In this episode, Danniella Sherwood brings us two new pseudoscorpions from Ascension Island, one of the most remote islands in the world. Ascension’s ecological history is full of many twists and turns, and it is home to amazing biodiversity that is in desperate need of conservation. Danni and her team worked together to address this need, producing a paper titled ‘David and Goliath’ with one very small and one very large new species. They also provide new faunistic records, or records that show that Ascension and the nearby Boatswain Bird Island are home to stunning endemic pseudoscorpion diversity.

One of my favorite things about Danni’s story is the emphasis she places on teamwork. “It takes a village to produce good research,” She says. “it takes a village to work towards visions of conserving invertebrates in their habitats. You need to have people from all fields, all specialties, all viewpoints in order to make something that’s really impactful, really lasting and enduring to the fields of conservation and ecology and taxonomy.” Listen to this episode for a meaningful story of teamwork and community, and to learn the importance of taxonomy’s role in conserving island flora and fauna. 

Danniella Sherwood’s paper “David and Goliath: on the pseudoscorpions of Ascension Island, including the world’s largest, Garypus titanius Beier, 1961, and a new, minute, Neocheiridium Beier, 1932 (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones)” is in issue 42 of Natura Somogyienis.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.24394/NatSom.2024.42.131

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Danni Sherwood 2 - Transcript

Listen to Danni’s other New Species episode about St. Helenian wolf spiders: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0o8dL8yEpRiFtMO1gVNjkc?si=c068e5d3b6fb40f7

New Species: Garypus ellickae and Neocheiridium ashmoleorum 

Episode image credit: Adam Sharp

Follow the Ascension Island Government Conservation Directorate here:

https://www.facebook.com/AscensionIslandConservation

https://twitter.com/aigconservation

Follow Danni’s research on all manner of arachnids here:

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Danniella-Sherwood

Follow the Species Recovery Trust:

https://www.facebook.com/TheSpeciesRecoveryTrust/

https://www.twitter.com/speciesrecovery

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

This paper started because Chloé Löis Fourreau and Marcos Teixeira were both too sick to dive during a NEON (National Ecological Observatory Network) bioblitz expedition in the Red Sea. Hoping to at least collect something, they swam to the shoreline and began snorkeling in the shallow water. When they began turning over rocks, what felt like a wasted day turned into an amazing intertidal discovery. In this episode, Chloé and Marcos are joined by their colleague Juan Sempere-Valverde to tell the exciting story of their new segmented polychaete worm, and to encourage everyone to pay attention to annelids and the great value they bring to science. 

Just a quick disclaimer for this episode, for some reason my primary recording didn’t save so i’m using the backup. As a result the quality is not great, and for that I really apologize! A reminder that every episode has a transcript (below) so please use that to aid in any hard-to-hear parts.

Chloé Löis Fourreau, Marcos A.L. Teixeira, and Juan Sempere-Valverde’s paper “Two new records and description of a new Perinereis (Annelida, Nereididae) species for the Saudi Arabian Red Sea region” is in volume 1196 of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1196.115260

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Chloé Löis Fourreau, Marcos Teixeira, and Juan Sempere-Valverde - Transcript

New Species: Perinereis kaustiana

Episode image credit: Juan Sempere-Valverde

New Species: Perinereis kaustiana

Episode image credit: Juan Sempere-Valverde

Follow Chloé on Twitter: ChaoticChloeia

Follow Juan on Instagram: @bem_lab and @zoologiaus

Read Marcos’ recent paper: https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2022.2116124

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

There are no snakes in Alaska, so what’s that snakelike shape crossing the road? Few people would guess it’s actually thousands of fly larvae moving in a very peculiar pattern that gives the snakeworm gnat their common name. Dr. Thalles Pereira and his coauthors spent lots of time rearing, observing, and sharing their findings with their community in the process of describing this new species, and use citizen science data of this behavior in addition to morphological and molecular analyses in this paper. Listen in as Thalles brings us through the labs and back roads of Alaska to learn why gnats are so special!

