Meet some of the new species discovered in 2016

[Batu69]

Each year, we become aware of more of the species that share our planet.

Read any estimate of the number of species present on Earth, and you'll notice two things: the numbers vary wildly, and they're always well above the number of species we actually know about. It's tempting to think we've exhausted the exploration of the Earth, that there's nothing new to see. But one area that we've barely scratched the surface of is the biological diversity that we're a part of.

 

There are several reasons for this. One is that some habitats, like the deep ocean, are both vast and hard to get to. Others, like caves and islands, isolate populations and generate species at a phenomenal rate. Finally, there's just a tendency to view, say, all ants as being roughly the same. That can allow species to hide in plain sight, with nobody taking the time to look for the details that distinguish them from their close relatives. DNA sequencing is also telling us that some populations that we see as identical haven't actually interbred in a very long time and may be separate species.

 

As researchers gradually look more closely, the result is a steady stream of new discoveries. We thought we'd share some with you. We set a few simple guidelines for inclusion. The first is that the species had to be discovered this year. The second is that it has to be still living—paleontologists find new species almost as often as biologists do. The final thing is that we had to be able to come up with a decent photo of it.

 

A member of the genus commonly known as "big headed ants," Pheidole cervicornis is adorned with impressive spines. It lives in New Guinea.

 

Part of a group called "polyester bees" for the plastic-like lining of their nests, this new species was named Chilicola charizard. This species hails from Chile.

 

Caecieleotris morris is one of the few new species that already has a common name: the Oaxaca Cave Sleeper. Like most fish that live in total darkness, the sleeper no longer develops eyes or pigment.

 

It's Godzilla! Or at least the godzilla goby. Varicus lacerate doesn't call Japan its home, though; it lives in the Caribbean.

 

This may look like the stuff of nightmares, but Charinus brescoviti is a member of the whip spiders, a group of arachnids that make neither silk nor venom. It's found in Brazil.

 

The flowers of the Australian bloodbone tomato, Solanum ossicruentum. School kids named it after seeing the cut fruit quickly turn a dark crimson color.

 

This may look a bit like a plant, but it's actually a member of the Cnidarians, a group that includes jellyfish. Rather than building this entire structure, Epizoanthus inazuma forms colonies on the exterior of tube worms.

 

More new species here.