Tag: new species

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

China’s First Cave-Dwelling Freshwater Snail Named After A Mythical Mountain God

This study marks the first freshwater cave snail ever recorded in China, and it represents the highest-altitude distribution known among cave-dwelling species in the family Erhaiidae.

Recently published in the journal Subterranean Biology, the research marks a major milestone for the study of subterranean aquatic life in East Asia. Prior to this discovery, there were no records of freshwater cave snails within Chinese territory, and the region’s subterranean freshwater mollusks were generally poorly studied.

Mythological Namesake and Unique Adaptations

Perfectly suited to its pitch-black environment, Erhaia dijiang is a true troglobiont, having evolved without eyes entirely while its ocular structures show total degeneration. Its shell is small, conical, and highly translucent, while its body is delicate and unpigmented, with slender tentacles.

Natural habitats of *Erhaia* *dijiang*. Credit to He et al., 2026.

Fittingly, researchers named the species dijiang after “Di Jiang,” a mountain patron god from ancient Chinese mythology described as a faceless beast in the classic text Classic of Mountains and Seas (山海经). The name suits the animal’s habits: in laboratory observations, the snails proved highly photophobic, actively seeking out dark crevices beneath rocks to escape light.

Beyond its mythological namesake, the species is also notable for where it was found. Discovered at an elevation of 2,062 meters, Erhaia dijiang sets a new record for the highest-altitude distribution among all known cave-dwelling snails in Erhaiidae, evidence that freshwater cavesnails can survive in karst caves at altitudes exceeding 2,000 meters.

According to the researchers, the species inhabits underwater gravel and crushed stone at depths of less than one meter, where cave water temperatures remain consistently near 20°C. While rapid water flow during the rainy season occasionally flushes a small number of snails out through the cave’s outlet, they are never found in nearby surface streams and stay strictly within two meters of the cave entrance. In the lab, the snails fed on diatoms growing on rock surfaces as well as artificially supplied fish food.

Urgent Call for Conservation

Erhaia dijiang new cave snail from China — *Erhaia* *dijiang*. Credit to He et al., 2026.

However, despite marking a significant advance for the study of subterranean aquatic life in East Asia, the research team warns that the survival status of this newly discovered species is “far from optimistic.”

During their initial field survey in August 2025, the population density of Erhaia dijiang was found to be extremely low. The team was only able to locate three live adult individuals and a single empty shell in the shallow underground waters, and no juvenile snails were observed.

The researchers are urgently calling for extensive surveys of Chinese caves to improve our understanding of these complex ecosystems, along with the rapid formulation of conservation measures to protect these vulnerable, endemic mollusks.

Original study:

He Y-M, Xiang H-Q, Yang J-M, Zheng H, Yang S-Z, Zhou Y-F, Zheng J (2026) A new eyeless species in Erhaiidae (Gastropoda, Truncatelloidea) from a cave in Yuxi City, Yunnan, China. Subterranean Biology 56: 127-136. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.56.188075

Sunrise Over the Seabed: New Shrimpgoby Species Named for the “Sunrise of Java”

Researchers have described a beautiful new species of shrimpgoby from the coastal waters off Banyuwangi, East Java, and given it a name that pays tribute to both its fiery colouration and birthplace.

Researchers have described a beautiful new species of shrimpgoby from the coastal waters off Banyuwangi, East Java, and given it a name that pays tribute to both its fiery colouration and its birthplace.

Published in the open-access journal ZooKeys, a team led by Kunto Wibowo of the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense, part of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), has formally described Tomiyamichthys oriens sp. nov., a small reef fish characterised by radiant orange blotches along its flanks and a pair of elegant filaments trailing from the first dorsal fin of males.

Holotype of *Tomiyamichthys oriens* sp. nov., male, 35.6 mm SL, off Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. Image credit: Kunto Wibowo et al.

The two specimens on which the description is based, a male and a female each measuring roughly 35.5 mm in length, were first brought to the researchers’ attention by the ornamental fish exporter CV Cahaya Baru, having been collected from sandy shallows off Banyuwangi. Both are now housed at the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense in Bogor.

The name oriens is where this discovery really shines. It is a Latin participle meaning “east” or “the rising sun”, chosen for two reasons. Firstly, it evokes the fish’s own vivid orange markings, said to recall the hues of a sunrise. Secondly, it honours the species’ place of origin: Banyuwangi sits at the easternmost tip of Java and is popularly known throughout Indonesia as “The Sunrise of Java”. The authors have given the fish the English common name Oriens Shrimpgoby.

