphrodite. Photo credit to Mircea-Dan Mitroiu.
Janssoniella aphrodite, Head, frontal view. Photo credit to Mircea-Dan Mitroiu.
Janssoniella aphrodite, fore wing. Photo credit to Mircea-Dan Mitroiu.

Before this study, only three chalcid wasp species were known to be unique to Cyprus. “Our collecting efforts yielded many more interesting specimens, which might represent new species as well,” said Koutsoukos, “and as such it is evident that these numbers are an underestimation of the true biodiversity of the island.”

“The outcomes of this project will contribute towards the enrichment of our knowledge of the biodiversity, not only of the island of Cyprus and the U.K. SBAs, but the whole region’s as well,” Koutsoukos said.

Original study:

Koutsoukos E, Mitroiu M-D (2026) Enriching inventories of rare genera: five new species of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) from Cyprus. ZooKeys 1286: 1-16. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1286.196157

TikTok Video Leads to Discovery of Rare Underground Eel in India

Gangaichthys indonepalicus is the first subterranean fish to be recorded from the Gangetic Basin.

Researchers have discovered a new genus and species of underground earthworm eel living beneath the Indo-Gangetic Plain in Bihar, northern India. The small, colourless creature, named Gangaichthys indonepalicus, is the first subterranean fish to be recorded from the Gangetic Basin.

Close-up of *Gangaichthys indonepalicus*. Image credit: Ishan Agarwal.

The research, published in ZooKeys, was carried out by an international team of scientists from the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation in Mumbai, India; Shivaji University in Kolhapur; the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility at the Chinese Academy of Sciences; and the Zoological Survey of India in Gopalpur-on-Sea.

The investigation began after a short video clip posted on TikTok in 2024 showed an unusual tiny fish emerging from a water borewell near the border between India and Nepal.

“The unique morphology of the fish in the video, and the fact that there are no known stygobitic fish known from the region, motivated us to track down the species to ascertain its identity.”
The Research Team

Securing physical samples required an intensive fieldwork effort in Bihar, where the scientists manually pumped thousands of litres of water from local handpumps.

“Procuring samples of this unusual fish was challenging. Identifying potential handpumps (borewells) and wells, and obtaining permission from their owners to extract water for the purpose of searching for the fish proved difficult. This became more intensive when we finally began manually pumping water.”
Akshay Khandekar, Thackeray Wildlife Foundation

Live and habitat photos Gangaichthys indonepalicus — Live and habitat photos *Gangaichthys indonepalicus*: NRC AA 9519, holotype, 40.6 mm SL: Dorso lateral view of: A. Full body; B. Head; C. Bore-well from which holotype and one (damaged) paratype was collected; D. Bore-well from where another damaged specimen was collected. Image credit: Akshay Khandekar et al., 2026.

The first specimen emerged after pumping approximately 2000 litres of water but sustained damage during the process and died immediately. The second and only intact specimen (later designated as the holotype of this species) was found from the same borewell after pumping an additional 500 litres of water.

*Gangaichthys indonepalicus* in a syringe. Image credit: Ishan Agarwal.

The newly described fish measures roughly four centimetres in length and features physical adaptations suited to life in total darkness, including reduced eyes covered by skin, an unpigmented translucent body, and an apparent absence of ribs.

Advanced micro-CT scanning and genetic analysis confirmed that it represents a completely distinct genus within the earthworm eel family Chaudhuriidae.

“Gangaichthys means fish of the Ganga. The Ganga or Ganges is one of the most important rivers in India, both as a source of fresh water, food and livelihood for millions of people; besides having an important role in the Hindu religion.

This is the first stygobitic fish from the Indo-Gangetic plains and from the Gangetic basin.”
Ishan Agarwal, Thackeray Wildlife Foundation

As for the naming of the species itself, Tejas Thackeray commented:

“As the species occurs on the border between India and Nepal we picked indonepalicus as the specific epithet, which reflects the distribution of the species.”

*Gangaichthys indonepalicus*. Image credit: Ishan Agarwal.

