First spotted in the shallow waters of Nagasaki and Yamaguchi Prefectures, the Malagazzia michelin jellyfish has subsequently been cultured and studied in captivity, providing scientists with a complete look at its entire life cycle from polyp to adult.
Sampling localities of Malagazziamichelin. A. Tabira and Sasebo, Nagasaki Pref. (indicated by black stars); B. Katasoe-ga-hama, Yamaguchi Pref. (by grey star). (Image credit: Izumi et al.).
A Unique Marine Resident
Malagazzia michelin is a small aquatic invertebrate characterised by a hemispherical, transparent umbrella that typically grows to between 12 and 20 millimeters in diameter. While it shares the four-lipped mouth and linear gonads typical of its genus, it is easily distinguished by a peculiar feature: enigmatic brown spots that resemble tiny oil droplets scattered across its reproductive organs and central stomach. DNA analysis has confirmed its status as a unique species, which is distinct from other known members of the Malagazzia family.
Enlarged view of the structures of living Malagazziamichelin. A, B. Closed lips; C. Open lips; D. Tentacles and tentacular bulbs; E–G. Gonads; F. Mature female; G. Mature male. Scale bar: 0.1 mm. (Image credit: Izumi et al.).
The species has been aptly named Malagazzia michelin as a playful nod to the famous Michelin Guide. As the jellyfish matures, the number of its distinctive brown spots increases, a process that researchers likened to a restaurant earning more “stars” for its quality. This celestial theme is also reflected in its new Japanese common name, ama-no-gawa-kurage (Milky Way jellyfish), which compares the white gonads and twinkling brown spots to a starry galaxy.
External view of the living medusae of Malagazzia michelin. A. Lateral view; B. Oral view; C. Lateral view of Kuju-kushima 3 with lighting; D–F. Kuju-kushima 1; D. Aboral view; E. Sketch from aboral side; F. Lateral view. Scale bar: 5 mm. (Image credit: Izumi et al.).Polyps and juvenile–young medusae of Malagazzia michelin. A. Development of juvenile medusae; B–E. Polyps. Scale bar: 1 mm (thick); 200 µm (slender). (Photo credit: Izumi et al.).
Navigating the Confusion of Common Names
The formal scientific description of M. michelin addresses an interesting challenge in Japanese marine biology: the risk of common names. In Japan, ornamental jellyfish are often given descriptive common names, such as “salmon-roe laodicean jellyfish” (tsubuiri-sujiko-yawara-kurage), long before they are scientifically identified. This can lead to confusion – M. michelin, for instance, was previously misidentified in field guides as a member of the Laodicea genus, which is not closely related. Researchers emphasise that formal taxonomic work is essential to ensure that the biodiversity displayed in aquaria is accurately documented.
The discovery of Malagazzia michelin demonstrates the significant role that aquariums play as centres for scientific research and biodiversity discovery. By strengthening ties between public exhibitions and taxonomic research, scientists continue to bring the ocean’s most stellar species to light.
Original source:
Izumi T, Ikeda S, Nozoe Y, Goto S, Imamura N, Kinoshita T, Uchida H, Hamatsu Y, Akiyama H, Okuizumi K (2026) Discoveries from ornamental jellyfish in aquaria—description of Malagazzia michelin sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Leptothecata), second species of the genus from Japan. ZooKeys 1268: 13-32. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1268.173354
For more articles on zoology, visit the ZooKeys website and follow the journal on BlueSky and Facebook.
Guest blog post by Dr. Oldemar de Oliveira Carvalho Junior
For four decades, we’ve been quietly watching otters along the southern coast of Brazil. Not just because they’re charismatic and playful, but because they are among nature’s most honest diagnosticians. Just like a doctor checks your pulse, blood, and behavior to assess your health, scientists can use otters to monitor the condition of estuaries, those vital transition zones where rivers meet the sea.
Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis). Photo credit to: Projeto Lontra / Instituto Ekko Brasil
Otters sit at the top of the food chain in estuaries. They need clean water, healthy fish populations, connected habitats, and safe denning sites. If any of these elements falter, otters are among the first to respond, with fewer sightings, changes in their diet, or markers of disease.
While a water sample offers only a fleeting snapshot, otters aggregate environmental signals across time and space.
Neotropical otter with a cub. Photo credit to Projeto Lontra / Instituto Ekko Brasil
In fact, their very presence, or absence, tells a story. In regions where Atlantic Forest fragmentation has severed the connection between land and water, otter sightings have plummeted by 30% in just a decade.