Tomiyamichthys oriens belongs to a genus of shrimp-associated gobies found across the tropical Indo-Pacific, from the Red Sea to Fiji. Its closest known relative is T. hyacinthinus, a species only recently described from southern Japan. The two share a rare combination of features within the genus: nine segmented rays in both the dorsal and anal fins, and, in males, two elongated filamentous spines on the first dorsal fin.

Paratype of *Tomiyamichthys* *oriens* sp. nov., female, 35.5 mm SL, off Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. Image credit: Kunto Wibowo et al.

Despite this resemblance, the Indonesian fish can be told apart by a suite of subtle differences, including its number of pectoral fin rays, branched caudal fin rays, longitudinal scale rows and gill rakers, as well as finer details of its colour pattern. Genetic analysis of the mitochondrial COI gene reinforced the case for a distinct species, revealing a divergence of 3.1% between the Indonesian and Japanese fish.

The discovery adds to an already remarkable tally for Indonesia, which sits at the heart of the Coral Triangle and now hosts 13 recognised species of Tomiyamichthys, more than any other country. According to local fishermen consulted during the study, the new species favours sandy bottoms in shallow coastal water, though its relationship with the burrowing alpheid shrimps typically associated with the genus has yet to be directly observed in the wild.

The description brings the total number of valid Tomiyamichthys species worldwide to 21, underscoring how much remains to be learned about the small reef fishes that share Indonesia’s waters with its shrimp partners.

“It is always exciting to discover a species that is new to science. We hope this finding will inspire further exploration of Indonesia’s fish biodiversity, where many small and overlooked species are likely still awaiting discovery.”
Kunto Wibowo

Original source:

Wibowo K, Pratiwi HM, Dharmayanthi AB, Tjiptadi D, Tarmini W, Priyadi A, Kusumah RV (2026) Tomiyamichthys oriens, a new species of shrimpgoby (Teleostei, Gobiidae) from the coast of Banyuwangi, East Java, Indonesia. ZooKeys 1283: 67-77. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1283.194940

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

New Snail Species Bolster Case For Protecting Montenegro’s Biodiversity

Scientists and citizen volunteers discovered two new snail species in northwestern Montenegro, highlighting the region’s hidden biodiversity and bolstering calls to protect Komarnica Canyon within Durmitor’s World Heritage Site instead of building a hydropower plant.

The descriptions of the two new additions to the European snail fauna, named Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido, have been published today in the open-access Biodiversity Data Journal.

A Cochlostoma snail crawling in Montenegro – video by Roman Willi | Wildreach Productions.

The elegant snails, which do not yet have English names, have conical shells of around 7 mm long and live on limestone rocks, where they graze algae and lichens. Unlike most land snails, they do not carry their eyes on the end of eye-stalks, but on the sides of their head. And their shells come with a circular disk stuck to the animal’s tail that can close off the shell like a door.

Shells of Cochlostoma komarnica and Cochlostoma dobrido — *Cochlostoma komarnica* (a, b) and *Cochlostoma dobrido* (c, d) – Photos by Enrico Zallot.

The snails were discovered by the teams of Taxon Expeditions, which run real scientific expeditions that anyone can join. Between 2018 – 2025, expeditions in Montenegro were organised as a collaboration of Taxon Expeditions, the non-profit Taxon Foundation, and local partners from the Montenegrin Ecologists Society.

Citizen scientists and researchers from Taxon Expeditions searching for land snails on the Dobri Do Plateau, Durmitor, Montenegro, where Cochlostoma dobrido was discovered. – Photo by Pierre Escobas | Taxon Expeditions.
Participants of the taxon expedition studying snails in the makeshift field lab near the Komarnica Canyon. – Photo by Marjolein Koster.

Mixed teams of international researchers, citizen scientists, local students, and conservationists studied the biodiversity of Durmitor National Park and Komarnica Canyon. The new snails were found at several sites during fieldwork in the rugged mountainous terrain, but their novelty only became clear once they were dissected and genetically analysed in the field laboratory.

Cochlostoma snail crawling in Montenegro – photo by Roman Willi | Wildreach Productions
Cochlostoma dobrido – Photo by Sotiris Kountouras | Taxon Expeditions.