Agarwal also reflected on the broader context of the find and the challenges of studying subterranean habitats:

“India is an incredibly diverse country, spanning huge gradients in climate and topography and multiple biogeographic regions. However, there is a huge gap in knowledge, both Linnaean and Wallacean shortfalls, with many more species yet to be discovered.

This exciting discovery is in some ways symptomatic of general biodiversity research in India, though sampling subterranean habitats is especially challenging.”

Original source:

Khandekar A, Thackeray T, He Y, Mohapatra A, Agarwal I (2026) Gangaichthys indonepalicus, a new genus and species of miniature stygobitic earthworm eel (Synbranchiformes, Chaudhuriidae) from alluvial aquifers in the Indo-Gangetic Plain, Bihar, northern India. ZooKeys 1289: 185-202. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1289.188089

For more articles on zoology, visit the ZooKeys website and follow the journal on BlueSky and Facebook.

A mystery kept in London led to the discovery of a new Ecuadorian frog

Pristimantis milpe is an abundant and widely distributed species that had been confused with another species for over a century.

Scientists from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador officially described Pristimantis milpe, an abundant and widely distributed species that had been confused with another species for over a century. To solve the mystery, researchers reviewed specimens collected in Ecuador during the 19th century and preserved at the Natural History Museum in London.

Reproductive pair (amplexus) of the Milpe Robber Frog photographed at night on a leaf in the tropical forest of the Ecuadorian Chocó. Photo: Santiago R. Ron.

The finding is exceptional because, unlike many recently described species – which are usually rare or restricted to small geographic areas – Pristimantis milpe is a common frog, widely distributed, and easy to detect by its nocturnal call. The species inhabits the Chocó forests of western Ecuador and southern Colombia, in a range that exceeds 67,000 square kilometers, from sea level up to 1,200 meters in altitude.

Amphibiologist Santiago Ron. The leading author of the study.

The scientific description was published in the international journal ZooKeys, which specialises in research on biodiversity and taxonomy. The identification of Pristimantis milpe was made possible thanks to a review of the historical amphibian collections preserved at the Natural History Museum in London (NHM).

Facade of the Natural History Museum in London, where the key specimens that clarified the taxonomic mess are kept. Photo: Santiago R. Ron.

To resolve a taxonomic confusion that lasted for more than a century, Santiago Ron, a researcher at PUCE and lead author of the study, travelled to England to examine the original specimens – known as “types” – that were collected in Ecuador during the 19th century and preserved ever since.

Santiago Ron reviewing jars with historical specimens preserved in the collections of the Natural History Museum in London. Specimens were collected in the 19th century in Ecuador and preserved in London.

The analysis allowed these historical specimens to be compared with current populations of frogs from the Ecuadorian Chocó. The researchers determined that the specimens had been erroneously associated with another species. This confusion caused a species that had been present and observed for decades to remain without a scientific name of its own.

“That such a common species has gone unnoticed under the wrong name for decades highlights the importance of correctly connecting scientific names with living populations in nature.”
Jhael Ortega, a PhD student at Virginia Tech and one of the study authors

The Milpe Robber Frog (Cutín de Milpe) is a species with nocturnal habits. Males usually call from the leaves of shrubs and bromeliads located several meters high within the forest. Their vocalisation is characterised by a loud and distinct sound, similar to a “click.”

The Milpe Robber Frog lives in a wide variety of habitats, from parks in urban areas to primary forests. The individual in the photo comes from the Río Ayampe Reserve in the Manabí province. Photo: Diego Paucar.

One of its most striking features is the dimorphism between females and males. Females present a distinctive color pattern on the groin and thighs, with orange or light blue tones accompanied by black spots. Males, on the other hand, have more uniform shades.

The species is found in the forests of the Ecuadorian Chocó and southern Colombia, one of the most important regions for biodiversity conservation.

The Ecuadorian Chocó forest is home to more than 250 species of amphibians, including the Milpe Robber Frog, *Pristimantis milpe*. Photo: Santiago R. Ron.

