The little thing that looks like a skeleton panda finally has a name in 2024

Marine creatures that look like panda skeletons, frogs that make bird calls, moths that travel across the ocean from America to Europe...

In 2024, we have discovered some new species . What interesting stories are there behind these species? Let’s take a look.

The photo of this sea squirt went viral on the Internet a few years ago. In 2024, Japanese scientists officially confirmed the identity of this new species and named it Clavelina ossipandae . The genus name Cavelin means "little bottle" in Latin, and the species name ossipandae means "bone and panda".

As for why it is a skeleton panda, you can tell from the picture——

This strange-looking, cute-but-sad sea squirt was originally discovered and posted online by a Japanese scuba diver｜Plus Alpha/Facebook

The skeleton panda sea squirt is less than 2 centimeters long. The white bone-like parts are actually blood vessels that run horizontally through the sea squirt's gills; the black stripes on the head are like the panda's eyes and nose, but the function of these stripes is still unknown.

Such a cute creature must be pictured again｜Chinatimes

Like other sea squirts, the Skeleton Panda sea squirt is a filter-feeding marine animal. They are usually distributed in areas with a depth of 20 meters, attached to the substrate such as coral reefs, and send water through a structure called a siphon pump to filter nutrients in the water.

The "ghost" palm of the genus Brassica

In western Borneo, locals have long eaten the young shoots of a palm and used it to weave baskets. The vine-like climbing palm, known locally as wi mukoup and wee mukup, has been documented for at least 90 years.

However, it wasn't until 2024 that it was formally described and named Plectocomiopsis hantu, a member of the genus Plectocomiopsis .

Ghostly Palms｜Benedikt Kuhnhäuser / RBG Kew

With its white underside leaves and grey stems, this palm tree looks like a ghost in the dark. The meaning of the species name, hantu, is easy to guess - in Indonesian and Malaysian, hantu means "ghost" and "spirit".

Currently, this plant can only be found in and around protected rainforest areas.

A mysterious moth that travels across the ocean

Daisy Cadet, who lives in Wales, noticed two moths she had never seen before in her home. One was motionless due to the cold, and the other was dead. She posted a photo of the moth on social media and someone told her that it did not look like a species native to the UK.

The "uninvited guest" is a clearwing moth with bumblebee coloring, about 18 mm long | Mark Sterling

As the photos spread widely, scientists at the Natural History Museum in the UK also noticed them. After analyzing DNA information, they confirmed that these two "uninvited guests" should be from America , and the scientific community still knows nothing about them! They were finally named Carmenta brachyclados, a member of the family of transparent moths.

But how did these two moths travel thousands of kilometers from across the ocean to the UK? It turned out that Daisy's mother Ashley had just finished her photography work in Guyana three months ago. Daisy checked her mother's boot bag and found two small and delicate pupa shells and a piece of woody plant with insect holes.

Botanists speculate that the plant fragment is part of a pod of the legume tree Mora excelsa, a large tree that grows in the jungles of Central and South America, which are threatened by rising sea levels and declining tropical rains.

The seed pod fragment is about the size of a coin | Mark Sterling

Before the invention of pheromone baits, even experienced lepidopterists had difficulty finding the clearwing moth. It is incredible that two pupae from the Neotropics arrived in South Wales with humans, successfully "emerged as moths" in the cold winter three months later, and then spread through social networks and finally fell into the hands of biologists for identification - all of this is so incredible.

When Ashley was working in Guyana, the locals told her that if she offered tobacco to the jungle spirits, she would see something beautiful from the jungle. The locals' words came true, and an undescribed, beautiful new species of moth followed Ashley's footsteps and was seen by the world .

The scientists concluded their paper by lamenting: "It seems that Ashley must have brought the elves high-quality tobacco."

Eye of Sauron fish

In 1841, scientists named a fish called Tetragonopterus Schomburgkii (later renamed Myleus schomburgkii). This fish has a vertical black band down the middle of its body. It lives in the Amazon River and is from the family Tetragonopteridae. Relatives of several genera in the same family are often called piranhas.

Illustration of a female fish, 1841 | Robert H. Schomburgk

But nearly 200 years later, when scientists wanted to do further research, they could not find the original type specimen used to name the species. So they had to go to the Amazon to find the fish again with the old illustrations.

When scientists conducted genetic analysis on the newly collected specimens, they discovered that the fish previously described as one species were actually three species of the same genus ; and, if you look closely at their appearance, you will find that these fish have different numbers of vertebrae and dorsal fin rays, and the anal fin shape of female specimens is also different.

When naming one of the new species, the scientists had no hesitation in naming it "sauron," after the " Eye of Sauron ," a famous image from "The Lord of the Rings" that depicts a fiery orange eye gazing out over Middle-earth.

