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Researchers have identified over 70 new species, from ancient dinosaurs to living mammals and insects preserved in amber
Scientists at the American Museum of Natural History identified more than 70 species new to science this year, uncovering life forms that range from biting fruit flies and a tiny mouse opossum to a feathered dinosaur preserved with traces of its final meal. The discoveries span an impressive breadth of life, including dinosaurs, mammals, fishes, reptiles, insects, arachnids, marine invertebrates, and even a mineral never documented before. Together, these findings reinforce the Museum’s role as a global leader in exploring and understanding the natural world.
Discoveries From the Field and the Archives
Some of the newly described species were found during recent expeditions and modern fieldwork in remote locations. Others came to light only after scientists took a fresh look at specimens that had been stored in the Museum’s collections for decades. In many cases, advances in technology and new scientific approaches made it possible to recognize species that had gone unnoticed for years.
“Together, these discoveries highlight the remarkable richness of Earth’s biodiversity and underscore the enduring value of natural history collections,” said the Museum’s Senior Vice President and Provost of Science Cheryl Hayashi. “Specimens preserved across generations continue to reveal new insights, reminding us how much there is still to learn about life on our planet.”
A Closer Look at the Newly Identified Species
Among the species described by researchers this year are:
- A new genus and species of sea anemone, Endolobactis simoesii, that has frond-like projections located on its lobes. The discovery results from an effort to improve scientists’ understanding of the diversity of sea anemones of the Atlantic side of Mexico and brings the number of documented species in this region to 24. (Zootaxa)
- Two species of fruit flies whose mouthparts are modified into a pair of hard “jaws” in the males. An extraordinary feature among flies, these structures are likely used for grasping the female during courtship. Both species are known from single specimens collected from the Philippines in the 1930s but just recently studied. (Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington)
- A Jurassic reptile with python-like hooked teeth and a body similar to a gecko’s that has links to the origins of lizards and snakes. The new species, Breugnathair elgolensis, was discovered in Scotland’s Isle of Skye by an international team of researchers and is one of the oldest relatively complete fossil lizards yet discovered. (Nature)
- A new species of mineral, called Lucasite-(La), which was discovered within a volcanic rock in Russia. The mineral was officially approved by the International Mineralogical Association this year, and the type material is now part of the Museum’s permanent collection. (European Journal of Mineralogy)
- A small species of mouse opossum with an exceptionally long nose and tail (Marmosa chachapoya). The mouse opossum was found in Parque Nacional Rio Abiseo in a remote part of the Peruvian Andes formerly occupied by people of the pre-Columbian Chachapoya culture, for which the species is named. Few species of mouse opossums have been collected at such a high elevation. (American Museum Novitates)
- A squirrel-sized animal that lived in the early Jurassic in what is now China between about 174 and 201 million years ago, Camurocondylus lufengensis. In a study led by researchers at the Museum and at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, C. lufengensis was detailed along with a second species discovered in the 1980s, finding that the evolution of the modern mammal jaw is more complex than previously thought. (Nature)
- A new genus and species of a crinoid, an ancient group of marine animals still alive today—sometimes called sea lilies—that are related to starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. Discovered on the Natiscotec River on Anticosti Island, Quebec, the new fossil species, Anticosticrinus natiscotecensis, has a unique pattern of plates on the main structure of its body. (Journal of Paleontology)
- A fish from northwestern Madagascar that was discovered more than 20 years ago when the lead scientist was a graduate student. The new species, a cichlid that was named Paretroplus risengi, is distinguished by unique breeding coloration among other features. (Deep Blue Documents)
- Forty-seven species of fossil and modern insects, primarily bees, including a “teddy bear” bee species from Vietnam, Habropoda pierwolae (Raffles Bulletin of Zoology); a cuckoo bee with long, sword-like spines on its back, Xiphodioxys haladai (American Museum Novitates); a digger bee from Chile, Anthophora brunneipecten, with a small comb on its face for combing up pollen from its host plants (Entomologist’s Monthly Magazine); and a fossil bumble bee species from the crater lake of Enspel, Germany, still carrying pollen, Bombus messegus (New Phytologist)
- Two new species from the group of earliest feathered dinosaurs that lived about 125 million years ago in what is now China: one that was originally identified as a primitive “bird,” Sinosauropteryx lingyuanensis, and was discovered more than 10 years ago; and the other, Huadanosaurus sinensis, which was found with two mammal skeletons in its abdomen, the remains of its last meal. (National Science Review)
- Two new species of suckermouth catfishes from rapids along the Congo River, Chiloglanis kinsuka and Chiloglanis wagenia. These sister species are both highly adapted to the river and are separated by nearly 1 mile of river (1600 kilometers). (American Museum Novitates)
- Four species of small “sap” flies (family Aulacigastridae) in 17 million-year old amber from the Dominican Republic, captured when the tree resin was still soft. These flies today feed on the sap of wounded trees. The species reveal a surprising connection between the Caribbean and North America, since most such connections today and in the past are with Central and South America. (Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington)
- A suckermouthed minnow from the highlands of Vietnam that was collected and shelved 25 years ago by Museum ichthyologists and only recently examined. This is the first species of this genus discovered in Vietnam, and it was given the name Supradiscus varidiscus. (American Museum Novitates)
- Four different arachnids, including a scorpion from Iran—Hemiscorpius jiroftensis—whose venom is of interest in the development of pharmaceuticals (Diversity); a giant vinegaroon/whip scorpion from Mexico, Mastigoproctus spinifemoratus, discovered in collections borrowed from the California Academy of Sciences (Arthropoda); a short-tailed whip scorpion from the Venezuelan Amazon, Jipai longevus (Zootaxa); and a troglomorphic, cave-dwelling hooded tick-spider from Venezuela, Cryptocellus armasi (Zootaxa)
- A cryptic large-eyed fish from the Kouilou-Niari River in the Republic of the Congo that had long been misidentified. The new species, Labeo niariensis, a type of African fish known as Labeo, a type of carp, is based on specimens collected between 2010 and 2013. (Journal of Fish Biology)
- A pollen wasp (Metaparagia cuttacutta) collected in the Northern Territory, Australia. It represents the tenth described species of this genus and was collected by the lead scientist while he was stranded in Australia for eight months during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Australian Entomologist)
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