The study demonstrates the scientific value of natural history collections. Specimens preserved for centuries allow current researchers to review classifications, compare characteristics, and answer questions that remained open for generations.

In this case, the analysis of specimens collected in the 19th century, combined with the study of current populations, allowed Pristimantis milpe to be formally recognised as a distinct species.

The work also shows that biodiversity still holds surprises even in abundant and well-known species, and that scientific research requires connecting historical knowledge with the tools and observations available today.

Original source

Ron SR, Paredes-Aguirre P, Paucar DA, López Y, Apunte K, Ortega JA (2026) Long overdue: a new, widespread, species of Pristimantis (Anura, Strabomantidae) from the Chocó region and the synonymy of Pristimantis subsigillatus. ZooKeys 1286: 121-152. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1286.194383

For more articles on zoology, visit the ZooKeys website and follow the journal on BlueSky and Facebook.

From Scroll to Science: How an iNaturalist Photo Revealed an Endangered Mussel in a BC Watershed

A photo on iNaturalist sparked a three-year research project that led to the discovery of a new subpopulation of the endangered Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel in Canada.

In 2023, someone photographed a discarded shell near a boat-towing business in Port Coquitlam and uploaded it to iNaturalist, the online citizen-science forum. That single post set off a three-year scientific search and ended up rewriting the known range of one of Canada’s most endangered freshwater species.

The shell belonged to the Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel (Gonidea angulata), a large, distinct bivalve known for its thick-walled, trapezoidal shell and a sharp ridge running from its dorsal margin to its posterior edge.

Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel, Dominion Road, August 8, 2025. Photo Angie Coulter.

In Canada, it’s assessed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC). It’s also recommended for federal listing under the Species at Risk Act. Until now, its known Canadian range was thought to be confined to the south-central Okanagan watershed, with only vague historical records elsewhere in the Kootenays, Vancouver Island, and Cache Creek.

That’s what made the Port Coquitlam shell so strange. The Fraser River watershed, where it turned up, has no present-day aquatic connection to the Okanagan system. So how did it get there?

A photo that sparked two years of research

Because the shell surfaced near a boat-towing business, researchers from the BC Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and the BC Conservation Foundation couldn’t rule out a simpler explanation: that it had hitched a ride from the Okanagan on a recreational boat trailer.

Researchers at Surrey Bend Regional Park, Sept 10, 2024. Photo by Kihan Yoon-Henderson.
Sampling in Harrison River, September 2025. Photo by Jennifer Heron.
Siena Achal and Kihan Yoon-Henderson on field work. Photo by Jennifer Heron, Pitt River, Dominion Ave., Sept 9, 2024

But, to prove that the mussel actually belonged in the Fraser watershed the researchers had to find live, animals in their natural habitat.

Pitt River, Reichenbach Rd., Sept 16, 2024. Photo by Jennifer Heron.
Kihan Yoon-Henderson, Jennifer Heron, Siena Achal, Mike Badry, Lea Gelling and Purnima Govindarajulu at Grant Narrows – Pitt-Addington WMA, Oct 9, 2024. Photo by Kihan Yoon-Henderson.

So began a major field effort. Between 2023 and 2025, the team surveyed 62 sites and logged more than 158 cumulative hours searching the watershed, contending with busy marine traffic, fast-moving and deep water, rising tides, and the seasonal freshet.

They worked the shifting, tidal shoreline using beach walking, wading, and snorkeling surveys. And because the water was frequently clouded by disturbed silt and mud, the researchers had to get creative, constructing a DIY dipping tool by duct-taping a metal mesh deep-fryer basket to a broom handle. This device allowed them to scoop up submerged objects and let the silt wash away, making it easy to confirm the identity of any mussels they retrieved.

The find

The persistence paid off. About 5.4 kilometers upstream from where the original shell was found, the team confirmed a live, subpopulation – 81 specimens in total across the three-year search.

