Photos: Dracula Fish, Bomber Worm on Top New Species List

Attenborough's Pitcher

Photograph courtesy Alastair Robinson, University of Cambridge

Each of the cuplike traps on an Attenborough's pitcher plant (Nepenthes attenboroughii's) is as big as an American football—making the pitchers among the largest known. The cups hold fluids that attract insects—and help to trap the bugs that feed the carnivorous plant.

"I'm an entomologist," Wheeler said, "and there is just something inherently interesting about a plant that eats insects." (See pictures of other carnivorous plants.)

The Attenborough's pitcher—found on the island of Palawan in the Philippines—was named for noted naturalist Sir David Attenborough.

Published May 26, 2010

Green Bomber Worm

Photograph courtesy K.J. Osborn

The green bomber worm (Swima bombiviridis), found in the deep sea off California's central coast, was named for its incredible behavior.

When threatened, the worm drops glowing green "bombs" by shedding its gills, which glow with bioluminescence. The brilliant bombs are thought to distract potential predators, allowing the marine worms to escape.

"That sounds like Avatar sort of material—it's really weird stuff," Wheeler said. "This is a relatively simple animal, and yet it uses this pretty sophisticated strategy."

(See more pictures of the green bomber worm.)

Published May 26, 2010

Phallus Drewesii Fungus

Photograph courtesy Brian A. Perry, University of Hawaii

This suggestively shaped mushroom was named, with permission, for a distinguished herpetologist with an sense of humor—Robert Drewes of the California Academy of Sciences.

Phallus drewesii, a two-inch-long (five-centimeter-long) species of stinkhorn fungus, was found on the isolated island country of Sâo Tomé and Príncipe off West Africa.

Although it's a newly described species, the fungus shares a common characteristic with other stinkhorns: It emits a foul odor to draw flies, which help spread its spores.

Published May 26, 2010

Aiteng Sea Slug

Photograph courtesy Cornelis Swennen, Prince of Songkla University

The sea slug Aiteng ater was found among the muddy mangroves of Pak Phanang Bay in the Gulf of Thailand (map). The slug is not only a new species, it's the head of a whole new family of bug-eating sea slugs. Most other sea slugs eat algae or eggs of gastropods—a class of animals that includes mollusks.

The Aiteng slug, which appears smooth and black as an adult, was named after Ai Theng, a star puppet in many Thai wayang, or shadow plays.

Published May 26, 2010

Dracula Minnow

Image courtesy Ralf Britz, Natural History Museum

Despite its vampire-like appearance, the Dracula minnow (Danionella dracula) does not crave blood. The fangs are not teeth, but bony jaw protrusions that are present only in males and are likely used for sparring.

The ghastly minnow is part of the largest family of freshwater fish—but so far its fangs are unique. The species was pulled from a stream in northern Myanmar's (Burma's) Kachin state. (Find out more about the Dracula minnow.)

Published May 26, 2010

Angona Yam

Photograph courtesy Claude Marcel Hladik, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle

Typical yams have just one lobe. But each Angona yam (Dioscorea orangeana) plant grows several lobes, resembling a cow's udder. The edible tuber is new to science but not to residents of northern Madagascar, where it is regularly harvested.

Wheeler said scientists have not yet studied the yam's nutritional value to see what benefits the plant offers as a food crop—and despite its popularity, pickings are already slim.

"The authors suggest this thing might even be ... listed as critically endangered," he said, referring to the International Union for Conservation of Nature's Red List of Threatened Species. "The area where it grows is not protected, and it seems pretty vulnerable."

Published May 26, 2010

Killer Sponge

Diagram courtesy Jean Vacelet, Université de la Méditerranée

Carnivorous sea sponges were unknown to science until just two decades ago. Since then, the creatures have become a familiar part of the modern ocean ecosystem.

But the deep-sea Chondrocladia turbiformis sea sponge from the waters off New Zealand was anything but familiar to scientists who found it last year. The unusual spicule, or spiky skeleton-like structure, of the animal is unique among living species.

Similar features have been seen in fossils from the early Jurassic period, suggesting that carnivorous sponges have haunted the deep seas since prehistoric times.

Published May 26, 2010

Omars' Banded Knifefish

Image courtesy James Albert, University of Louisiana

The Omars' banded knifefish (Gymnotus omarorum) is well-known in its native Uruguay—or at least researchers thought until a recent revelation found it to be another species.

"It's very interesting, because it has been used as a lab model for 30 years, and it has been misidentified the entire time," Wheeler explained.

Researchers studied several different fish under the scientific name Gymnotus carapo to better understand the bodies and communication patterns of electric fish. But this species, along with several others, proved to be unique.

That such a heavily studied fish could offer up such a surprise, Wheeler stressed, shows how many unknown species must remain in the wider world.

Published May 26, 2010

Komac's Golden Orb Spider

Image courtesy Matjazÿ Kuntner, Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts

Komac's golden orb spider (Nephila komaci) is part of the genus Nephila, whose members spin the world's largest webs—often greater than three feet (a meter) wide.

This species, found in Madagascar, is the first new addition to the genus since 1879. It's also now the largest known web-spinning spider, although, like other orb spiders, there's a huge difference in size between genders. Females have an average body length of 1.5 inches (3.9 centimeters), while males average just over 0.3 inch (0.8 centimeter).

Published May 26, 2010