New species of Lizard discovered in Borneo, and possible new snake and frogs too.

December 2006. Chris Austin, assistant curator of herpetology at LSU's Museum of Natural Science, (LSUMNS) and adjunct professor in biological sciences, recently discovered a new species of lizard while conducting field research in Borneo.

‘We actually found 4 specimens at once,’ said Austin. ‘One of the best methods for finding lizards in the rainforest is to look under logs. We found 2 individuals of the new species under one log and 2 more under another.’ With more than 15 years of fieldwork experience behind him, Austin knew immediately that he had found a new species. After collecting the lizards, he and Das began the difficult work of proving what they already knew.

‘Determining that a species is new to science is a long and laborious process,’ said Austin. ‘Natural history museums and their invaluable collections are critical in that they allow scientists to examine known biodiversity in order to determine a species is new.’ He and Das examined specimens from a slew of museums around the world.

‘We can't conserve what we don't know we have. It is imperative that we know what species exist in order to preserve them for future generations,’ said Austin.

He used the cutting-edge molecular genetics lab at the LSUMNS to decipher the genetic code of the lizards. ‘We sequenced the DNA of this new species and several other closely related species in order to help our diagnosis,’ he said. ‘Using DNA to help describe new species is becoming one of the most important tools for scientists to use in documenting and describing biodiversity.’ The global decline of biodiversity has become a major public issue recently, and the use of modern molecular methods is proving to be fundamental in gaining a better understanding of the situation.

The new species is distinguishable from its closest cousin, a type of skink found in the southern Philippines, in several distinct ways:
• different colour patterns;
• its structure, or morphology;
• differences in scale count, which is one of the basic ways scientists distinguish between species;
• significant genetic variations.

These traits combined to confirm the original hypothesis that the lizard was, in fact, an entirely new species.
Austin spent the entire summer of 2006 in New Guinea, his geographical area of expertise, conducting fieldwork with graduate students. He is currently working on research funded by the National Science Foundation to understand why New Guinea, called a megadiverse region, has such a high level of biodiversity.

‘While we were there, we collected what we think is a new species of snake, a new species of lizard and probably two or three new species of frogs,’ he said. ‘But the process of certifying a new species takes so long that it will be awhile before we're certain.’

Austin, along with colleague Indraneil Das from the Institute of Biodiversity and Environmental Conservation at the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, will publish their findings and photos of the new species in the prestigious Journal of Herpetology. The article, which will contain the currently embargoed scientific name of the species, is slated for publication in March 2007.

For more information on Austin and his research, please visit http://www.museum.lsu.edu/Austin/Lab.html.

New Bird Species Discovered - Zosterops somadikartai

An undated artist's rendering of Zosterops somadikartai, or Togian white-eye.

This small greenish bird that has been playing hide-and-seek with ornithologists on a remote Indonesian island since 1996, but was declared a newly discovered species on March 14, 2008 and promptly recommended for endangered lists.

Image: Agus Prijono.

Sharp-eyed scientists have discovered a new species of bird on a remote Indonesian archipelago in the Southern Pacific Ocean. A formal description of this new species, the Togian white-eye, Zosterops somadikartai, was just published in the March issue of the ornithological journal, The Wilson Journal of Ornithology. Not only was this bird recognized as a new species, but its population and home range were so small that this species was recommended to be added to international endangered species lists.

This energetic green-and-yellow bird was first spotted by Mochamad Indrawan, of the University of Indonesia, and his colleague Sunarto, who is currently working on a doctorate at Virginia Tech, in 1996. (Sunarto, like many Indonesians, uses only one name). The pair later returned to learn more about its behaviors and habits in the wild and to record the bird's song.

"We observed the species in the field from 1997 to 2003," said Indrawan. They also collected the type specimen upon which this species' formal scientific description is based.

Togian white-eye, Zosterops somadikartai, type specimen.

Image: Mochamad Indrawan.