Most were tucked into deep pools that become isolated from the main river channel at low tide, along a stretch of flat mud beach on the west side of the lower Pitt River, near a public trail between Prairie Avenue and Dominion Avenue.

Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel, Pitt River, Prairie Ave., Sept 18, 2024, Photo by Jennifer Heron.

The discovery, now published in the open-access, peer-reviewed Biodiversity Data Journal, marks a significant range extension for the species into the Fraser River watershed – the first confirmed live population outside the Okanagan.

Bert Brink Wildlife Management Area, July 2025. Photo Jennifer Heron.
Domion Road, August 8, 2026. Photo Kihan Yoon-Henderson.
Under Mission Bridge, July 2025. Photo Jennifer Heron

However, the find doesn’t ease the species’ conservation status. Because this subpopulation is hydrologically isolated from both the Okanagan watershed and the nearest known populations in Washington State’s Chehalis River, the overall conservation concern for the species remains extremely high.

Whether the newly found subpopulation is genetically distinct from other populations – a question with real implications for how it’s managed and protected – is still unanswered; that’s the next piece of research the team is pursuing.

Nonetheless, this breakthrough stands as a testament to the value of citizen science. The upload of a single photograph to iNaturalist sparked a big field survey, proving that community-based monitoring and public stewardship can directly help protect B.C.’s most vulnerable freshwater species.

Original source:

Heron J, Jessome R, Yoon-Henderson K, Achal S (2026) Range extension and natural history notes on Rocky Mountain Ridged Mussel Gonidea angulata (Lea, 1838) (Mollusca, Unionidae) in Canada. Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e191607. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e191607

Ancient Penguin Fossils Offer New Window into Antarctica’s Changing Climate

A team of palaeontologists studying penguin fossils from Seymour Island have demonstrated how ancient bird bones can act as chemical archives of past climate change.

A team of palaeontologists from China University of Geosciences (Beijing) studying penguin fossils from Seymour Island off the Antarctic Peninsula have demonstrated how ancient bird bones can act as chemical archives of past climate change.

The researchers used non-destructive X-ray mapping to examine the elemental composition of penguin remains spanning millions of years. As such, they uncovered key insights into how Antarctica shifted from a warm and humid environment to a cooler world.

“Penguins are among the most iconic animals of Antarctica and represent one of the most distinctive groups of birds, having completely lost the ability to fly and instead using their flipper-like wings for swimming.

Seymour Island preserves one of the world’s richest and most stratigraphically continuous records of Eocene penguin fossils. These fossils span an important interval of Antarctic climate evolution, from the relatively warm and humid conditions of the early Eocene to the cooler climate of the middle and late Eocene.”
The Research Team

Sampling area – Tertiary Eocene La Meseta Formation on Seymour Island. Image credit: Boyang Xia et al.
Sampling area – Submeseta Formation on Seymour Island. Image credit: Boyang Xia et al.

To study the rare fossils without damaging them, the researchers used micro-X-ray fluorescence scanning to map chemical elements across the surface of the bones. The scans revealed clear differences in the chemical composition of bones from different geological periods.

Older fossils dating back roughly 55 million years contained significantly higher levels of titanium, silicon and potassium. The team linked these chemical patterns to intense land-based weathering and heavy runoff during an ancient warm period, whereas younger fossils from cooler periods showed much lower elemental signals.

“The most surprising result was that the early Eocene fossil showed substantially higher titanium, silicon and potassium signals.

Based on the stratigraphic, sedimentological and palaeoclimatic evidence, we interpret this pattern as being consistent with stronger continental weathering and terrestrial material input under the warm and humid conditions of the early Eocene.”

Analysing millions-of-years-old fossils presented distinct practical challenges:

“One of the main challenges was obtaining reliable elemental information without damaging the fossils.

The irregular shapes and curved surfaces of the fossil bones created practical difficulties during scanning. To minimise the influence of variations in surface height, we positioned the bones as horizontally as possible and maintained a relatively constant distance between the scanning head and the bone surface.”

Overview of the fossil specimens and the µ-XRF scanning area. Image credit: Boyang Xia et al.