Thalles Pereira’s paper “Discovery of snakeworm gnats in Alaska: a new species of Sciara meigen (Diptera: Sciaridae) based on morphological, molecular, and citizen science data” is in volume 6 issue 2 of Integrative Systematics.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.18476/2023.673937

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Thalles Pereira - Transcript

New Species: Sciara serpens

Episode image courtesy of Thalles Pereira via Integrative Systematics Stuttgart Contributions to Natural History

Check out Thalles’ Researchgate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thalles-Pereira-2

Video of the snakeworm larval behavior: https://doi.org/10.7299/X7WM1DQ9

View these specimens and their observational records on Arctos: https://arctos.database.museum/search.cfm?guid_prefix=UAM%3AEnto%2CUAMObs%3AEnto&scientific_name=Sciara%20serpens&scientific_name_match_type=match&family=Sciaridae

Springtail antifreeze protein paper: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60060-z

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

This is a short episode to share some thoughts and feedback from this year's New Species community survey, as well as some updates on what is to come for the podcast.

Take the community survey here before March 1st: https://forms.gle/ayoZfXzadr2kd3st5

Check out our Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

And the Website:

www.newspeciespodcast.net

Who wouldn’t want to receive thousands of millipedes in the mail? When Dr. Henrik Enghoff does it’s through his partnership with FoRCE, the Forest Restoration and Climate Experiment, a group researching tropical forest dynamics and their relationship with things like human disturbance and climate change. They collect millipedes through their field season and Henrik identifies them to increase our knowledge of millipede systematics. In this interview he shares stories about the diversity of millipedes, the exciting world of scanning electron microscopy, and why it’s important to care about creatures that others might pass by. 

Henrik Enghoff’s paper “A mountain of millipedes XI. The trachystreptoform spirostreptids of the Udzungwa Mountains, Tanzania” is in volume 918 of the European Journal of Taxonomy.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2024.918.2405

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Henrik Enghoff - Transcript

New Genus: Udzungwastreptus

New Species: Attemsostreptus cataractae,  Attemsostreptus leptoptilos,  Attemsostreptus julostriatus, Lophostreptus magombera, Udzungwastreptus marianae

Episode image credit: A.R. Marshall

Learn more about FoRCE: https://force-experiment.com/

And project DiSSCo: www.dissco.eu

Other recent papers by Henrik and his team:

A new distinct, disjunct giant millipede of the genus Spirostreptus from Tanzania, and a solution for orphaned Spirostreptus species – Zootaxa https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5389.2.9

A new species of Lophostreptus Cook, 1895 discovered among syntypes of L. regularis  - Zookeys https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1188.115802

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

How many nature enthusiasts can relate to this scenario: you’re watching the landscape go by as you drive, and suddenly you see an area that could be favorable habitat for your target species. Stop the car! That’s what Prakrit Jain did, and it helped him and his coauthors describe a new species of Paruroctonus scorpion from the San Joaquin Valley. So much makes this scorpion interesting, from the unique and at-risk habitat it occupies to the fascinating story of its description. Why describe new species? Prakrit says it best: “Because if this scorpion can get conservation attention then it doesn’t just save the scorpion it saves everything that lives alongside it, and that might be thousands of different species.” 

Prakrit Jain’s paper “A new species of alkali-sink Paruroctonus Werner, 1934 (Scorpiones, Vaejovidae) from California’s San Joaquin Valley” is in issue 1185 of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1185.103574

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Prakrit Jain - Transcript

New Species: Paruroctonus tulare

Episode image courtesy of Prakrit Jain

Follow Prakrit on Instagram: @bothrops_et_al 

Connect with Prakrit on iNaturalist: @prakrit 

iNaturalist records of this new species: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/192661164

News coverage of this species description: 

https://www.sfgate.com/local/article/new-species-scorpion-california-san-joaquin-18537552.php

https://www.sciencetimes.com/articles/47542/20231208/new-scorpion-sting-getting-pricked-cactus-discovered-california-desert.htm