After collecting the type specimen, Indrawan collaborated with his mentor, Soekarja Somadikarta, Indonesia's leading taxonomist, and Pamela Rasmussen, an internationally known ornithologist at Michigan State University who specializes in Asian birds, to verify this little bird's status as a distinct species.

Rasmussen's taxonomic studies required detailed and painstaking comparisions between the newly collected type specimen and its closest relative, the very similar-looking black-crowned white-eye, Zosterops atrifrons. Specimens of this new bird's "sister species" that were collected during the previous one hundred years are held by several natural history museums around the world, such as Britain's Natural History Museum, the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.

Male Togian white-eye, Zosterops somadikartai.

Malenge, Togian Islands, Indonesia, 15 December 2007.

Image: © Raphael Jordan [larger view].

The formal description reveals this small bird has more subdued plumage than its closest relatives; the white-eyes. It has a dark area on its face that sets off its soft greenish plumage, pale yellow throat and cream-colored belly and vent. However, unlike its cousins, for whom the white-eyes are named, this new species lacks their white feathery "spectacles".

"The new species is different from its closest family of Zosterops, or white circle-eye. Its eyes are circled by a band of red feathers, not white, and its beak is a more intense red," Somadikarta pointed out.

The newly described Togian white-eye is found only near the coasts of three small remote islands off Indonesia's Central Sulawesi province: Malenge Island, Batudaka Island and Togian Island, according to the scientists.

"We think it's endangered," Somadikarta added, noting that its habitat is less than 3,100 square miles. "We are still studying the number of the species' population, which is estimated at less at than 1,000."

Rasmussen said it likely falls into the International Union for Conservation of Nature's category of endangered.

While studying the birds' habits in the field, Indrawan recorded the Togian white-eye's song and Rasmussen later digitized it into a sonogram for analysis. According to Rasmussen, the bird's lilting song is distinct from that of its relatives; having higher pitched sounds and fewer variations in pitch.

"This finding of the bird is only the beginning given the vast opportunities with Indonesian landscapes and seascapes of endemic flora and fauna," enthused Indrawan.

"What this discovery highlights is that in some parts of the world there are still virtually unexplored islands where few ornithologists have worked," observed Rasmussen. "The world still holds avian surprises for us."

Such findings also reveal the importance of encouraging the training of international scientists and then collaborating with them, especially for increasing our understanding of tropical and island ecologies.

"This finding shows that equal opportunities are beneficial for the development of science and in particular that international cooperation can boost capacities in addressing poorly known biology in the tropics," Indrawan concluded.

Indonesia is home to roughly 1,600 of the known 10,000 bird species in the world, including many of the parrots I research.

Sources:

Indrawan, M., Rasmussen, P.C., Sunarto. (2008). A New White-Eye Zosterops from the Togian Islands, Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 120(1), 1-9.

New species found in Indonesia

A 1.4 kg giant rat that is probably a species new to science, in the Foja Mountains, western New Guinea, Indonesia. (Xinhua/AFP Photo) A probable new species of pygmy possum in the genus Cercartetus(Pygmy Possum) is found in the Foja Mountains, Western New Guinea, Indonesia. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

A probable new species of pygmy possum in the genus Cercartetus(Pygmy Possum). Foja Mts, western New Guinea, Indonesia. (Credit: Bruce M Beehler

ScienceDaily (Dec. 18, 2007) — A tiny possum and a giant rat were recorded by scientists as probable new species on a recent expedition to Indonesia's remote and virtually unknown "Lost World" in the pristine wilderness of western New Guinea's Foja Mountains. The Foja Wilderness is part of the great Mamberamo Basin, the largest unroaded tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region.

---

During the June expedition, the team* documented two mammals, a Cercartetus pygmy possum, one of the world's smallest marsupials, and a Mallomys giant rat, both currently under study and apparently new to science. They also recorded the mating displays of several rare and little-known birds for the first time.