During a voting session at camp, the team decided to name the species after the localities in which they were discovered: “Cochlostoma dobrido,” after the Dobri Do Plateau, which lies between the peaks of Durmitor National Park, and “Cochlostoma komarnica,” after the stunning but unprotected Komarnica Canyon, south of Durmitor.

I was amazed that it is still possible to discover new animal species in Europe.
says musician Janine Buisman from The Netherlands, who joined one of the expeditions and co-authored the paper.

Another author, biologist Jovana Đokić of the Montenegrin Ecologists Society (MES), explains that the rich biodiversity in the canyons, mountains, and gorges of this part of the Balkans is still largely unexplored and undiscovered.

The endangered Komarnica Canyon, Montenegro – Photo by Sotiris Kountouras | Taxon Expeditions.

It is all the more worrying that the Komarnica Canyon is targeted to be flooded by a hydropower dam and reservoir. This will destroy this wild river canyon and all the biodiversity in it, including many species still unknown to science.
Jovana Đokić

Because of these threats, Komarnica Canyon has become a focus for structured biodiversity surveys, part of an effort to build a science-based case for its conservation.

That is why MES is calling for the canyon to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Durmitor and for the hydropower project’s plans to be scrapped.

Hydropower is neither green nor sustainable energy when it destroys a unique ecosystem like this.
says Đokić

Original source:

Schilthuizen M, Boomsma R, Faes S, Jousma M, Buisman J, Lankenau D-H, Kountouras S, van den Broek M, Hemelaar EM, Noomen J, de Vries R, Lopatriello G, Limongi AR, Maestri S, Kamchev P, van Manen S, Khalik MZ, Delledonne M, Đokić J, Mićanović A, Popović J, Njunjić I, Zallot E (2026) Two new Cochlostoma species from the Durmitor and Komarnica regions of northern Montenegro (Caenogastropoda, Cochlostomatidae). Biodiversity Data Journal 14: e196955. https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.14.e196955

The Pensoft Biodiversity Cup 2026 comes to a close

Now that the 2026 FIFA World Cup is over, it’s time for us to blow the final whistle on Pensoft’s Biodiversity Cup.

The floodlights have dimmed, the confetti has settled, and the 2026 FIFA World Cup has officially come to an end. A huge congratulations to Spain, who saw off Argentina 1-0 after extra time to lift their second World Cup trophy.

And with the football finished, it’s time for us to blow the final whistle on our own tournament too. Throughout the World Cup, we ran the Pensoft Biodiversity Cup alongside the real competition – a weekly knockout contest on our Instagram page, pitting some of the most remarkable species described in our journals against one another.

Every Thursday we opened the polls, and every Monday we brought you the result. Now that the dust has settled, we thought it was the perfect moment to look back at how the tournament unfolded.

Here’s how each fixture played out, with the winning species (as voted for by you!) shown in blue bold:

Date	Species #1	Species #2
11/06	Nadzikambia goodallae	Ferreiraella populi
18/06	Hellwigia opalina	Neohelicomyces coffeae
25/06	Thecacera sesama	Dolichopoda balrogi
02/07	Pikelinia floydmuraria	Trachischium lalremsangai
09/07	Theridion himalayana	Pyralis papaleonei
19/07	Iberoscia zaragozai	Echinodorus nenufar

General recap of Pensoft’s Biodiversity Cup.

Our first week’s competition kicked off with a cloud-forest chameleon named after Jane Goodall, which faced off against a public-named deep-sea chiton from the abyssal Pacific:

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Nadzikambia goodallae vs Ferreiraella populi.

The chameleon, Nadzikambia goodallae, came out on top in this opening clash, advancing past the deep-sea chiton Ferreiraella populi.

Round two, meanwhile, pitted a turquoise-flowered jade ginger from Sulawesi against a newly identified fungus found on dead coffee branches in Yunnan:

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Hellwigia opalina vs Neohelicomyces coffeae.

…and round two went to the fungi! Neohelicomyces coffeae ended up decisively defeating the jade ginger Hellwigia opalina in this Plant vs Fungi edition.

Round three brought Cave vs. Coast: a Balrog-named cave cricket unearthed on Kastellorizo faced a sesame-speckled nudibranch discovered off northeastern Taiwan:

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Thecacera sesama vs Dolichopoda balrogi.

Our third round went to the underdog (or in this case, undercricket): Dolichopoda balrogi, which hopped past Thecacera sesama in a unanimous win.