Beyond tracking weather conditions on land, the scanning method also detected iron, manganese and sulphur patterns trapped within the bones, reflecting local chemical changes in the marine sediment as the fossils were buried over time.

The team additionally highlights that studying bone geochemistry offers a valuable tool for understanding historical Earth systems alongside traditional techniques such as marine sediment drilling and microfossil analysis.

“An important finding for us was that the elemental information preserved in penguin bones may record not only how external materials entered the bones, but also differences in weathering input, depositional conditions and early diagenetic environments.

We believe that fossils can provide an important complementary source of information for studying palaeoenvironmental changes on the Antarctic Peninsula.”

The study, published in the open-access journal Fossil Record, demonstrates how combining non-destructive chemical scanning with established geological context can unlock valuable environmental data from fossil collections, thus broadening the scope of future polar research.

Original source:

Xia B, Wu H, Li Q (2026) Eocene penguin fossils as archives of Antarctic weathering and climate change: insights from micro-X-ray fluorescence elemental mapping. Fossil Record 29(2): 575-587. https://doi.org/10.3897/fr.29.192319

For more articles on palaeontology, visit the Fossil Record website and follow the journal on BlueSky and Facebook.

A Coral Among the Stars: New Species Discovered on Costa Rica’s Deep-Sea Seamounts

The coral was found thriving in large numbers on rocky outcrops that were almost entirely blanketed by brittle stars.

Scientists exploring seamounts off the coast of Costa Rica have discovered a new coral so genetically and morphologically distinct that it required the creation of an entirely new family for its classification.

Bright yellow and tree-like, the coral was found growing some 360 to 529 metres beneath the surface of the Pacific. The discovery is described in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Map showing the geographic location of the collected samples within the Pacific Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Costa Rica. Made by Beatriz Naranjo (UCR).

The colonies, which can grow to over a metre tall, were collected using the remotely operated vehicle SuBastian aboard the research vessels Falkor and Falkor (too), operated by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, during expeditions to the seamounts off Isla del Coco and the Costa Rican Pacific margin in 2019 and 2023.

Researchers found the coral thriving in large numbers on rocky outcrops that were almost entirely blanketed by brittle stars, creating a shimmering, star-strewn seafloor from which the golden coral branches rose like glowing trees.

That image inspired the coral’s name. The new genus, Laurinque, comes from “Laurinquë”, meaning “golden tree” in Quenya, the Elvish language devised by J.R.R. Tolkien for The Lord of the Rings and The Silmarillion, chosen in reference to the colonies’ bright yellow, tree-like form.

*Laurinque* *elenya* gen. et sp. nov., morphology of the holotype, *in situ*. Photographs by ROV *SuBastian*.

The species name, elenya, is Quenya for “stellar” or “of the stars”, a nod to the fields of brittle stars among which the coral was discovered. Together, the pairing evokes a scene the researchers likened to a mystical elvish landscape on the deep seafloor.

Working out where this coral belonged in the coral family tree proved unusually difficult. The team sequenced three genes commonly used to classify corals, and each one pointed to a different, unrelated family, an unusually high level of disagreement.

Holotype (ethanol preserved fragment) detail of anthocodiae and polyp arrangement of *Laurinque* *elenya*. Photographs by Fiorella Vásquez (UCR).

To settle the question, researchers turned to phylogenomics, analysing hundreds of genes at once. This revealed that the coral does not belong to any known family at all, but represents a unique evolutionary lineage most closely related to the family Eunicellidae, but distinct enough in both its genetics and its anatomy to warrant a new family, Laurinqueidae, and a new genus, Laurinque, built specifically to house it.

“I saw the octocoral garden for the first time in 2019 and I was impressed by the beauty of the landscape, which inspired, later the elvish name of the taxa. I thought the species could belong to a known family and genera, but after the preliminar morphological analysis I realised that it was something very different that I could not match with the known taxa.