A vertical black stripe tapers towards the ends, and with a hint of orange on the fin, it looks very much like the Eye of Sauron. Reference [1]

Currently, fish of the genus Myloplus are only found in the Xingu River basin in the Amazon. Scientists estimate that there may still be thousands of fish species in the Amazon that have yet to be discovered. The "Eye of Sauron" fish will keep an eye on the Amazon, reminding scientists to keep an eye on species in South America.

Star Trek Frog

We usually think of frogs as croaking, but in Madagascar, scientists have discovered seven new species that only make "chirp" sounds similar to bird calls .

The seven new species are all from the genus Boophis in the family Mannensis. Their bird-like calls sound like special effects in the movie "Star Trek", so scientists named them after the seven captains in the "Star Trek" series .

These distinctive calls are a way for male frogs to market themselves to females and show their charm. They live along fast-flowing streams in the mountains of Madagascar. If they could only make a "quack" sound, their calls would inevitably be drowned out by the sound of the water, but the high-pitched trills and whistles allow them to stand out from the "noise" of the environment .

Boophis picardi, named after Captain Picard | Mark D. Scherz

Naming these frogs after Star Trek characters is a little bit of a steal. Scientists say finding them will require a lot of hiking and exploring remote forests and mountains. This pure spirit of scientific discovery and exploration is also very much in line with the theme of Star Trek.

Wu Sangong Golden Boletus

When naming a new species, in addition to borrowing images from film and television works, historical figures are also good naming choices.

Wu Sangong (Wu Yu) was the "mushroom god" who invented the "cutting flower method" to cultivate shiitake mushrooms during the Southern Song Dynasty. Scientists have discovered a new species of boletus in Baishanzu Park, Qianjiangyuan, Zhejiang Province. Baishanzu happens to be Wu Sangong's hometown, so scientists named this new species of fungus Wu Sangong Golden Boletus (Aureoboletus wusangongii) to commemorate Wu Sangong's invention of the cultivation technology that allowed shiitake mushrooms to appear on the tables of every household.

The stipe of Wu San Gong Boletus is very distinctive, with deep, tear-like patterns｜Li-Gui HU

The research team also confirmed that Wu Sangong's golden boletus is edible.

Cup mushrooms on campus

Sometimes, new species of mushrooms are not necessarily found in deep mountains and forests, they may be hidden on your campus.

At Anhui University, large fungi of various shapes and colors often appear after rain, including the Parasolenoids, which cause poisoning every year. Therefore, a systematic investigation and specimen collection of large fungi were carried out on campus, and a new species was surprisingly discovered.

Scientists from Anhui University proudly named this new species Podoscypha ahuensis , with AHU in the species name standing for the abbreviation of Anhui University.

Cup mushrooms look a bit like salmon fillets｜(Shen et al., 2024)

Shen Shan, a postdoctoral fellow who first discovered the Andamansiella, said: "Based on the specimen, the Andamansiella is severely lignified and probably difficult to chew. Although it is not toxic, it is not suitable for consumption."

Revision of the genus Acrocrona

Cheniella is a genus of vines in the Leguminosae family, with distribution centers in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Yunnan in China. However, the boundaries of the genus, interspecific classification, interspecific phylogeny, and trait evolution are still controversial.

Scientists from Kew Gardens and the South China Botanical Garden of the Chinese Academy of Sciences revised the taxonomy of the genus C. longistaminea, one of which is named C. longistaminea. Its native habitat is now being destroyed by the economic crop cinnamon and tree species such as metasequoia for timber and carbon storage.

The long-stamen crown vine is pollinated by moths, and the stamens are twice as long as the petals |

It is worth mentioning that the genus of Echinops is also known as Dezhao Echinops , which is to commemorate the contribution of botanist Chen Dezhao of the South China Botanical Garden to the research of legume taxonomy.

Carex yangjiangensis

In the stream of Ehuangzhang Provincial Nature Reserve in Yangjiang City, Guangdong Province, nature lovers were looking for waterfall grass of the Carex family. They found a similar plant, but after careful comparison, they found that there were many differences in the morphology of the two.

They sent the sample to Chen Binghua, a scientist at Fujian Normal University. After identification and analysis, Chen Binghua confirmed that it was an undescribed new species of the Cladopus family and named it Cladopus yangjiangensis after the place of discovery, Yangjiang.

A to F are the habitat of Yangjiangchuan Carex, roots with linear leaf clusters, buds attached to the rock surface, flowering branches, flower viewed from above, and ripe fruits. Reference [2]

Tiny Carex plants may look like mosses, but they are flowering and fruiting angiosperms .

At present, the Carex family in China includes Carex genus (the genus of Feipu Grass and Yangjiang Carex), Carex genus and Water Lichen genus. The species of these three genera distributed in China are all classified as national Class II protected plants . Carex has very high requirements for the water quality of the growing environment. It needs clear and pollution-free water and flowing water all year round. Therefore, their existence is also a reflection of good water quality.

Sauropodomorph dinosaur

The fossil tracks were discovered during an expedition in northern Zimbabwe, where a team of British and South African archaeologists later found fossilized thigh, calf and ankle bones of a dinosaur that was identified as an undescribed sauropodomorph species, named Musankwa sanyantiensis.