"The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat," said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. "With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times during the trip."

The film crew obtained the first film documentation of several spectacular birds found in Foja, capturing on tape the full courtship displays of the golden-fronted bowerbird (Amblyornis flavifrons) and of the black sicklebill bird of paradise (Epimachus fastuosus).

They also recorded the "lost" Bird of Paradise -- Parotia berlepschi (known as Berlepsch's six-wired bird of paradise), and the newly described wattled smoky honeyeater (Melipotes carolae), both known only from the Foja Mountains.

The Indonesian Government has declared the region a National Wildlife Sanctuary, and CI continues to work with the government and local communities to build on this conservation success and ensure even greater protection of the area. As the global community searches for solutions to climate change, large untouched forested areas such as these will become more and more valuable as essential carbon sinks.

The cutting and burning of tropical forests worldwide emits at least 20 percent of total global greenhouse gases. Protecting these forests minimizes the impact of climate change while providing direct benefits to local populations, such as fresh water, clean air, food, seed dispersal, pollination and sources of medicines.

*Conservation International (CI) and Indonesia Institute of Science (LIPI) scientists were accompanied by the first film crew to obtain footage of the region and its wildlife on an expedition to the Fojas in June 2007. A National Geographic photographer/scientist and a CBS News camera crew joined the team as they returned to the mountains. CI and LIPI scientists discovered dozens of new plants and animals on their first expedition to the region in late 2005. An account of the 2007 expedition was aired on the CBS News program, "60 Minutes" on Dec. 16.

"It's comforting to know that there is a place on earth so isolated that it remains the absolute realm of wild nature," said CI Vice President Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition. "We were pleased to see that this little piece of Eden remains as pristine and enchanting as it was when we first visited."

CI and LIPI plan another expedition back to the Foja Mountains in late 2008 or 2009. This proposed expedition will seek to survey the summit forests of the highest peak, and the little-studied lower montane elevations. They expect to find additional new species of frogs, mammals, butterflies, and plants.

'Walking Shark' Among 50 New Marine Species Found Off Indonesia's Papua Province

A new epaulette shark (Hemiscyillum freycineti) is one of 50 new species discovered during the recent CI-led surveys of the Bird's Head Seascape. (Image copyright (c) Gerry Allen)

ScienceDaily (Sep. 18, 2006) — Two recent expeditions led by Conservation International (CI) to the heart of Asia's "Coral Triangle" discovered dozens of new species of marine life including epaulette sharks, "flasher" wrasse and reef-building coral, confirming the region as the Earth's richest seascape.

---

The unmatched marine biodiversity of the Bird's Head Seascape, named for the shape of the distinctive peninsula on the northwestern end of Indonesia's Papua province, includes more than 1,200 species of fish and almost 600 species of reef-building (scleractinian) coral, or 75 percent of the world's known total.

Researchers described an underwater world of visual wonders, such as the small epaulette shark that "walks" on its fins and colorful schools of reef fish populating abundant and healthy corals of all shapes and sizes.

Threats from over-fishing with dynamite and cyanide, as well as deforestation and mining that degrade coastal waters, require immediate steps to protect the unique marine life that sustains local communities. The seascape's central location in the Coral Triangle of the Pacific, which exports and maintains biodiversity in the entire Indo-Pacific marine realm, makes it one of the planet's most urgent marine conservation priorities.

"These Papuan reefs are literally 'species factories' that require special attention to protect them from unsustainable fisheries and other threats so they can continue to benefit their local owners and the global community," said Mark Erdmann, senior adviser of CI's Indonesian Marine Program, who led the surveys. "Six of our survey sites, which are areas the size of two football fields, had over 250 species of reef-building coral each - that's more than four times the number of coral species of the entire Caribbean Sea."

Though human population density in the region is low, the coastal people of the Bird's Head peninsula are heavily dependent on the sea for their livelihoods - which now are under threat from a plan to transfer fishing pressures from Indonesia's over-fished western seas to the east toward Papua province.