In 2023 we collected more samples and thanks to the exhaustive molecular analyses made by my colleagues, Cathy McFadden, Catalina Murillo and Andrea Quattrini, we were able to determine the taxonomic placement of the stunning species, in one of the most enigmatic sites.”
Dr Odalisca Breedy of the Universidad de Costa Rica

*Laurinque* *elenya* gen. et sp. nov., *in situ* colonies in Las Gemelas II. Photographs by ROV *SuBastian*.

The research was led by Dr Breedy, working alongside an international team of collaborators. The expeditions were supported by the Schmidt Ocean Institute and a National Geographic Society research grant.

The discovery adds to a growing list of undocumented species being revealed on Costa Rica’s seamounts, and demonstrates how much of the deep ocean, which covers roughly two-thirds of the planet’s surface, remains unexplored.

Coral gardens such as these are considered vulnerable marine ecosystems, providing structurally complex habitat for a wide range of other deep-sea life.

Cover image

In situ colony of Laurinque elenya gen. et sp. nov. in Las Gemelas II. Credit: ROV SuBastian.

Original source

Breedy O, McFadden CS, Murillo-Cruz C, Yánez-Suárez A-B, Robert K, Quattrini AM (2026) A coral among stars: A new octocoral family (Anthozoa, Octocorallia, Malacalcyonacea) from seamounts in the tropical eastern Pacific. ZooKeys 1283: 253-272. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1283.191899

For more articles on zoology, visit the ZooKeys website and follow the journal on BlueSky and Facebook.

New Mountain Dragon Lizard From Thailand Named After Syrax From House Of The Dragon

Meet Acanthosaura syrax, the mountain horned dragon lizard named after Syrax – Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen’s dragon in House of the Dragon.

Scientists have described a new species of lizard from the high mountain forests of western Thailand, and have given it a name straight out of fantasy television: Acanthosaura syrax, named after Syrax, the dragon ridden by Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen in House of the Dragon.

adult female Acanthosaura syrax — Adult female paratypes of *Acanthosaura* *syrax*. Photo credit to Trivalairat et al., 2026.

The lizard belongs to a group known as mountain horned dragons, agamid lizards recognised by the spiny crests running along their neck and back. It was discovered in the evergreen forests of Mae Wong National Park, in the Tak-Kamphaeng Phet Province, at elevations above 1,300 metres, where it appears to live nowhere else. The find brings the total number of known species in the genus Acanthosaura to 23.

Forest habitat of *Acanthosaura* *syrax* in Mae Wong National Park, Mae Wong District, Kampheang Phet Province, Thailand . Photo credit to Trivalairat et al., 2026.

The research team, led by Poramad Trivalairat and colleagues from Chulabhorn Royal Academy and Kasetsart University, chose the name Syrax deliberately. The dragon of that name in the fantasy world is known for its striking yellow colouring, its comparatively modest size next to other dragons, and for producing an unusually large number of eggs.

The researchers found all three qualities echoed in the real animal: A. syrax has yellowish-green tones in its colouring, is one of the smallest members of its genus, and lays notably large clutches of eggs for its size. The team has proposed “Syrax mountain horned dragon” as its English common name, alongside a Thai name that translates the same way.

Adult male holotype of Acanthosaura syrax. from Mae Wong District, Kampheang Phet Province, Thailand. Photo credit to Trivalairat et al., 2026
Adult female paratypes Acanthosaura syrax. Credit to Trivalairat et al., 2026.

Beyond the name, the lizard stands out for possessing the smallest neck and back crest scales recorded anywhere in the genus, along with an overall small body size. It also lacks a black patch around the eye seen in several related species, and has a distinctive dark collar marking. DNA analysis of two genes backed up what the researchers saw by eye, showing that A. syrax is genetically distinct from its closest relative, A. lepidogaster, and from every other known species in the group.

Paratype specimens of Acanthosaura syrax — Paratype specimens of *Acanthosaura* *syrax*. Credit to Trivalairat et al., 2026.