Round four was our Animal Kingdom edition, with the newly described Pink Floyd spider Pikelinia floydmuraria facing off against the burrowing snake Trachischium lalremsangai for the top spot:

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Pikelinia floydmuraria vs Trachischium lalremsangai.

The snake slithered through – Trachischium lalremsangai defeated Pikelinia floydmuraria, its burrowing lifestyle proving harder to top than a rock-star spider name in this round.

Our second-to-last round paired the smiley-faced Himalayan Happy-Face Spider, Theridion himalayana, against Pyralis papaleonei, a papal-named moth endemic to Crete’s White Mountains:

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Theridion himalayana vs Pyralis papaleonei.

The moth flew past the competition! Pyralis papaleonei took the win over Theridion himalayana, its rare papal namesake and striking wing bands proving enough to edge out even a face full of smiles.

Our own final on 19 July ended up mirroring the World Cup final to a tee, with a species from Spain going head-to-head with one from Argentina:

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Iberoscia zaragozai vs Echinodorus nenufar.

Representing Spain in the final was Iberoscia zaragozai, a newly described genus and species of cave-dwelling isopod, published only this April in our open-access journal Subterranean Biology.

Discovered in caves across Catalonia, Murcia and the Valencian Community, this blind crustacean measures barely 3-4 mm long, yet required a new genus to accommodate it, thanks to its unique features – right down to its antennal sensory structures.

Fittingly, it’s named in posthumous tribute to the Spanish arachnologist Juan Antonio Zaragoza-Miralles, in recognition of his decades of work on the cave-dwelling fauna of the Iberian Peninsula.

Standing in Argentina’s corner was Echinodorus nenufar, a new aquatic plant described in PhytoKeys back in January. Found in the temporary ponds and seasonal wetlands of the dry Chaco region of northern Argentina and western Paraguay, it earns its name – “nenúfar” being Spanish for water lily – thanks to its rounded floating leaves and creamy-white flowers, which give it an uncanny resemblance to a true Nymphaeaceae water lily.

Like the seasonal killifish it shares its ephemeral ponds with, it has evolved to complete its whole life cycle in habitats that can appear and vanish with the rains.

Two species, two countries, both barely a few months old to science. This is a proper final if ever there was one. And… just like their footballing counterparts, it was the Spanish contender that came out on top!

We had an absolute blast running the Biodiversity Cup alongside this year’s World Cup, and we hope it gave you a fun new way to discover some of the incredible species being described in our journals. Thank you to everyone who voted, shared and cheered along from the side lines.

Keep up with our latest news and campaigns by following us on Facebook, Bluesky, X, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok.

Two Rare Orchids, One Vanishing Forest: Ecuador’s Newest Dracula Species

The genus Dracula is one of the more theatrical corners of the orchid world, containing more than 130 species.

A new species of vampire orchid, described in the open-access journal PhytoKeys, was recently discovered in the cloud forests of southwestern Ecuador, and with it comes the long-awaited confirmation of where a second, mysterious species actually lives in the wild.

The genus Dracula is one of the more theatrical corners of the orchid world. It contains more than 130 species, most found in the northern Andes of Colombia and Ecuador, and is known for its dramatic and often dark-coloured flowers with long tails. These blooms are pollinated by small flies rather than by bees or butterflies, that mistake the flower’s lip for a mushroom!

The newly described species, Dracula aguilarii, was found in El Oro Province, in a region of premontane and cloud forest that sits between 900 and 1,200 metres above sea level. Its cream-coloured flowers are suffused with brown-red tones and covered in short, dense hairs. It closely resembles a related species, D. hirtzii, but can be told apart by its blunt-tipped leaves, a deep and broadly rounded cup formed by the fused sepals, and notably shorter tails on those sepals.

*Dracula* *aguilarii* Baquero, M.M. Jiménez & Iturralde in vivo. A. Flower in ¾ view, showing the deep center, the convex sepals toward the apex, the short pubescence, and the proportionally small lip in relation to the sepals; B. Close-up of the petals and lip, frontal view; C. Close-up of the column, petals, and lip, lateral view; D. Side view of the flower, the deep and large mentum is visible as well as the convex towards the apex and pubescent sepals. Photographs by Luis E. Baquero.