This isn’t just a loss of biodiversity; it’s a warning for everyone downstream. Fewer otters mean degraded waterways, disrupted food webs, and weakened natural buffers against floods and erosion.
A “living record” of pollution
Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) feeding on fish. Video credit to: Projeto Lontra / Instituto Ekko Brasil
The diet of otters consists of 70-80% fish, as well as crabs and other aquatic animals. As they consume prey, they also accumulate pollutants, like heavy metals, microplastics, and industrial chemicals, that have built up in those animals. Their bodies effectively become archives of contamination.
Think of an otter as a biological hard drive: by analyzing its scat (feces), we can reconstruct what pollutants are moving through the estuary, even if they’re invisible to the naked eye.
For instance, in Brazil, we’ve found microplastic fibers in otter droppings from protected lagoons, proof that no coastal system is truly isolated from human impact.
The tropical knowledge gap
Neotropical otter. Photo credit to: Projeto Lontra / Instituto Ekko Brasil
Globally, over 70% of otter research focuses on temperate species like the Eurasian or sea otter. Meanwhile, the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis) receives less than 4% of scientific attention, despite inhabiting the world’s most biodiverse and threatened estuaries.
This imbalance in the research poses a great conservation risk. Tropical estuaries face unique pressures: rapid urbanization, mangrove deforestation, and climate-driven sea-level rise. Without focused research, we risk managing these ecosystems with tools designed for entirely different environments.
Our work aims to close this divide, establishing the Neotropical otter as a key indicator to drive evidence-based conservation across the Global South.
Land-based diseases in aquatic sentinels
Video from trap camera of two Neotropical otters in a shelter. Video credit to: Projeto Lontra / Instituto Ekko Brasil
One of our most striking findings showed that 66% of otters tested positive for Toxoplasma gondii – a parasite shed only by domestic cats. How does a land-based pathogen end up in an aquatic mammal? The answer is through runoff.
The rain washes cat feces from the streets, gardens, and informal settlements into rivers and lagoons. This reveals a sobering truth: even within protected areas, otters are exposed to threats originating far inland. To protect these sentinels of ecosystem health, we must implement integrated management strategies that address sewage overflow, urban runoff, and domestic animal impact.
What comes next?
Neotropical otter inside a shelter. Video credit to: Projeto Lontra / Instituto Ekko Brasil
We’re finalizing the Otter Health Index (OHI), a low-cost toolkit for municipalities, NGOs, and community groups to monitor estuaries using simple metrics: spraint frequency, habitat connectivity, contaminant screening, and local knowledge. It’s designed for places with limited labs but rich ecological insight.
After 40 years of observing otters, we’ve learned this: protecting them isn’t just about saving a species. It’s about safeguarding the intricate web of processes that sustain clean water, fisheries, flood resilience, and human well-being.
Otters aren’t just inhabitants of our estuaries; they are their guardians. If we listen to what they’re telling us, we’ll know exactly what these ecosystems need to survive and thrive.
Original sources:
Carvalho Junior, O., Bez Birolo, A., Tosatti, M., Haddout, S., Ljubenkov, I. and Jayachandran, P.R. eds., (n.d.). Otters as Bioindicators of Estuarine Health: Innovations in Monitoring and Management from Tropical Coastal Brazil. PEstuarine Management and Technologies. doi:https://doi.org/10.3897/emt.coll.317
Birolo, A.B., Tosatti, M., Junior and Assiya Haddout (2026). Otters as bioindicators of estuarine health: Scientific gaps, field-based insights, and a framework for future research. Estuarine Management and Technologies., 3, pp.65–78. doi:https://doi.org/10.3897/emt.3.185117.
On April 20, 2023, a juvenile great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) measuring approximately 210 cm and weighing between 80-90 kg was incidentally caught by local fishermen off the coast of eastern peninsula. This rare encounter, prompted the researchers to dive deep into past records spanning from 1862 to 2023 compiling an extensive review that is now published in the open-access journal Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria.
The accidentally caught juvenile great white shark. Photo credit to Báez et al., 2026
The accidental capture – contextualized within a review of records spanning 160 years – revealed that while the Mediterranean great white shark remains as an elusive“ghost” population, it maintains a continued presence in these waters. Currently, the species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, with a declining population trend.
“Determining the presence of juvenile individuals is of particular importance,” says Dr. José Carlos Báez, the study’s lead researcher. “The occurrence of juvenile specimens raises the question whether active reproduction may be occurring in the region.” He further hypothesized.