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-12837863/deadly-species-eight-legs-scalloped-pincers-California.html

Take the community survey: https://forms.gle/y7utvaRuxeCQVMJy9

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Southern Africa is home to over 1,200 species of irises, and if that number doesn’t blow you away, hearing Dr. John Manning’s speak about his new species certainly will. In this fascinating episode we are taken on a deep dive into Iridaceae’s stunning pollinator-driven diversity, evolution over millions of years and several continents, and the critical role of herbaria as the backbone of science past, present, and future. “They look static, and they look like dead plant specimens,” John says, “but they represent a great deal of life.”

Dr. John Manning’s Paper, “Moraea saxatilis, a new montane species from the Groot Winterhoek Wilderness Area of the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa” is in volume 165 of the South African journal of Botany.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2023.12.008

A transcript of this episode can be found here: John Manning - Transcript

New Species: Moraea saxatilis

Episode image courtesy of John Manning

Learn more about the Compton Herbarium here: 

https://www.sanbi.org/biodiversity/foundations/biosystematics-collections/compton-herbarium/

Learn more about the CREW program here: 

https://www.sanbi.org/biodiversity/building-knowledge/biodiversity-monitoring-assessment/custodians-of-rare-and-endangered-wildflowers-crew-programme/

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Dr. Catalina Romero-Ortiz has been fascinated by pseudoscorpions for over a decade, and she wants everyone to understand how amazing they are. But beyond inherent scientific value, Catalina wants to share the importance of taxonomy in and out of the lab. She says, “As scientists, all of us are called to- there are some things that don’t work, you know? I think we [hold] in our shoulders much of the social responsibility… we are agents of change. And we need it.”

In this episode, Catalina speaks with conviction about the role taxonomy plays in changing the world for the better. She and her coauthors name their new genus using the prefix ‘pax,’ meaning peace, to commemorate the Havana Peace Talks in 2012 which brought together participants in Colombia’s civil war with the goal of uniting towards a more peaceful future. 

Catalina Romero-Ortiz’s paper “A new genus and five new species of pseudoscorpions from Colombia” is in issue 1184 of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1184.106698

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Catalina Romero-Ortiz - Transcript

New Species: Cystowithius florezi, Parawithius bromelicola, Oligowithius achagua, Paciwithius valduparensis, Paciwithius chimbilacus

Episode image courtesy of Catalina Romero-Ortiz

Visit Catalina’s ResearchGate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Catalina-Romero-Ortiz

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

What do glaciers and scorpions have in common? They’re the focus of Javier Blasco-Aróstegui’s paper in which he and his coauthor describe a new species from the foothills of Mount Olympus. It’s an area home to many legends, and also a surprising amount of biodiversity due to its unique topography. When a large-scale change in habitat restricts gene flow, it can result in species that are very different from their relatives and Javier has found one of those species. “Okay,” he remembers saying about the first specimen, “we’ve got something new and cool here.”

Javier Blasco-Aróstegui’s paper “Glacial Relicts? A New Scorpion from Mount Olympus, Greece” is in the November 9th issue of American Museum Novitates. 

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1206/4003.1

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Javier Blasco-Aróstegui - Transcript 

New Species: Euscorpius olympus

Episode image courtesy of Javier Blasco-Aróstegui

Follow Javier on Instagram: @javierblar

Or on Twitter: @jblascoarosteg

Check out his ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Javier-Blasco-Arostegui

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

When researchers talk about species disappearing before we can discover them, they’re talking about species like Javier Lobon-Rovira’s new gecko. With a specific and rapidly fragmenting habitat, this species of Paroedura might have left the world as an unknown cryptic species.

“My goal in my life,” Javier tells us, “is not to describe new species… but when you describe new species and you put it on an evolutionary frame, you can provide the grounds to better understand how the species distributed in the space and in the time, and which factors that are involved have some implication in the diversification pattern of the species that is completely needed to keep the natural selection or the continued evolution of the species to survive.”