"The coastal villages we surveyed were mostly engaged in subsistence fishing, farming and gathering, and they require healthy marine ecosystems to survive," said Paulus Boli, a State University of Papua researcher led the socioeconomic component of the expeditions. "We are very concerned about the potential impact of planned commercial fisheries expansion in the region, and we urge a precautionary approach that emphasizes sustainability over intensive exploitation."

The two Rapid Assessment Program (RAP) surveys earlier this year, along with a third expedition in 2001, studied waters surrounding Papua province from Teluk Cenderawasih in the north to the Raja Ampat archipelago off the western coast and southeast to the FakFak-Kaimana coastline. A few hundred kilometers inland are Papua's Foja Mountains, where a team led by CI and the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) last year discovered a virtual "Lost World" of new species of birds, butterflies, frogs and other wildlife.

Off the coast, researchers found more than 50 species of fish, coral and mantis shrimp previously unknown to science in the Bird's Head Seascape that covers 18 million hectares, including 2,500 islands and submerged reefs. The seascape also includes the largest Pacific leatherback turtle nesting area in the world, and migratory populations of sperm and Bryde's whales, orcas and several dolphin species.

"We're thankful to the Ministry of Forestry and CI for the significant data from these surveys, and we are excited to be planning further surveys in 2007 to fill in remaining data gaps that will help us plan the most effective management possible for this exceedingly crucial area," said Dr. Suharsono, head of LIPI's Oceanography Center.

Only 11 percent of the seascape is currently protected, most of it in the Teluk Cenderawasih National Park that is supported by the World Wide Fund for Nature-Indonesia (WWF-Indonesia). Results of the CI-led surveys highlight the need for a well-managed network of multiple-use Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to conserve the seascape's biodiversity and ensure the long-term sustainability of commercial and subsistence fishing.

Partners in the two 2006 surveys funded by the Walton Family Foundation included the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry's Department of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation and its local offices in Papua; Teluk Cenderawasih National Park Authority, the State University of Papua, and WWF-Indonesia.

Source:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060918141606.htm

Twelve-wired Bird-of-paradise (Seleucidis melanoleucus)

Source:
www.flickr.com

blue bird of paradise

source:
http://www.flickr.com

Red Bird-of-paradise

Source:
www.flickr.com

Cendrawasih Bird of Paradise

Source:
www.flickr.com

New bird species found in Indonesia

March 16, 2008

Two field scientists from the University of Indonesia have found a new bird species, Zosterops Somadikartai or Togian white-eye, in the Togian Islands, Gulf of Tomini, Central Sulawesi province.

Photograph courtesy Mochamad Indrawan.

Two field scientists from the University of Indonesia have found a new bird species, Zosterops Somadikartai or Togian white-eye, in the Togian Islands, Gulf of Tomini, Central Sulawesi province, local press reported Saturday.

The newly discovered bird is small with green plumage and a red beak. It is very active and moves in small flocks.

However, unlike its closest relatives -- and despite its name --the bird's eyes are circled by a band of red feathers, not white. Its beak is a more intense red than that of its relatives.

The species is being introduced for the first time this month in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 12 years after Indrawan and Sunarto first spotted the bird, reported English daily The JakartaPost.

The two scientists collaborated with well-known taxonomist Pamela Rasmussen of Michigan State University, who specializes in Asian birds, to conduct final research into the new species.

Based on the criteria of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, the newly discovered bird is believed to be endangered because it is found only in a few small islands in Central Sulawesi.

The species is named after Prof. Somadikarta, Indonesia's leading taxonomist, who was recently appointed the honorary president of the International Ornithological Congress XXV in Brazil in 2010.

"I'm happy they put my name on it because it is an endangered species," Somadikarta said.

This finding has also established the Togian Islands as an endemic bird area. According to conservation organization BirdLife International, a region can be established as an endemic bird areaif more than two bird species that do not exist in other regions are found there.