The species owes its name to Mario Aguilar, a farmer and orchid enthusiast from El Oro with a remarkable knack for spotting rare orchids in the field. It was Aguilar who first came across a small population of around fifteen plants in a patch of remnant forest near the town of Balsas, more than a decade ago. Researchers later confirmed, through further fieldwork and herbarium comparisons, that his discovery represented a species new to science, and named it in his honour.

Only three populations of Dracula aguilarii are currently known, all within a fairly small area, which has led researchers to recommend the species be classified as Endangered. The forests it depends on are being steadily cleared for cattle pasture, and like many showy orchids, it also faces pressure from illegal collection for the horticultural trade.

Colour variation in *Dracula* *aguilarii* Baquero, M.M. Jiménez & Iturralde. A. Photo by Mario Aguilar from near Piñas; B. Photo by Marco M. Jiménez from a plant in situ at the southernmost known population near Balsas; C. Photo by Luis E Baquero from Holotype, *LB 3142*, QCNE (near Balsas); D. Photo by Marco M. Jiménez from a cultivated plant collected near Balsas.

This same study resolves a smaller mystery that has lingered for well over a decade. Dracula soennemarkii was first described in 2012 from a plant bought at a nursery and grown in Sweden, with no idea of where it had originally come from in the wild. The researchers have now traced a wild population of this species to the same general region of El Oro, giving it a confirmed home for the first time. Given that it is known from just a single location, D. soennemarkii has been assessed as Critically Endangered, an even more precarious position than its newly described neighbour.

Known species and natural hybrids of *Dracula* from El Oro province, southwestern Ecuador. A. D. *aguilarii* Baquero, M.M. Jiménez & Iturralde; B. D. *woolwardiae* (F. Lehmann ex Kraenzlin) Luer; C. D. *cordobae* Luer; D. D. *mopsus* (F. Lehmann & Kraenzlin) Luer; E. D. × *pinasensis* Zambrano & Solano; F. D. *soennemarkii* Luer & Dalström. A. From holotype, *LB 3142* QCNE, and **B–F**. From near Piñas. Photographs by Luis E. Baquero (**A–E**), and Mario Aguilar (F).

*Dracula* *aguilarii* Baquero, M.M. Jimenez & Iturralde. **A, B**. Flower and plant in situ near El Caucho; **C, D**. Photographs of other plants in cultivation. Photographs by José Bustamante.

Together, these findings demonstrate just how much remains to be discovered, and how quickly it could be lost, in Ecuador’s shrinking cloud forests. El Oro Province alone now hosts six recognised species of Dracula, yet only a fraction of its once-extensive humid forest cover remains intact. Each new species description is as much a conservation appeal as it is a taxonomic milestone.

Distribution of the known populations of *Dracula* *aguilarii* Baquero, M.M. Jiménez & Iturralde and morphologically similar species, and confirmed locality of D. *soennemarkii* Luer & Dalström, in the northern Andes. Base map layer was obtained from Google Satellite imagery (Google LLC; https://www.google.com/earth/).

Original study:

Baquero R. LE, Jiménez MM, Iturralde GA (2026) Dracula aguilarii (Orchidaceae, Pleurothallidinae), a new species from southwestern Ecuador and the first confirmed location for Dracula soennemarkii. PhytoKeys 273: 281-297. https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.273.182821

Make sure to follow PhytoKeys on Facebook and Bluesky for more interesting articles on plants.

New Hyperparasitoid Wasp Named After Ernest Hemingway Amid Efforts to Control Destructive Sugar Beet Pest

An international team of researchers has discovered a new hyperparasitoid wasp species, Chlorocytus papahemii, named in honor of Ernest Hemingway, and we’re sharing it today to mark his birthday.

“The Earth is a fine place and worth fighting for.” – Ernest Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls, 1940

Earth remains full of undiscovered species and unexplored interactions that continue to fascinate us, including, in the most ordinary of places, the fields where our food is grown.

The weevil beetle Lixus subtilis is a highly destructive insect that frequently damages agricultural crops, particularly sugar beets, across Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Asia Minor, and China, Until now, scientific understanding of this beetle’s natural parasitic complexes, specifically the complete food chains involving parasitoids and hyperparasitoids (parasites of parasites) has been very limited.

However, developing biological methods of controlling plant pests should be based on an understanding of real, comprehensive regulatory systems within complete food chains.
the researchers emphasise in the article.

To investigate these relationships, researchers from Xinjiang University in China, the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), and the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences joined forces on a collaborative study, now published in the open-access, peer-reviewed ZooKeys journal.