The fear of Great White Sharks
Through the examination of records, this study confirms the continued, though sporadic, presence of white sharks in Spanish Mediterranean waters. This research highlights a persistent but infrequent occurrence, with sightings remaining an exceptional event.
Citing H.P. Lovecraft’s famous observation that “the oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” He emphasizes that scientific clarity is the best remedy. “By shedding light on the biology and ecology of the great white shark, research can help replace unfounded myths with genuine understanding.”
Dismantling the Stigma, One Myth at a Time
Video of the accidentally caught great white shark. Credit to Báez et al., 2026
With Great White Shark populations in decline, researchers emphasize that long-term observation programs are vital to understanding the species’ biology in the Mediterranean. By pairing direct sightings with advanced tracking methods, evidence-based strategies can be developed for the conservation of this iconic apex predator.
“The main idea I want to convey to the public is that these large marine animals have a fundamental role in marine ecosystems. As highly migratory pelagic species, they redistribute energy and nutrients across vast distances. They serve as nature’s scavengers – by consuming carrion, they keep ecosystems clean. Even in death, their descent to the seafloor provides a critical pulse of nourishment for deep-sea communities.
concludes Báez.
Research article:
Báez, J.C., Puerto, M.A., Torreblanca, D., Varela, J.L., Carmona, L. and Macías, D. (2026). New record of white shark, Carcharodon carcharias (Elasmobranchii, Lamniformes, Lamnidae), from the Mediterranean Spanish coast. Acta Ichthyologica et Piscatoria, 56, pp.27–31. doi:https://doi.org/10.3897/aiep.56.173786.
Australian botanists have newly identified Solanum nectarifolium, or the Tanami Bush Tomato, from historical specimens collected near the northern edge of the Tanami Desert.
Specialized Organs for Feeding Ants are First of Their Kind.
LEWISBURG, Pa. — A recent study led by Bucknell University Professor Chris Martine, biology, the David Burpee Professor in Plant Genetics & Research, has identified and described a new species of bush tomato with a special connection to ants — a taxonomic journey sparked by unusual specimens held in Australian herbarium collections.
The study, co-authored by a set of Australian botanists and Jason Cantley — the former Burpee Postdoctoral Fellow in Botany at Bucknell who is now Associate Professor of Biology at San Francisco State University — was published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys and underscores the critical role that natural history collections play in biodiversity science. The new species, Solanum nectarifolium, or the Tanami Bush Tomato, was named for the location of its original collection area — the northern edge of the Tanami Desert — and for the uniquely conspicuous nectar-producing organs on the undersides of its leaves.
Solanum nectarifolium, a newly-described species of Australian bush tomato. Photo credit: Kym Brennan.
Martine first had an inkling that something was unusual about the plants from that region of the Northern Territory while working on a project with another former Burpee Postdoc, Angela McDonnell, now an Assistant Professor at St. Cloud State University. The pair included DNA extracted from two herbarium specimens representing Solanum ossicruentum, a species known as the Blood Bone Tomato that the Martine Lab described in the same journal in 2016, in an ongoing analysis meant to build a new bush tomato evolutionary tree.
“We couldn’t understand why the two collections of the same species kept showing up in different parts of the tree,” says Martine. “I had collected one of them and was certain that it represented Solanum ossicruentum, so I reached out to the person who collected the other one, David Albrecht, and asked whether he thought the plants he saw in 1996 at a place called Jellabra Rockhole could be something else.”
Albrecht, Senior Botanist at the Northern Territory Herbarium at Alice Springs, suggested that the best way to know would be for botanists to revisit that remote region of the northwestern Tanami Desert and see for themselves. Martine, who had participated in seven collecting expeditions to northern Australia since 2004, wasn’t disappointed.
“I was kind of hoping he’d tell me that,” Martine says. “Because I was already planning some new fieldwork in the Northern Territory and this would give me a great season to visit an area I had never been to before. But to really be prepared for a trip like that, I first needed to understand what other botanists had recorded and collected there in the past – and there is only one surefire way to do that: check what is in the herbarium collections.”
So Martine started by using the Australasian Virtual Herbarium (AVH), a database of every plant specimen held in every herbarium in Australia. He searched for collections made of Solanum ossicruentum and a similar species called Solanum dioicum in the northern Tanami, finding 15 records for specimens gathered as far back as 1971.