Indrawan and his team previously found a new owl species, Ninoxburhani or Togian hawk-owl, in forests in the Togian Islands. The owl was named after a local farmer, Burhan, in appreciation of the local people's kindness.

Source:
Xinhua
http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90781/90879/6374230.html

Photo Gallery: "Lost World" of New Species Found in Indonesia

The golden-mantled tree kangaroo is just one of dozens of species discovered in late 2005 by a team of Indonesian, Australian, and U.S. scientists on the island of New Guinea.

The animal is the rarest arboreal, jungle-dwelling kangaroo in the world, the researchers say. This was the first time the mammal was found in Indonesia, making it only the second site in the world where the species is known to exist.

The kangaroo was discovered on an expedition in the Foja Mountains of Indonesia.

The National Geographic Society, Conservation International, and the Biology Research Center of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences supported the expedition.

The smoky honeyeater is the first new bird species to be discovered on the island of New Guinea since 1939.

Scientists discovered the bird on a recent expedition to the Foja Mountains of Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea.

In late 2005 scientists on the island of New Guinea took this first ever photo of the golden-fronted bowerbird, a bird known to exist since the 1890s but whose precise home was unknown until the 1980s.




This is the first photograph ever taken of what scientists are calling New Guinea's "lost" bird of paradise.

The bird—known as Berlepsch’s six-wired bird of paradise—had been collected only once in the wild since its discovery more than a century ago. Its precise home range was unknown until now.




This small frog is 1 of more than 20 new frog species discovered by scientists on an expedition in New Guinea in late 2005.

The tiny frog measures a mere 0.6 inch (14 millimeters) long and was detected only when it produced a soft call from among leaves on the steepest part of the forest floo

Source:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/02/photogalleries/newguinea/photo5.html

Odd, flat-faced fish may be new species

Creature in Indonesia crawls on its pectoral fins

By LISA STIFFLER
P-I REPORTER

A newly discovered pink-and-tan psychedelically striped frogfish with a flat face, frowning mouth and arm-like fins could be part of a formerly unknown family of vertebrates. The fish is about 4 inches long. (M. Snyder/starknakedfish.com)

A newly discovered pink-and-tan psychedelically striped fish with a flat face, frowning mouth and arm-like fins could be part of a formerly unknown family of vertebrates.

It's unlike anything weird-fish expert and University of Washington ichthyologist Ted Pietsch has ever seen.

"I'm still thrilled. It's an incredible thing. It's remarkable," said Pietsch, who specializes in anglerfish or frogfish, strange swimmers who grow their own lures to catch prey.

The newly found 4-inch fish lives in Indonesian coral beds, crawling in and out of crevices on its bent pectoral fins. It was spotted by the owners of a commercial dive company who kept mum on their discovery to protect it until they found additional fish.

The couple, Buck and Fitrie Randolph, are part-owners of Maluku Divers along with Andy Shorten. The Randolphs spotted the fish in January on Indonesia's Ambon Island. In March, they saw juvenile fish. This week a female was seen protecting an egg mass of about 20 to 30 young.

"What you usually see is variations of a fish you've seen before," said Shorten, who was reached in Indonesia. "We've never seen a fish with remotely this kind of face."

Shorten, who said he's done about 2,000 dives, said they e-mailed photos to authors of leading fish identification books.

"They all said, 'We've never seen that before,' " Shorten said. Eventually the divers were referred to Pietsch.

A world expert in anglerfish, Pietsch is certain that the new fish is related to frogfish because of its characteristic armlike fins and the sheath that held the eggs. Mother anglers typically wrap their bodies around the eggs to protect them from predators.

But the fish -- which Pietsch plans to name the Maluku frogfish -- is different from other anglers in remarkable ways. It lacks a lure, has tiny pelvic fins and -- most remarkably -- has a flat face with forward facing eyes. Most fish have eyes on the sides of their head and very few have them located close enough that their range of vision overlaps. These fish could have humanlike binocular vision giving them better depth perception.