Thanks to everyone who gave feedback on episode length - this episode ended up being short and sweet, but in the future we will have longer episodes, closer to 45 minutes.

Javier Lobon-Rovira’s paper “Another step through the crux: a new microendemic rock-dwelling Paroedura (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from south-central Madagascar” is in volume 1181 of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1181.108134

New Species: Paroedura manongavato 

Episode image courtesy of Javier Lobon-Rovira

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Javier Lobon-Rovira - Transcript

Check out Javier’s amazing photography: www.javierlobonrovira.com

Follow Javier on Instagram: @javilbn_wildphotography

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

The island of Saint Helena can’t be described without the word special. It’s a small territory in the south Atlantic that is home to some of the most unique biodiversity in the world, including some extremely rare cloud forest spiders. An island full of spiders might not sound exciting for some, but to Danniella Sherwood it’s a dream! Listen in as Danni tells us all about the island and its history, the wolf spiders that find their home there, and the amazing community that supported and guided her work. 

Danni Sherwood’s paper “Saint Helenian wolf spiders, with description of two new genera and three new species (Araneae: Lycosidae)” is in volume 19 issue 5 of Arachnology. 

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.13156/arac.2023.19.5.816

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Danni Sherwood - Transcript

New Species: Molearachne sanctaehelenae, Dolocosa joshuai, Hogna veseyensis

Episode image courtesy of Danniella Sherwood

For more information on the FCDO funded Cloud Forest Project: https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/projects/st-helena-cloud-forest-project/

Follow the Saint Helena National Trust here:

https://www.facebook.com/SHnationaltrust/

https://www.twitter.com/Shnationaltrust

Follow the Species Recovery Trust:

https://www.facebook.com/TheSpeciesRecoveryTrust/

https://www.twitter.com/speciesrecovery

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

On this podcast we talk a lot about natural history collections. In fact, a spot (or more) of collections work is pretty much required to describe a new species. But what actually counts as a natural history collection? How many are there in the world? And what happens to all of that juicy data waiting in the stacks to be worked on? Dr. Makenzie Mabry has some of those answers and more. We talk about all of the different types of information that can be associated with specimens, the different resources researchers and non-researchers can use to access it, as well as some of the strengths and challenges to the way we build, use, and share museum data.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

IDigBio - Integrated Digitized Biocollections, a platform for organizing, storing, and sharing specimen data

Symbiota - Platform aimed at helping smaller collections manage and distribute their data

GBIF - The Global Biodiversity Information Facility which acts as a network for distributing biodiversity data

Bionomia - A platform that links natural history specimens to their contributors

Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) - a group that develops data standards for collections in order to help in the sharing of knowledge and information

Makenzie’s publications can be found in journals including Plants People Planet, Journal of College Science Teaching, Plant and Cell Physiology, and PhytoKeys.

Follow her on twitter: @KenzieMabry

Or Instagram: @kenziemabry_phd

Makenzie’s website: makenziemabry.weebly.com

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Makenzie Mabry - Transcript

Check out our website: www.newspeciespodcast.net

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Louis Nastasi has a deep love of wasps, and a particular fascination with Cynipid wasps, gall wasps that can specialize on just a few plants or even a single species. In this episode he tells us about their diversity and the tangled phylogenies he works on, and answers the question his paper poses; “Cryptic or underworked?” There’s so much we don’t know about gall wasps, and it has so many implications for conservation, agriculture, and more!

Louis Nastasi’s paper “Cryptic or underworked? Taxonomic revision of the Antistrophus rufus species complex (Cynipoidea, Aulacideini)” is in volume 97 of the Journal of Hymenoptera Research. 

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.97.121918

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Louis Nastasi - Transcript

New Species: Antistrophus laurenae

Episode image credit: Antoine Guiguet

Send Louis a Silphium plant gall! Email him at: LFN5093@psu.edu

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod. Bonus episodes are coming soon!