Map showing distribution of Solanum nectarifolium sp. nov. and S. ossicruentum based on accessions held at the Northern Territory Herbarium, Palmerston (DNA), the Western Australian Herbarium (PERTH), and the National Herbarium of New South Wales (NSW). Credit: Martine et al., 2025
“It was a really interesting distribution of points on the map, too,” Martine says. “These were far south of the other records for Solanum ossicruentum, with hundreds of miles of ‘empty’ country between the two clusters. I couldn’t wait to get to Australia to see what those Tanami plants looked like.”
In May 2025 Martine headed to Australia to meet his team for the trip: Cantley and paper coauthors Kym Brennan, Aiden Webb, and Geoff Newton, all associated with the Northern Territory Herbarium at Palmerston. But, first, Martine made a stop in another plant collection in the southwestern city of Perth.
“The visit to the Western Australian Herbarium was my first chance to spend a bunch of time with some of the actual specimens that I had earmarked based on the data in AVH,” Martine explains. “And what I saw there legit blew my mind.”
Every specimen looked similar to Solanum ossicruentum, except for a few subtle characteristics – and one thing that Martine had never seen in more than two decades of Outback botanizing.
The veins on the leaf of Solanum nectarifolium, showing the extrafloral nectaries (EFNs). Phtoo credit: Kym Brennan.
“On the backs of the leaves, along the veins, were these visible round disks,” Martine notes. “They were each around a half-millimeter wide, really obvious, and the only bush tomato specimens that had them – we’re talking hundreds and hundreds of collections – were the ones from the northern Tanami.”
Martine thought they could be extrafloral nectaries (EFNs), non-flower organs on a plant that exude sweet liquid, typically as a means to attract ants that might protect the plants from herbivores. These were known to exist in a few Australian bush tomatoes, but those are tiny and have only been confirmed with microscopes. EFNs that could be seen without magnification would be something truly novel.
A few days later, Martine was in the herbarium at Palmerston and found the same pattern: more visible disks and only on plants from that same geographic area. Then he noticed that the most recent collection, from 2021, had been made by Kym Brennan – a renowned field biologist with an expertise in photography who was preparing for their trip in the next room.
“I ran in there and asked whether he remembered anything unusual about that collection – and before I could finish my explanation for why, he was already showing me an incredible photo of the leaves of that same plant. They were positively oozing with shiny, round droplets of nectar. And all from those disks on the veins.”
The oozing extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) on the underside of the Solanum nectarifolium leaf. Photo credit: Kym Brennan
Eight days and more than 1000 kilometers of driving later the team arrived near Brennan’s collection site 50 kilometers southwest of the community of Lajamanu, right along the edge of the unpaved Lajamanu Road.
“This was more-or-less the same place where others had collected it in the early 1970s, so we were cautiously optimistic that we’d not only find it there again, but that the plants would have the flowers and fruits on them that we needed to describe this as a new species,” explains Martine. “But it’s a harsh environment and the abundance of bush tomatoes is often dependent on fire occurrence. Sometimes you get to a place and there is nothing but old gray stems. Other times there are more happy plants than you can count. In this case, it was the latter situation!”
Habitat of Solanum nectarifolium at the type locality. Photo credit: Aiden Webb.
The team got to work taking notes, making measurements, and shooting photographs. And then Cantley called for Martine to come over to the plant he was examining. There were ants all over the leaf undersides, avidly moving from disk to disk and probing them for nectar. Hypothesis confirmed.
The collaborators decided on the scientific name “nectarifolium” – which translates to “nectar leaf,” for obvious reasons – and the English-language name Tanami Bush Tomato. Martine then contacted a few experts about the conspicuous nature of the EFNs and whether that has been seen anywhere else in the genus Solanum, a group of around 1200 species that includes the tomato, potato, and eggplant.
“As far as we know, this is the first Solanum species to be described as having extrafloral nectaries that you can see with your naked eye. That’s a pretty cool finding – and it all started with the examination of specimens that have been waiting in herbaria for as long as a half-century for someone to come along and take a closer look.”
Bucknell’s own Wayne E. Manning Herbarium, which holds approximately 25,000 plant specimens, now includes new samples of the Tanami Bush Tomato. But the official holotype remains at the Northern Territory Herbarium in Palmerston — almost 10,000 miles away from Bucknell’s campus.
Habit and morphology of Solanum nectarifolium. Photo credit: Kym Brennan and Chris Martine.