The team conducted field research in the sugar beet fields of Yining City and Qapqal Xibe Autonomous County in China’s Xinjiang region, an area that has experienced repeated outbreaks of the weevil pest. By carefully collecting damaged sugar beet leaf petioles and rearing the infected larvae in laboratory climate chambers, the scientists made two significant discoveries about the local wasp populations.

First, they recorded Eurytoma curculionum, a wasp that is already known to parasitise weevil larvae, in China for the very first time. Second, and more strikingly, they discovered an entirely new species of pteromalid wasp.

The Enemy Of My Enemy Is My Friend

The research team officially named the newly discovered wasp Chlorocytus papahemii, in honor of Ernest Hemingway, one of the most prominent literary figures of the 20th century.

the Hemingway hyperpasitoid wasp Chlorocytus papahemii — *Chlorocytus* *papahemii* Tselikh & Li, sp. nov., female, holotype. 24. Same, Body, lateral view; 25. Same, Head, frontal view; 26. Same, Fore wing; 27. Same, Head and pronotum, dorsal view; 28. Same, Antenna; 29. Same, Metasoma, dorsal view; 30. Same, Mesosoma, dorsal view; 31. Same, Body, dorsal view. Credit to Li et al., 2026.

Beyond its striking iridescent coloring, what makes Chlorocytus papahemii especially interesting is its behaviour: rather than attacking the crop-destroying weevil directly, it is a hyperparasitoid, meaning that it is parasitising Eurytoma curculionum, the very wasp that preys on the weevil.

This highly specialised behavior places hyperparasitoids at a complex fourth trophic level within ecosystems, one that can complicate biological control efforts, since hyperparasitoids often kill the beneficial primary parasitoids.

By meticulously documenting the morphology and biology of both wasp species, the study sheds new light on the hidden ecological dynamics at work in agricultural fields, particularly within economically important sugar beet crops. This work paves the way for more advanced, biologically informed strategies to manage weevil outbreaks and protect vital crop yields.

Original source:

Li Q, Liu Z, Li X, Yin H, Delvare G, Tselikh EV (2026) The hymenopteran parasitoid complex (Hymenoptera, Eurytomidae and Pteromalidae) of the weevil beetle Lixus subtilis Boheman, 1836 (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) in China. ZooKeys 1279: 345-356. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1279.188643

A New Class Of Fungi Named After The King Of Sweden

A newly discovered fungal species has been named after the King of Sweden to mark the 50th anniversary of his reign.

Originally published by Uppsala University

Researchers at Uppsala University have discovered a completely new fungal species, which they chose to name after the King of Sweden. The species has been given the Latin name Semicentenialea rex, which means fifty-year anniversary of the King. It is the first known representative of a new class of fungi that will be called Semicentenialomycetes.

The new fungus was isolated from roots in the ground in Jädraås in the province of Gästrikland, and represents a new lineage among what are primarily rust fungi. Rust fungi are a type of fungi that causes diseases in plants, usually by infecting the leaves. Based on DNA sequencing from soil samples, the researchers know that the class occurs in soil and roots from different ecosystems across almost the entire world, but rarely at high abundance.

the new fungi Semicentenialea rex — The images show *Semicentenialea rex* both as a colony and under the microscope. After eight weeks of growth, the fungus forms a small colony on the culture plate. The microscopic images reveal a network of hyphae with so-called clamp connections – structures that connect adjacent cells in the hyphae of basidiomycete fungi. To follow fungal development, the researchers stained the nuclei pink and the cell walls blue. Three types of swollen cells can be observed within the hyphae: basidium-like cells, teliospore- or probasidium-like cells, and intercalary swellings. These structures are examined in greater detail in the following figures. Credit to Anna Rosling.

There are probably at least two other species in the class, but they do not appear to be as common as Semicentenialea rex. Since it only seems to live deep down in the ground, we are curious about what life strategy it has. We are going to study how it affects the roots of plants in the soil and how it propagates.
says Anna Rosling, professor at Uppsala University and one of the researchers behind the study.

Several million species of fungi

phylogenetic tree of Semicentenialea rex — The researchers analysed hundreds of genes to determine where the newly discovered fungus *Semicentenialea rex* belongs in the fungal tree of life. The results show that *S. rex*, previously known as GS25, forms a distinct lineage within the *Pucciniomycotina*. To confirm its placement, genes from both closely related and more distantly related fungi were compared, including species from both the Basidiomycota and the Ascomycota. Credit to Anna Rosling.