You’ve got to hand it to leaf insects; their camouflage is so well-refined that studying them is difficult and collecting them is near-impossible. A sub-group of stick insects, members of the family Phylliidae have evolved to leaf like the best of them, even going so far as to uptake leaf pigments to match their colors. In order to study these creatures, Royce Cumming had to visit and take loans from collections all over the world, looking at historic specimens often found only because a passing storm had knocked them out of the canopy. 

But Royce is not deterred. He and his coauthors are organizing and describing Phylliids in order to make studying them more approachable, and to help people better appreciate their uniqueness. Listen in as he describes identifying and reclassifying leaf insects, pulling us into their strange and beautiful world. 

Royce Cumming’s paper “On seven undescribed leaf insect species revealed within the recent “Tree of Leaves” (Phasmatodea, Phylliidae)” is in issue 1173 of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1173.104413

New Species: Phyllium iyadaon, Phyllium samarense, Phyllium ortizi, Pulchriphyllium heracles, Pulchriphyllium delislei, Pulchriphyllium bhaskarai, Pulchriphyllium anangu

Episode image was taken by Ashwin Viswanathan via iNaturalist and is used with permission by Royce Cumming

Follow Royce on Instagram: @RoyceCumming

Or check out his ResearchGate profile, where all of his work is shared open access: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Royce-Cumming

Check out this video on the phytochemical camouflage Royce talks about: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JygVv3coRaU&t=1s

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Royce Cumming - Transcript

Further coverage of Royce and this paper:

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/01/science/leaf-stick-insects-phyllium-asekiense.html

https://www.iflscience.com/these-7-new-species-of-leaf-insect-are-masters-of-cryptic-camouflage-70459?fbclid=IwAR2J4dMO9DUPiwVfecoyR9jQS5MS0KpAz3oUzvBPPDS67tsaFR9CawaNrKA

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/aug/31/new-walking-leaf-insect-species-discovered-genetic-analysis?fbclid=IwAR2eUc8vKouQz4oV7Cmkg_Boj9gihStzxE8r6n3TlzjYlmMCdIySvPIxYg4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUymjLIPWUk

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Mysmenopsis is a tiny spider genus that has been shaped by women; women have collected, identified, and described the majority of members of the genus. In fact, Dr. Nadine Dupérré alone described 25 species, almost half of the genus’ known diversity. So it’s fitting, Cláudia Xavier explains, that her five new species are named after women, including Dupérré herself and Dr. Emilie Snethlage, whose position as director of the Museu Goeldi made her the first woman in South America to lead a scientific institution. 

Mysmenopsids are tiny, kleptoparasitic spiders found across the Americas, particularly in northern South America. They are cryptic, their small size making it difficult to observe them, never mind dissect and study them. But that’s just what Cláudia and her coauthors did. In this interview she shares what it’s like studying spiders smaller than an apple seed - the good, the bad, and the painful! In her writing both in and out of the museum, Cláudia hopes to demystify spiders and bring more attention to their diversity. 

Cláudia Xavier’s paper “On the symphytognathoid spider genus Mysmenopsis Simon, 1898 (Araneae: Mysmenidae) from the Brazilian Amazonian region: description of five new species and new records” is in issue 5219 off Zootaxa.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5319.1.4

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Cláudia Xavier - Transcript

New Species: Mysmenopsis rodriguesae, Mysmenopsis nadineae, Mysmenopsis snethlageae, Mysmenopsis lopardoae, Mysmenopsis regiae

Episode image courtesy of Cláudia Xavier

Follow Cláudia on Instagram or Twitter: @claudiia_xavier

Read Cláudia’s writing on Fauna News: https://faunanews.com.br/category/colunas/invertebrados/

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreoNesticuscom/NewSpeciesPod

Grab your parkas, we’re going to Antarctica! Or at least some researchers did in the 1960s, but it took starfish expert Dr. Chris Mah until the past few years to take a look at their samples and find a new genus and eleven new species of starfish. And not just any starfish, starfish from the deep-sea. In a special guest introduction, Dr. Thom Lindley from our friends at the Deep-Sea Podcast explains what exactly “deep-sea” means, from the creatures that live there to the physics of water pressure at depths of thousands of meters. Learn about “the chonkiest of starfish,” Darth Vader’s character arc, and what happens when you mishandle pressurized fish gut contents on this episode of New Species Podcast. (Spoiler alert on the fish guts: they don’t stay in the fish).