“The Manning Herbarium may be small, but every specimen is a snapshot of biodiversity,” Martine says. “These collections allow us to study where species occur, how they’ve changed over time, and — in cases like this — even help discover new ones.”
The publication of the new species comes amid broader concern over the fate of natural history collections, such as Duke University’s recently announced closure of its herbarium housing more than 800,000 specimens. Martine and his colleagues agree that such closures could hinder future discoveries and conservation efforts.
Martine, a leading expert on Australian bush tomatoes, was recently elected president-elect of the Botanical Society of America. He will begin his term as president following the organization’s annual meeting in August 2026.
“It still doesn’t feel real and probably won’t until I start my term just after Botany 2026,” Martine says. “But I promise to do my best because plants are awesome and so are botanists.”
Original study:
Martine, C.T., Brennan, K., Cantley, J.T., Webb, A.T. and Newton, G. (2025). A new dioecious bush tomato, Solanum nectarifolium (Solanaceae), from the northern Tanami Desert, Northern Territory, Australia, with reassessment of S. ossicruentum and a change in the circumscription of S. dioicum. PhytoKeys, 268, pp.183–199. doi: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.268.169893
Researchers in Malaysia have discovered a new endemic ‘fairy lantern’ species with fewer than 20 individuals known to exist in the wild.
Despite having only just being discovered, the ethereal plant is considered Critically Endangered according to the IUCN Red List due to its tiny population and threatened habitat.
Take a look at the incredible Thismia selangorensis below!
Thismia selangorensis. Credit: Gim Siew Tan.
Thismia selangorensis. Credit: Gim Siew Tan.
Thismia selangorensis. Credit: Gim Siew Tan.
Thismia selangorensis. Credit: Gim Siew Tan.
Described in the open-access journal PhytoKeys, the peach-to-pink Thismia selangorensis joins the expanding Thismia genus, which includes 120 known species of mycoheterotrophic plants. Unlike familiar phytosynthetic plants, mycoheterotrophic species lack chlorophyll and do not get their energy from the sun. Instead, they depend solely on a parasitic relationship with fungi in the soil for their nutrition.
Species from this genus are typically found in undisturbed forests rich in leaf litter, where moist and shaded soils allow them to remain hidden for much of their lives, making their discovery extremely difficult.
Thismia selangorensis was no exception. Standing at only around 10 cm tall, with coral‑like roots and a peach-to-pink flower that develops into a distinctive umbrella‑shaped “mitre” topped by three slender club‑shaped appendages, Thismia selangorensis had gone unnoticed despite decades of human activity in its habitat.
Among the earlier individuals found, one was located in a hole at the base of a tree, as if living in a cave. Later, a few more individuals were found in more open areas near tree buttresses along the riverbanks.
Thismiaselangorensis. A. Young flower that is not yet fully developed ; B. Mature flower living just beside the roots of a tree buttress; C. A clump of T.selangorensis at different stages in its natural habitat (FRI 79182); D. A clump of flowers showing a different stage of mitre. Credit: Gim Siew Tan (A–C) and Mohd Faizal (D).
“This discovery shows that significant scientific finds are not limited to remote jungles; they can also be made in ordinary environments where constant human activity leaves little room for expectation. Protecting Thismia selangorensis will require cooperation among researchers, the forest department, stakeholders, and the public, as its survival depends on how carefully we tread in its habitat.”
Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh (FRIM), lead author of the research paper.
Naturalist Tan Gim Siew first spotted the elusive species in November 2023 during a routine photography visit to Taman Eko Rimba Sungai Chongkak, part of the Hulu Langat Forest Reserve and a long‑established picnic and camping destination near Kuala Lumpur. A tiny plant was growing among moist leaf litter near the buttress roots of a riverside tree. Follow-up surveys revealed that fewer than 20 individuals were present, with an estimated occupied habitat of only four km².
Video showing the public nature of Thismia selangorensis‘s habitat. Credit: Gim Siew Tan.
The authors highlight that, although part of the Sungai Chongkak forest remains relatively intact, plants growing close to riverside campsites and picnic areas could easily be destroyed unintentionally by trampling or flooding. They recommend careful management of visitor access around known sites, continued monitoring of the population and further botanical surveys to clarify whether the species occurs beyond its currently known locality.
“The most important effort now is to raise awareness about this species so the public realises that it exists – right here, in this small corner of the world, and nowhere else, at least for now. Understanding its presence is the first step towards ensuring that this extraordinary plant is not lost before many people even know it exists.”
Siti-Munirah Mat Yunoh (FRIM), lead author of the research paper.
