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![Pink_Eyed_Katydids]()
Piotr Naskrecki hunts katydids with sound. The insects are masters at blending in with their environment, especially at night when they're most active. So entomologists like Naskrecki, a researcher at the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard University, trace the katydids through the darkness by their calls, using special equipment to translate the high-pitched chirping into sounds detectable by the human ear. His work paid off: Naskrecki and David Rentz found at least 20 new species! This group, which is restricted to the forest’s canopy, is very difficult to collect, and thus virtually unstudied. This pink-eyed Caedicia probably feeds on flowers of the forest’s tall trees.![Colorful_Frogs]()
A beautiful member of the Litoria genimaculata group, this frog has extremely variable color patterns and distinct yellow spots in the groin. These colorful frogs were surprisingly difficult to spot during Conservation International's September 2009 assessment, in the lush foliage along small rain forest streams in the Muller Range mountains where they live. Males were most frequently spotted when they uttered a very soft ticking sound to attract females in the vicinity.![Tree-Dwelling Ants?]()
Researchers found only two of this super-spiny new ant species, which represents an entirely new genus. The worker ants were found in the canopy of a fallen tree at mid-elevation (1600m); entomologist Andrea Lucky suspects that this group of ants live up high in trees. The ants that live in tree canopies are hard to reach, and therefore little studied. Because this species is unknown, and quite different from any other known genus of ants, Andrea and colleagues are currently using its DNA to determine the placement of this ant species among its closest relatives.![Long_Legged_Spiders]()
A new species of Anelosimus from the Nakanai Mountains of New Britain, one of four new species of this genus, previously not documented from New Guinea, was discovered in the two Rapid Assessment Program expeditions with Conservation International. The new species include both solitary and subsocial species that seem to have diversified within New Guinea.![Super_Tiny_Frogs]()
Stephen Richards traced the soft scratching call of this tiny, long nosed frog into a steep muddy gully in New Guinea's remote Muller Range during a scientific expedition in September 2009. Small enough to sit comfortably on a thumb-nail and hidden from view under a tangle of roots in pouring rain this undescribed frog of the genus Choerophryne nearly eluded the RAP team altogether. Its position given away by one cricket-like call too many, this strange species subsequently turned out to be new to science.![Tube_Nosed_Fruit_Bat]()
This is a previously seen but still undescribed species endemic to Papua New Guinea, called the tube-nosed fruit bat or Nyctimene sp. It hails from the Muller Range mountains and does not yet have a name but has been found in other parts of New Guinea. It is likely restricted (or endemic) to hill forests on the island. Fruit bats are important seed dispersers in tropical forests.![Yellow_Spotted_Frog]()
Among the 20 new frogs discovered is this striking, yellow-spotted species of the genus Platymantis. This attractive frog was found only at the highest elevations surveyed in the Nakanai Mountains in April 2009. Males called from small bushes in Bamboo thickets so dense that it took many hours to cut a path just a few meters off the main trail in order to track down their soft calls. This new species belongs to a group of frogs that lay their eggs on land or in the trees where they hatch directly into little froglets -- they have no tadpole stage.![Tube_Nosed_Fruit_Bat_2]()
This is a previously seen but still undescribed species endemic to Papua New Guinea, called the tube-nosed fruit bat or Nyctimene sp. It hails from the Muller Range mountains and does not yet have a name but has been found in other parts of New Guinea. It is likely restricted (or endemic) to hill forests on the island. Fruit bats are important seed dispersers in tropical forests.![Tiny__Spiny_Ants]()
These tiny, spiny ants were common foragers on the forest floor at mid elevation (1600m) in the Muller Range, in Papua New Guinea. The large majors have heads that are several times the size of the workers' heads. The huge mandibles are controlled by powerful muscles, which allow them to crush food that the workers bring back to the nest. This species was among the first to discover food items, such as crumbs, on the forest floor, and quickly recruited many workers and majors to carry away their bounty. The distinct spines on these beautifully shiny ants are thought to defend them against predators.![Ribbit____New_Frog]()
Living 30 meters above the ground in the forest canopy, this large bright green frog was more often heard than seen in the Muller Range mountains, Papua New Guinea. At night males proclaimed their presence with loud, gutteral croaking sounds high above the camp -- much to the frustration of team herpetologists Stephen Richards and Chris Dahl. Finally, the group's local tree-climber proudly delivered a handsome male to them. It was the only individual seen during the survey and almost certainly new to science.![New_Rhodedendrons]()
Rhododendrons are among the most avidly sought-after plants because of their ornamental value. New Guinea is a well-known center of diversity for this group, and this is evidenced by the discovery of a spectacular white, large-flowered species. The new Rhododendron was extremely abundant, and the discovery of such a conspicuous and locally-common plant suggests that further exploration of New Guinea’s poorly known environments will produce many additional surprises.![Local Papua New Guinean Highland Dancers gather at Porgera Township in Papua New Guinea to celebrate their nation's Independence day with dances and festivals on September 16, 2009, as well as welcome Conservation International's Rapid Assessment team of scientists.]()
Local Papua New Guinean Highland Dancers gather at Porgera Township in Papua New Guinea to celebrate their nation's Independence day with dances and festivals on September 16, 2009, as well as welcome Conservation International's Rapid Assessment team of scientists.![Local_Papuan_Dancers]()
Local Papua New Guinean Highland Dancers gather at Porgera Township in Papua New Guinea to celebrate their nation's Independence day with dances and festivals on September 16, 2009, as well as welcome Conservation International's Rapid Assessment team of scientists.New Species Found in New Guinea
Colorful new katydids are just some of the 200 new species recently found in Papua, New Guinea. Also discovered during the two, monthlong expeditions were a white-tailed mouse, 24 new species of frog, 9 new plants, 100 new insects and 100 new species of spider. Here's a sampling. Read more
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- New Species Found in New Guinea