Chris’ paper “New Genera, Species, and observations on the biology of Antarctic Valvatida (Asteroidea)” is in volume 5310 number 1 of Zootaxa. See the episode details for a link to the paper, and to learn more about Chris and his work, you can follow him on twitter, @echinoblog, or you can check out his blog which covers all things marine invertebrates at www.echinoblog.blogspot.com

A very special thanks to Dr. Thom Linley and the rest of the crew from the Deep-Sea podcast for the wonderful introduction to this episode. Please go give their podcast a listen, or check out their website https://www.armatusoceanic.com/podcast

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5310.1.1

Episode image courtesy of Chris Mah

The Smithsonian’s digital database: https://collections.nmnh.si.edu/search/

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Chris Mah - Transcript

Check out our website: www.newspeciespodcast.net

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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Cedric Lee was collecting slugs with another diplopodologist James Bailey when they stumbled upon a very odd creature; thin and string-like with lots of fine legs and a long body. “We recognized that it might be something special,” explains Cedric as he shares how they uploaded the image to iNaturalist. Enter Dr. Paul Marek, who saw the pictures and immediately got in touch. After some collection and analysis, they have a new millipede to share, Illacme socal, one of only three species in genus Illacme, which is the only genus of the family Siphonorhinidae present in North America. Millipedes are critically understudied and there’s so much more for us to learn. Listen in as Paul and Cedric tell you all about diplopodology and their new discovery!

Cedric and Paul’s paper “A new species of Illacme from southern California (Siphonophorida, Siphonorhinidae)” is published in issue 1167 of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1167.102537

Watch a video of an individual of the new species burrowing here: https://vimeo.com/823446011?share=copy

New Species: Illacme socal 

Episode image courtesy of Paul Marek

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Paul Marek and Cedric Lee - Transcript 

You can find Cedric’s work on his inaturalist profile: https://www.inaturalist.org/people/cedric_lee

You can find Paul’s work on his university website: https://millipedes.ento.vt.edu/

Or on Twitter at @apheloria

A guide to myriapods by Paul Marek and WIlliam Shear: https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/bitstream/handle/10919/113652/CURBIO.18835_PEM_28Oct22_VTWorks.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y

Check out our new website: www.newspeciespodcast.net

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

“I always say that insect taxonomists will never get really rich but you will see parts of the world where nobody else gets a chance to go to. It’s a great chance to explore the world”

This special episode with Dr. Robert Anderson of the Canadian Museum of Nature brings us across the globe and through several decades of research in a fascinating corner of the beetle world. Bob shares the origin story of his fascination with insects, how he became Major League Baseball’s official entomologist, and even a musical secret about the prolific carabid beetle expert George Ball. This interview is a reflection on nearly 4 decades of entomology, and you won’t want to miss a minute. 

Bob Anderson's papers can be found in Zookeys, Zootaxa, The Canadian Entomologist, and many other publications. Papers mentioned in this episode include:

A taxonomic monograph of the Middle American leaf-litter inhabiting weevil genus Theognete Champion (Coleoptera: Curculionidae; Molytinae; Lymantini)[2010 - Zookeys]: https://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2010/f/z02458p127f.pdf

A new species of Toxorhinus Lacordaire (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Dryophthorinae; Rhynchophorini) from Ecuador

[2023 - Zootaxa]: https://doi.org/10.11646/ZOOTAXA.5270.2.9

A revision of the North American genus Proctorus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Ellescini) with descriptions of two new species