Original source
Siti-Munirah MY, Gim Siew T, Mat-Tahir MF, Azhar A (2025) Thismia selangorensis (Thismiaceae): a new mitriform fairy lantern species from Selangor, Malaysia. PhytoKeys 267: 9-21. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.267.157968
Inspired by its seemingly doomed fate, the Colombian species was named after the protagonist of Gabriel García Márquez’s Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
When researchers discovered an unknown orchid species growing in the cloud forests and páramos of Colombia’s Western and Central Andes, they were struck by the iconic first line of Gabriel García Márquez’s 1981 novella Chronicle of a Death Foretold.
Lepanthesnasariana. A. Flower, frontal view; B. Leaf, showing its thick, succulent morphology; C. Habit of the plant, showing the growth form and habitat. Photographs by J.S. Moreno.
Found thriving in lush, humid habitats at altitudes between 2,800 and 3,600 metres, Lepanthes nasariana is currently assessed as “Least Concern” according to IUCN Red List criteria. But its discovery is shadowed by a grim future, and a team of Colombian botanists has issued an urgent wake-up call after projecting its likely extinction within decades due to climate change.
Drawing inspiration from the tragic fate of protagonist Santiago Nasar, the researchers have termed their finding the “Nasar Effect”: a phenomenon where new species are described even as their demise is foretold by the conditions that threaten them. In the novella, Nasar’s impending death is known to everyone but himself, reflecting the fate of this new species.
Gabriel García Márquez.
Chronicle of a Death Foretold cover.
Published in the open-access journal PhytoKeys, the researchers’ models show Lepanthes nasariana could lose up to 96% of its suitable habitat by 2090 under a worst-case climate scenario, shrinking the orchid’s presence to tiny refugia in just two Colombian national parks.
The projected impact of rising temperatures and shifting rainfall patterns would, under more severe climate projections, qualify it as “Critically Endangered” in less than a century. This trajectory is reflected in numerous high-Andean species, many still unknown to science, whose fates may soon be sealed by global warming.
Projected changes in the potential distribution of Lepanthes nasariana under future climate scenarios. A. scenario for 2070; B. scenario for 2070; C. scenario for 2090; D. scenario for 2090. Blue indicates stable habitat, red indicates habitat loss. Each map represents the ensemble average of multiple GCMs under intermediate (SSP2-4.5) and high (SSP5-8.5) greenhouse gas emission pathways.
“Like the fate of Santiago Nasar, Lepanthes nasariana lives under a prophecy it cannot hear. Its extinction foretold by the warming of the very clouds that cradle it. Yet, in naming it, we hope to break that spell, to remind the world that there is still time to change the ending,” said the research team behind the discovery.
Original source
Moreno JS, Herrera Cobo AT, Palacio RD, Hazzi NA (2025) Chronicle of a death foretold: Lepanthes nasariana (Orchidaceae, Pleurothallidinae), a newly described high-Andean orchid facing a worst-case climate change scenario. PhytoKeys 266: 219-240. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.266.161410
A new species of wolf snake was discovered from the Great Nicobar Islands, India.
Photo by Girish Choure.
Researchers R. S. Naveen and S. R. Chandramouli of the Pondicherry University, Zeeshan A. Mirza of the Max Planck Institute for Biology and Girish Choure of Pune published the discovery in the open-access journal Evolutionary Systematics.
Photo by S. R. Chandramouli.
The team named the new species Irwin’s wolf snake, or Lycodon irwini, after the late Stephen Robert Irwin, the renowned Australian zookeeper, conservationist, television personality, and wildlife educator. “His passion and dedication to wildlife education and conservation have inspired naturalists and conservationists worldwide, including the authors of the paper,” they write in their study.
Photo by Girish Choure.
The adults of the new species are glossy black and can grow to a meter in length. The snakes are non-venomous and likely feed on reptiles, amphibians and small mammals. Currently, the species appears to the endemic to the Great Nicobar Island in the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago. Based on the narrow distribution range and potential human threats to the species, the authors suggest that it should be considered Endangered.
“New species continue to be discovered, exemplified by Lycodon irwini, highlighting the ongoing progress in taxonomy and the incomplete understanding of herpetofaunal diversity and distribution in the region,” the researchers write in their paper.