The species diversity in kingdom Fungi is largely unexplored. Based on sequencing of environmental DNA, it is estimated that there are several million species of fungi across the globe. But because most live concealed in the soil, wood or insects for example, it has only been possible to describe and name a small proportion of them. Without names, it is difficult to communicate about these species, genera, classes and even phyla of hitherto unknown fungi.

It was during a study root fungal diversity, when the researchers were culturing fungi from pine tree roots collected from mineral soil at Ivantjärnheden field station near Jädraås that the researchers identified a new fungal species that turned out to represent a new class of fungi.

Exciting with a root-associated fungus

Veera Tuovinen-Nogerius and Anna Rosling, both of Uppsala University, have led an international team of researchers in the work of characterising the morphology of the new species and its phylogenetic placement. The results have now been published in the International Mycology Association’s journal IMA Fungus.

A new class is exciting enough but in this case, it’s especially exciting because we have a root-associated fungus that evolutionarily speaking sits among the rust fungi in Puccinomycotina. Rust fungi are obligate parasites that infect plants and cause diseases above ground.
says Anna

Suitably named after the King of Sweden

This figure presents additional structures that are likely to play a role in the fungal life cycle. Among them are intercalary swellings and teliospore-like cells, which contain spore-like structures with one or more nuclei. The researchers documented several stages of development, ranging from young swellings and spore formation to germination and the emergence of new hyphae. Some structures produce thick promycelium-like hyphae, while others release small yeast-like cells through budding. These observations suggest that *Semicentenialea rex* has a complex life cycle involving several different cell types and spore forms. This resembles rust fungi within the *Pucciniomycotina*, which are known for producing multiple types of spores. Credit to Anna Rosling/Uppsala University.

Finding names for new species is a pleasant challenge for all researchers doing this type of research. This particular one was named Semicentenialea rex to pay tribute to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden when he celebrated 50 years on the throne in 2023.

During his reign, the King has worked tirelessly for biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of our natural resources. What could be better than to have a previously undescribed fungus named after you.
says Anna Rosling, who in connection with the official celebration of the King’s golden jubilee presented a picture and a description of the species to him.

Now that the species has a new name, it will facilitate future communication and studies of the role of Semicentenialea rex in the ecosystem.

Original source:

Nogerius VT, Sánchez-García M, Kluting K, Heinonsalo J, Ryberg M, Toome M, Haridas S, Mondo S, LaButti K, Nolan M, Lipzen A, Koriabine M, Bauer D, Barry K, Grigoriev IV, Aime MC, Rosling A (2026) Another dark taxon comes to light: Semicentenialomycetes, a new class within the Pucciniomycotina (Basidiomycota), and its first described representative, Semicentenialea rex. IMA Fungus 17: e189848. https://doi.org/10.3897/imafungus.17.189848

Cave-Dwelling Snail Discovered in Greece, Named for Hermes and the Nymph Who Nurtured Him

Deep in a single Greek spring, scientists discovered a new cave-dwelling snail and named it after Hermes and the nymph who raised him.

Thousands of years ago, according to Greek myth, the nymph Cyllena nurtured the infant Hermes, messenger of the gods and famously the swiftest of the twelve Olympians, on Mt. Kyllini in southern Greece.

Now, in that same mountain, researchers from the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens have identified a completely new genus and species of subterranean freshwater snail living in a single isolated spring on its slopes. In a fitting nod to the area’s mythology, and perhaps a bit of irony, given the messenger god’s legendary speed, they named it Cyllena hermes.

The full details of the discovery have been published as a research article in Subterranean Biology, a peer-reviewed open-access journal published by the International Society for Subterranean Biology.