This fossilized leg shows it was a member of the Sauropodomorpha, a group of bipedal, long-necked dinosaurs that were widespread during the Late Triassic. | Paul Barrett

Even with only a few fragments of bones, it is enough to tell a lot about the life of this dinosaur. Scientists estimate that this dinosaur weighed about 386 kilograms, about the same as a horse. It lived 210 million years ago and may have lived in swampy woodlands.

Paleontologists usually explore on land, but to conduct scientific research on local islands and coasts, they must use boats as a means of transportation. Fortunately, a boat named Musankwa was generously lent to scientists by its owner to be used as a houseboat and a floating laboratory. Therefore, scientists eventually used Musanwka as the genus name to commemorate the help provided by the boat and the owner during the scientific expedition. The species name of the dinosaur, sanyantiensis, was named after a local river called Sanyati.

Musanwka has made a name for itself｜Jonah Choiniere

This is the fourth dinosaur species to be discovered in Zimbabwe, but it is likely just the tip of the iceberg, with many more likely to be discovered in southern Africa.

Whether it’s a new species discovered during a natural survey, a century-old specimen being rediscovered, or an extinct creature being recognized for the first time - formally describing, classifying, and naming these new species is how we understand the intricate and fascinating tree of life, and it also means these creatures will be seen in future conservation efforts.

2024 is also a year full of surprises. I am very happy to meet you this year!

References

[1] Machado, VN, Pereira, VD, Ota, RP, Collins, RA, Ândrade, M., Garcia-Ayala, JR, Jégu, M., Farias, IP, & Hrbek, T. (2024). Integrative taxonomy of the black-barred disk pacus (Characiformes: Serrasalmidae), including the redescription of Myloplus schomburgkii and the description of two new species. Neotropical Ichthyology.

[2] Zhang M, Liu XT, Tian M, Chen ZX, Huang YL, Chen GD, Chen BH. Cladopusyangjiangensis (Podostemaceae), a new species from Guangdong, South China, redefining the phylogenetic relationships within Cladopus. PhytoKeys. 2024 Dec 2;249:231-249. doi: 10.3897/phytokeys.249.140342. PMID: 39659963; PMCID: PMC11629083.

[3] Hasegawa, N. & Kajihara, H. (2024) Graveyards of Giant Pandas at the Bottom of the Sea? A Strange-Looking New Species of Colonial Ascidians in the Genus Clavelina (Tunicata: Ascidiacea). Species Diversity. 29 (1), 53–64. doi:10.12782/specdiv.29.53.

[4] Vences, M., Köhler, J., Hutter, CR, Preick, M., Petzold, A., Rakotoarison, A., Ratsoavina, FM, Glaw, F. & Scherz, MD (2024) Communicator whistles: A Trek through the taxonomy of the Boophis marojezensis complex reveals seven new, morphologically cryptic treefrogs from Madagascar (Amphibia: Anura: Mantellidae). Vertebrate Zoology. 74, 643–681. doi:10.3897/vz.74.e121110.

[5] Sterling, MJ, Cadet, DT, Beasley, J. & Lees, DC (2024) A success for community science: Carmenta brachyclados sp. nov. (Lepidoptera, Sesiidae, Synanthedonini), a clearwing moth from Guyana discovered with its hostplant indoors in Wales (United Kingdom). Nota Lepidopterologica. 47, 201–218. doi:10.3897/nl.47.130138.

[6] https://palms.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PALMSv68n1p005-010-Plectocomiopsis-hantu.pdf

[7] https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2024/june/new-species-vegetarian-piranha-named-after-lord-of-the-rings-villain-sauron.html

[8] http://www.gzb.cas.cn/kyj/202404/t20240428_7135843.html

[9] https://www.kew.org/about-us/press-media/new-species-2024

[10] https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/pnaZ2S8FApJISBdps4UTVA

[11] https://www.genus.africa/explore-article/meet-musankwa-sanyatiensis-a-new-dinosaur-from-zimbabwe/

[11] https://oddnewsshow.com/japan-s-skeleton-panda-sea-squirt-is-the-most-adorable-new-discovery

[12 https://phys.org/news/2024-10-frog-species-madagascar.html

[13] https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/tDfHwi4rPVzknT-piwcRlw

[14] https://news.sciencenet.cn/htmlpaper/2024/8/202482215310462114996.shtm

[15] https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzAxODE0ODU0Nw==&mid=2650619300&idx=1&sn=21078cd4b2aa2b0381c2b94fe 58a8773&chksm=8292b81c54bce8aadf27896edfffac4339861ec4ef247cfb2fadc8e02e1365c0723d987505c5&scene=27

[16] https://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/2024/october/new-species-of-tropical-moth-from-guyana-discovered-in-port-talbot.html

Author: Bowl

Editor: Mai Mai