Research article:
Naveen RS, Mirza ZA, Choure G, Chandramouli SR (2025) A ‘Crikey’ new snake: An insular Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826 (Squamata, Colubridae) from the Nicobar Archipelago, India. Evolutionary Systematics 9(2): 221-228. https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.9.170645
Researchers have rediscoveredMoema claudiae, a species of seasonal killifish in Bolivia that was thought to be possibly extinct. This rediscovery provides new hope for the conservation of this unique fish and the diverse wetland habitats of the region.
Moemaclaudiae. Credit: Heinz Arno Drawert and Thomas Otto Litz.
Moema claudiae was last seen over 20 years ago in its original locality, in a site now destroyed and converted to agricultural land. Despite extensive surveys in recent years, no other living individuals had been found, and the species was deemed Critically Endangered according to IUCN criteria and thought to be possibly extinct.
However, in a recent expedition, researchers Heinz Arno Drawert and Thomas Otto Litz located a surviving population in a small, temporary pond within a remnant forest patch surrounded by farms.
Heinz Arno Drawert at the biotope where Moemaclaudiae was rediscovered in 2024. Credit: Heinz Arno Drawert and Thomas Otto Litz.
Published in the open-access journal Nature Conservation, this is the first record of the species in more than two decades and enabled scientists to take the first-ever live photographs, observe its behaviour, and study previously unknown aspects of its natural history.
Thomas Litz, one of the co-authors, said: “For me, it is something special to have rediscovered Moema claudiae. This has shown that we now have the opportunity to preserve this species in the wild. I am all the more pleased because Prof. Wilson Costa named this species after his wife Claudia, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him especially for decades of collaboration and support.”
Thomas Otto Litz.
Heinz Arno Drawert.
The rediscovered habitat harboured not only Moema claudiae but also six other species of seasonal killifish, making it the most genetically diverse assemblage of these fish ever documented worldwide. The region’s unique ecology, where the Amazon forest meets the Llanos de Moxos savannas, appears to support this diversity, but rapid deforestation and agricultural expansion threaten these habitats at an alarming rate.
Following this discovery, scientists emphasise the urgent need to protect the area, as it is now the only known site harbouring a wild population of Moema claudiae, as well as an exceptional global hotspot for seasonal killifish diversity.
Moemaclaudiae. Credit: Heinz Arno Drawert and Thomas Otto Litz.
Over the last 25 years, nearly 10 million hectares of forest have been lost in Bolivia, including vital wetland habitats. Deforestation has accelerated dramatically in recent years, raising serious concerns for the future of many unique species and ecosystems.
“Without rapid and effective action to curb the irrational expansion of the agricultural frontier in Bolivia’s lowlands, we risk losing some of the world’s most important terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and with them the irreplaceable goods and services they provide,” added co-author Heinz Drawert. “We cannot hope to achieve true social and economic wellbeing unless we also maintain the functionality of the ecosystems that sustain it.”
The grand opening ceremony of the IUCN World Conservation Congress 2025.
Held from the 9th to 15th of September 2025, the event brought together over 10,000 participants from 189 countries under five central themes: Scaling Up Resilient Conservation Action; Reducing Climate Overshoot Risks; Delivering on Equity; Transitioning to Nature-Positive Economies and Societies; and Disruptive Innovation and Leadership for Conservation.
Represented by Prof Lyubomir Penev (Founder and CEO), Maria Kolesnikova (Marketing and Sales Manager), and Denitsa Peneva (Scientific Illustrator), Pensoft took part in the Congress with a dedicated booth, engaging attendees in conversation about how open science, innovative publishing, and collaborative research can drive conservation.
Denitsa Peneva (left) and Maria Kolesnikova (right) representing Pensoft at the event.
Pensoft’s exhibit placed a strong emphasis on restoration and ecological research, showcasing the publisher’s active role in international initiatives supporting biodiversity recovery and sustainable ecosystem management. Numerous illustrated materials were available for attendees to browse through and take home.
A key feature of the booth was Pensoft’s participation in Horizon 2020 projects such as REST-COAST, which aims to restore and safeguard coastal ecosystems through innovative, large-scale nature-based solutions. Alongside the company’s project involvement, visitors explored Pensoft’s diverse range of open-access journals, including Nature Conservation, One Ecosystem, Estuarine Management and Technologies, NeoBiota, and the newly launched Individual-based Ecology.
A selection of Pensoft’s materials at the congress.
Maja Vasilijevic opening the session, Bridging Science and Policy: European Action for Biodiversity and Climate Goals..
Keynote speaker Musonda Mumba at Advancing Large Scale Restoration Programmes Through Sharing Insights of EU Funded Nature Restoration Projects.