That sort of vision in fish "is extremely rare," Pietsch said. "It must feed in a completely different way from other anglerfishes."

The fish have thick, flabby skin and crawl under rocks and into coral, probably on the hunt for small fish and shrimp. Despite the sharp coral edges, the creatures don't appear scratched in anyway, making Pietsch bet they're covered in a protective mucus.

A newly discovered pink-and-tan psychedelically striped frogfish with a flat face, frowning mouth and arm-like fins could be part of a formerly unknown family of vertebrates. The fish is about 4 inches long. (M. Snyder/starknakedfish.com) (April 03, 2008)

The radiating, swirling pattern of stripes that adorn the Maluku frogfish make a symmetrical, mirror-image from the right to left side.

One of Pietsch's graduate students traveled to Indonesia this week and captured one of the fish so the scientists can perform DNA analysis and a closer examination to better understand how the species fits in with other anglerfish. She should return next week and Pietsch expects DNA results by mid-April. He's rushing to be the first to publish a paper on the species.

People are keeping an eye on the area where the fish were found and where the mother is guarding her eggs, Pietsch said. He's somewhat concerned about the threat from unscrupulous collectors seeking the frogfish for the aquarium trade. Shorten said the island is pretty remote, and Maluku Divers is the only commercial dive operation, so they have an idea of who's out in the water.

They all hope the rare fish survives its new fame.

"This is quite amazing," Pietsch said. "I'm nearly certain it represents a new family of vertebrates, and we don't find a new family of vertebrates very often at all."

P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com. Read her blog on the environment at datelineearth.com.

Source:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/photos/photo.asp?PhotoID=181333

Soft Coral Pipefish

Soft coral pipefish
Siokunichthys breviceps
by Michael Topolovac

Big thanks to Scott Michael for helping with an identification on this little pipefish!

While in Irian Jaya March 2003 I came upon a small and very unusual pipefish. At the time I was looking into the leathery coral sinularia sp. Initially noticing a group of tiny weedy filefish, then all of a sudden I noticed two of these pipefish. Calling over the photographer who done very well as these were very shy and kept hiding within the branches of the coral.

Soft coral pipefish
Siokunichthys breviceps
by Michael topolovac

If anyone has any more information regarding other sightings of this pipefish I would be very interested to hear from you. Do not hesitate to contact me with any information or other images you have of this rare and strange little pipefish.

Source:
http://www.diving4images.com/creature_features.html

Black Sail-fin Goby (Magnificent Goby)

Black Sailfin goby
Flabellagobious sp.
by Roberto Sozzani

A very rare goby known only to me originally from the book Sea Fishes of Japan. It had been on my lookout list since I first set eyes on it. The story to actually finding this fish is fairly bizarre too. We used to dive a site to see some white tip reef sharks, it was also good for large pelagic fish, though logistically we could not dive it on the right tides so it was sometimes an awkward dive site. Not being really enthused about seeing some reef sharks and pelagic fish I started to search the sandy areas if the site. I had seen some great gobies and started to search some more. I then came across this most amazing of gobies. I started to rave on about this little beauty and the guests were then briefed to opt for macro lenses.

Like most partner gobies, this is fairly shy. Its habitat is known only to me from two areas of Indonesia, the one shown here was photographed on Medang island just off the coast of northern Sumbawa. I have also seen it in Irian Jaya. From what I have seen the fish seems to prefer current as both sights it was seen facing into the current on open sand patches between reefs. It is partnered by the very colourful Randalls shrimp goby alpheus randalli.

I am very keen to hear about more sightings of this beautiful fish, if there are any keen divers, photographers, scientific experts about there interested in seeing this fish here in Indonesia please do not hesitate to contact me.

Source:
http://www.diving4images.com/creature_features.html