Live specimens of *Cyllena* *hermes* gen. et sp. nov. **A–F** live mature specimen, shown from the moment of emergence from the shell to active locomotion while foraging **G–I** another mature specimen; White arrows indicate the direction of movement J immature specimen floating at the water surface while feeding K caddisfly case (Insecta, Trichoptera) constructed from gastropod shells, including shells of *Cyllena* *hermes* gen. et sp. nov. Scale bars: 1 mm. Credit to Radea et al., 2026

So far, the snail is known from just one place on Earth: a karstic spring roughly 610 meters up the mountain’s foothills, in the Korinthia region of the Peloponnese. There, groundwater seeps out of carbonate bedrock and forms a small stream that feeds toward Lake Stymphalia, part of the sprawling underground hydrological network beneath the Stymphalia closed karst basin.

habitat of Cyllena hermes — Type locality of *Cyllena* *hermes* gen. et sp. nov., Korinthia, Peloponnese, Greece. Karstic spring waters emerging from Mt Kyllini and forming a stream flowing toward Lake Stymphalia. Credit to Radea et al., 2026

Because the snail relies entirely on this single, isolated water source, it is highly sensitive to environmental stressors such as prolonged droughts and water extraction for surrounding neighboring areas, leading the research team to classify the species as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List criteria.

When establishing this new monotypic genus and species, the researchers chose a name steeped in ancient Greek mythology tied to the mountain itself. The genus honours Cyllena, the nymph who raised Hermes there, while the species name pays tribute to Hermes himself, who legend says was born in a cave on that same mountain, where the new snail species was found.

immature speciemen of the snail Cyllena hermes — *Cyllena* *hermes* gen. et sp. nov. Views from a single immature specimen. A dorsal view B ventral view **C, D** lateral view **E–G** scanning electron micrographs of shell and protoconch respectively. Scale bars: 1 mm (**A–E**); 100 μm (F); 50 μm (G). Credit to Radea et al., 2026

This significant finding highlights the rich, yet often undocumented biodiversity dwelling within Greece’s extensive underground karst ecosystems, while also bringing attention to the fragile nature of these highly localized environments.

Original source:
Radea C, Protopapas D, Parmakelis A, Koskeridou E (2026) From the dark to the light: A new genus and species of stygobiont hydrobiid (Caenogastropoda, Truncatelloidea) from southern Greece. Subterranean Biology 57: 1-21. https://doi.org/10.3897/subtbiol.57.189090

New Species of Giant Salamander Discovered in Anhui, China

With the discovery of a new giant salamander of the genus Andrias, the total number of globally recognised species has risen to 6.

Giant salamanders of the genus Andrias are the largest living amphibians on Earth and, it turns out, more diverse than previously known. For many years, Chinese giant salamanders were classified as a single widespread species. But through recent molecular and morphological research, they have been shown to harbor far greater species richness than previously recognised.

Now, a collaborative team of researchers has formally described a new species: Andrias yaoluopingensis, discovered in the Yaoluoping National Nature Reserve in Yuexi County, Anhui Province, China. The full description is available in the open-access journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.

New Giant Salamander from the Mountain Streams

The salamander was first found sheltering among stone crevices in the Macao River at an elevation of 948 meters. Researchers employed an integrative taxonomic approach, combining mitochondrial DNA analysis with detailed morphological examination, to confirm its status as a distinct species.

Holotype of Andrias yaoluopingensis (HSA25201) in life. A. Dorsal view; B. Lateral view (right side); C. Ventral view Photo credit to Zhihao Jiang and Song Huang.
Holotype of Andrias yaoluopingensis (HSA25201). A. Dorsal view of head; B. Ventral view of head; C. Ventral view of left fingers; D. Ventral view of left toes Photo credit to Zhihao Jiang and Song Huang.

Andrias yaoluopingensis, or the Yaoluoping Giant Salamander, is distinguished from other known giant salamanders by several physical characteristics: a notably flat head and trunk; slight webbing between the digits; a tan dorsal surface marked with darker blotches in life; and irregularly distributed tubercles above the eyes.

The discovery brings the total number of recognised Andrias species worldwide to six.

Conservation Implications

The discovery highlights the pressing need for deeper field surveys to uncover overlooked biodiversity in unexplored regions. Wild populations of Chinese giant salamanders have suffered severe declines across the country, primarily driven by overexploitation, as well as habitat loss and environmental degradation. The researchers stress that:

[…] for these critically endangered organisms, more field surveys and further classification at the species level are necessary and urgent.

The morphological and molecular data provided by this discovery will serve as a crucial reference for the targeted conservation of different giant salamander lineages, proper genetic management, and the successful release of artificially bred populations.

Original source:

Jiang Z, Huang R, Yang J, Zhao K, Zhang Y, Zhang T, Zhang Y, Chu J, Chen J, Huang S (2026) A new species of the Giant Salamander genus Andrias (Amphibia, Urodela, Cryptobranchidae) from Yuexi, Anhui, China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 102(2): 649-658. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.102.179377