The species appears to be confined to a narrow band of high-altitude forest, and the researchers say its populations are naturally scattered by the rugged terrain of the mountain range, a state of affairs that leaves it vulnerable should its habitat come under further pressure. They are calling for stronger protection of Mae Wong’s high-elevation forests, suggesting the new lizard could serve as a flagship species for the area alongside other rare wildlife found there, including the Asian forest tortoise, Oldham’s leaf turtle and the Indochinese tiger.

The study is published in the open-access journal ZooKeys.

Cover photo credit: Acanthosaura syrax, credit to Trivalairat et al., 2026; Syrax dragon credit to Wiki of Westeros.

Original source:

Trivalairat P, Trivalairat K, Moungkhaek N, Caponov S, Lorsunyaluck B (2026) Acanthosaura syrax sp. nov., a new species of mountain horned dragon from high-elevation habitats of western Thailand (Squamata, Agamidae). ZooKeys 1287: 47-76. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1287.186636

Landmark review confirms 227 mammal species in Honduras, the country’s most comprehensive assessment in nearly three decades

The study also forecasts that as many as 28 further species could eventually be confirmed in the country.

An eight-year international research effort has produced the most comprehensive review of Honduras’ mammals since 1998, verifying 227 native species across 146 genera and 42 families, along with three introduced rodent species. The study, published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, also forecasts that as many as 28 further species could eventually be confirmed in the country, bringing the potential total to 258.

Manatee, photographed by Daniel Gonzalez-Socoloske.

The research was led by Manfredo A. Turcios-Casco of the Asociación para la Sostenibilidad e Investigación Científica en Honduras (ASICH) and the Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz in Brazil, together with 14 co-authors from institutions across Honduras, the United States, Brazil, Guatemala and Costa Rica, including Panthera Honduras, the Smithsonian Institution and the Wildlife Conservation Society. The resulting work spans nearly 200 pages of species accounts, distribution data and conservation summaries.

The project began when Turcios-Casco was a master’s student researching the conservation status of Honduran xenarthrans:

“At that time, I realised something surprising: despite Honduras being one of the most biodiverse countries in Central America, its mammal fauna had not been comprehensively reviewed since 1998.

What began with a team of four researchers grew into a collaboration spanning museum curators, taxonomists, field biologists and conservation practitioners across multiple countries.”

Compiling the review meant verifying more than 300,000 records drawn from museum collections, scientific publications, technical reports and previously unpublished field observations dating back to the 1960s.

Mormoops megalophylla. Image credit: Manfredo A. Turcios-Casco.

“The greatest challenge was undoubtedly the verification process. Every record (and there were more than 300,000) had to be evaluated critically,” Turcios-Casco said, noting that shifting taxonomy meant the team was still updating species accounts just days before the manuscript’s final submission.

Among the review’s more unexpected findings was how little is known about some of Honduras’ most familiar mammals. “For some mammals, including squirrels, raccoons, and several small rodents, there were no modern distribution maps available,” Turcios-Casco noted. Even regionally widespread species, such as opossums and skunks, remain poorly documented within the country.

Nyctomys sumichrasti. Image credit: Manfredo A. Turcios-Casco.
Spilogale angustifrons. Image credit: Manfredo A. Turcios-Casco.
Caluromys derbianus. Image credit: Manfredo A. Turcios-Casco.

Alongside the species accounts, the review provides conservation summaries intended to guide research priorities and policy decisions:

“Because conservation begins with knowledge. One of the biggest challenges in biodiversity conservation is that we often want to protect species before we fully understand them.”
Turcios-Casco

Camera traps photos by Panthera-Honduras – White lipped peccaries.
Giant anteater.
Tapirs.
Puma.

The work also draws on cultural knowledge, incorporating common names used by Indigenous peoples and local communities alongside the scientific record.

“Rather than simply compiling species records, we tried to tell the story of Honduras’ mammals.”
Turcios-Casco

Looking ahead, the authors hope the review will serve as a foundation for the next generation of Honduran biologists.

“In that sense, the review is both a summary of what we know and a reminder of how much there is left to learn about the natural heritage of Honduras.
Turcios-Casco

Cover image:

Howler monkey, photographed by Daniel Gonzalez-Socoloske.