A platform for lasting impact
One of the most anticipated events on the calendar, the IUCN Congress was a fantastic event that looked to the future of collaborative global conservation. For Pensoft, participation in Abu Dhabi reaffirmed its mission to foster open, accessible, and data-driven knowledge to support efforts to protect and restore our planet’s ecosystems.
Letsema Adontsi, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Lesotho.
Visitors at the Pensoft booth.
Taxonomist Korsh Ararat.
Kostas Triantis, author of several articles in Frontiers of Biogeography.
Nature Conservation author Kristijn Swinnen.
Sana Taktak, part of REST-COAST project.
IMA Fungus author Jonathan Cazabonne..
Nature Conservation author Neil D’Cruze.
Elisa Furlan and Elena Alegri from REST-COAST.
Sofia Paredes Maury and Claudia Garcia Barrios from the Guatemalan Association of the Private Nature Reserves.
Maggie Kilian, botanist and Director of Engaging Heritage Consulting.
Guido Berguido, who recently had a new species named ater him in PhytoKeys.
Srijana Joshi Rijal and Bandana Shakya from GBIF Nepal, with Pensoft’s Maria Kolesnikova.
Julia Sigwart, Senckenberg Research Institute. with Prof Lyubomir Penev.
BDJ author Rachel Haderle.
NeoBiota author Ana Nunes.
Pensoft Founder and CEO Prof Lyubomir Penev.
Matthieu Lapinski and Mathilde Michaud from REST-COAST.
The conversations, collaborations, and commitments shared at IUCN 2025 will continue to shape the publisher’s approach to science communication and innovation going forward.
Relive highlights of the conference on Bluesky and LinkedIn using the hashtag #IUCNcongress.
A new study published in the open-access journal Nature Conservationassesses the threat status of bird species from Vietnam, underscoring the country’s critical conservation needs.
Vietnam is well known for its extraordinary level of biodiversity, particularly its very rich bird fauna. However, although the country is home to more than 900 species, co-author of the study Dr. Hung Le Manh stresses that no efforts had been made to assess their conservation status to better protect them from extinction risks.
Lesser fish eagle in Vietnam. Credit: Dr. Hung Le.
For this reason, the study provides a comprehensive list of bird species reported from Vietnam. It incorporates threat statuses, identifying avian richness hotspots and their coverage by the national protected area network. The implementation of the IUCN’s “One Plan Approach to Conservation” is also examined.
Prof. Dr. Truong Quang Nguyen highlights that 61 species are listed in the 2007 version of Vietnam Red Data Book, 112 species in the 2024 version, and 138 species are included under national decrees.
Streaked barwings in Vietnam. Credit: Dr. Hung Le.
Ass. Prof. Dr. Dennis Rödder from the Leibniz-Institute for the Analysis of Biodiversity Change (LIB) stresses that highest bird species richness was found in northern and central Vietnam. The Mekong Delta is an important area for non-breeding species, but it had comparatively low protected area coverage.
Zoo databases show that 308 species are represented in zoo holdings, including 20 threatened and two threatened and endemic species. One of these species, the Vietnam pheasant, listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, has not been reported from the wild in Vietnam since 2000. It is one of the flagship species of the current VIETNAMAZING conservation campaign and network, and is set to be released back into the wild to restock the natural populations.
Vietnam pheasant at Hanoi Zoo. Credit: Thomas Ziegler.
The team led by Prof. Dr. Thomas Ziegler, Cologne Zoo and the Institute of Zoology at the University of Cologne, has contributed to identifying gaps in conservation of Vietnamese vertebrates. Three papers written by the team have already been published in Nature Conservation: amphibians (2022), reptiles (2023), and mammals (2024). These threat analyses are intended to accelerate effective conservation measures by implementing IUCN’s “One Plan Approach” and the “Reverse the Red” initiative.
“This updated avifaunal assessment underscores Vietnam’s critical conservation needs, highlighting areas for improved protection, integration of expanded ex situ conservation efforts, and alignment of legislation with global conservation priorities,” says Ass. Prof. Dr. Minh D. Le from Central Institute for Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (CRES), Vietnam National University, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Original source
Ginal P, Hackenbroch H, Le Manh H, Nguyen TQ, Le MD, Rödder D, Ziegler T (2025) Assessment of the threat status of bird species from Vietnam – Implementation of the One Plan Approach to conservation. Nature Conservation 60: 49-72. https://doi.org/10.3897/natureconservation.60.162832