Original source:

Turcios-Casco MA, Castañeda F, Wilson DE, Miller B, Gonzalez-Socoloske D, Ramos EA, King TW, LaVal RK, Ordóñez-Garza N, Ordoñez D, Graciolli G, Thornton D, Martínez M, Estrada-Andino NM, Ávila-Palma HD (2026) Taxonomy, natural history, and conservation of the mammals of Honduras. ZooKeys 1288: 1–193. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1288.129555

Call to contribute to a Special Collection “Vegetation of the Balkan Peninsula” in Vegetation Classification and Survey

A newly launched Special Collection “Vegetation of the Balkan Peninsula” in the open-access, peer-reviewed IAVS journal is now welcoming submissions.

Guest blog post by Jürgen Dengler, Erwin Bergmeier and Urban Šilc

We are pleased to announce the Special Collection on the vegetation of the Balkan Peninsula in IAVS’ gold open access journal Vegetation Classification and Survey (VCS).

This Special Collection is launched in conjunction with the annual conferences of two IAVS Working Groups in 2026, namely the 21^st Eurasian Grassland Conference of the EDGG in Sofia, Bulgaria, and the 34th Conference of the European Vegetation Survey (EVS), in Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Within Europe, the vegetation of the Balkan Peninsula is particularly diverse yet understudied in terms of composition, variation and range. With this Special Collection, we thus want to advance the knowledge on the Balkan vegetation, take a fresh look both within and beyond national borders and contribute to an improvement of the “EuroVegChecklist” as the common syntaxonomic backbone of the continent. Following VCS’s scope, contributions either need to develop or to apply a vegetation classification framework of any type. For example, this can be based on a phytosociological classification system, habitat types, or synusiae. Studies on any kind of vegetation from the coasts to the highest mountains, from natural through semi-natural to anthropogenic are welcome.

We envisage particularly the following types of contributions:

Revisions of syntaxa (classes, orders, alliances…) at the national or supranational level
Vegetation monographs of a certain region
Synthetic overviews (category Review and Synthesis) of all syntaxa of a country or other larger regions
Nomenclatural proposals related to Balkan syntaxa
Habitat typologies and their application
Long and Short Database Reports
Perspectives on how to harmonize and how to utilize syntaxonomic knowledge

Apart from Research Papers, also Reviews and Syntheses and Forum Papers as well as Long Database Reports and Nomenclatural Proposals are welcome. We hope to see submissions from the Balkan countries (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey-in-Europe), while syntheses across multiple countries are particularly welcome. Please consult the author guidelines whose formal requirements also apply to the Special Collection.

Editors: Jürgen Dengler (Switzerland), Erwin Bergmeier (Germany) and Urban Šilc (Slovenia); in case of a high number of submissions, one or two additional guest editors might be appointed.

Procedure and deadlines:

Until 31 October 2026: Please submit your (preliminary) abstract online at: https://forms.gle/gxofv8FuZQkqFmeK7. The abstract must follow the VCS Author Guidelines.
Until 30 November 2026: The Guest Editors will evaluate the abstracts and inform the authors which manuscripts are invited for submission.
Until 30 May 2027: Invited manuscripts can be submitted at: https://vcs.pensoft.net/
Spring 2028: The Special Collection will be completed with a synthesizing editorial by the Guest Editor team.

Please note that VCS is a gold open access journal where authors are normally required to pay article processing charges (APCs). First authors who are IAVS members receive 50% or 75% discount on regular APCs. If you are an IAVS member but cannot afford the reduced APCs (e.g. because your university does not provide APC funds), you can – after invitation and prior to submission – apply to IAVS’ Global Sponsorship Committee (GSC) for a complete waiver of the APCs, i.e. publishing free of charge. If interested, please get into contact with the chair of the Guest Editors.

We look forward to receiving your contributions and hope that you will join us in making this Special Collection a valuable resource for the IAVS community.

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