Coauthor: Jake H. Lewis

[2022 - Zookeys]: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1131.90392

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Bob Anderson - Transcript

Episode image courtesy of Bob Anderson. The weevil pictured is Cylindrocopturinus catherineae, the beautiful weevil he named after his wife

Check out our website: www.newspeciespodcast.net

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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“Here in the South, our grasslands are where most of our, a huge part of our biodiversity are. And most people don't even know that we have natural grasslands in the Southeast…but they were some of the first things to be developed because they were already open. You didn't have to clear them…And so they were lost early on. And all we have now are these small little fragments. Within the last, I'll say seven years now, I've described close to 40 new species of grasshoppers, if we include these seven, from the southeast alone. And 34 of them, probably 35, are grassland inhabitants. So we almost, you know, we're in danger of losing all these species before we even knew they existed. Right here in our backyard in Eastern North America. You think, you know, oh, it's North America. We know, you know, most everything here. Well, we don't.”

In this episode, Dr. JoVonn Hill pulls us headfirst into the world of grasshopper research as he tells us about collecting in central Texas. He shares his thoughts on what accessibility in publications can look like, the unique role of scientific illustration, and advises us on the importance of an afternoon Dairy Queen break.

JoVonn’s paper “Diversification deep in the heart of Texas: seven new grasshopper species and establishment of the Melanoplus discolor species group (Orthoptera, Acrididae, Melanoplinae)” is in issue 1165 of Zookeys. 

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1165.104047

New Species:

Melanoplus nelsoni - Nelson’s pouncer

Melanoplus walkeri - Walker’s pouncer

Melanoplus susdentatus - Hog-toothed pouncer

Melanoplus balcones - Balcones pouncer

Melanoplus corniculatus - Antlered pouncer

Melanoplus comanche - Comanche pouncer

Melanoplus tonkawa - Tonkawa pouncer

Episode image courtesy of JoVonn Hill

Follow JoVonn on Twitter: @JoVonnH

Mississippi State Moth Photographers Group: https://mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu/

Grasshoppers of North America: Volume 1 and Volume 2

A transcript of this episode can be found here: JoVonn Hill - Transcript

Check out our website: www.newspeciespodcast.net

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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Have you ever seen a series of fine squiggles in a leaf? Those might be leaf-mining moths in the genus Argyresthia. These tiny moths are closely linked with many agricultural crops, but factors including sampling bias and their small size mean we don’t know as much about them as we’d like. Jacob Gorneau and his team examined material from Guatemala and described three new species.

An insect-lover from childhood, Jacob has always been fascinated by moths, and these Argyresthia moths are no exception. They’re a small group both in number (with only 200 species) and in size (approximately 1/8th of an inch or smaller), but there’s a lot to learn about them, especially in relation to their host plants. Listen in as Jacob tells us all about his work, his future plans, and why we should care about these tiny animals. 

Jacob Gorneau’s paper “Three new species of the genus Argyresthia Hübner, [1825] from Guatemala, with notes on host plant evolution and Nearctic taxa (Lepidoptera: Argyresthiidae)” is in Volume 51 Issue 201 of SHILAP Revista de lepidopterología.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.57065/shilap.444

Another of Jacob’s papers mentioned in this episode - Measuring What We Don't Know: Biodiversity Catalogs Reveal Bias in Taxonomic Effort: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac116

Take a look at Jacob’s website for spiders, scorpions, and more! https://jacobgorneau.github.io/

Jacob is also part of National Moth Week: https://nationalmothweek.org/

You can follow him on twitter: @jacobgorneau

Or instagram: @fortheloveofleps

New Species: Argyresthia quetzaltenangonella, Argyresthia guatemala, Argyresthia iridescentia

Episode image courtesy of Jacob Gorneau

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Jacob Gorneau - Transcript

Check out our website: www.newspeciespodcast.net

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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When a scientist comes on the podcast, we always ask them how they named their new species. It’s a privilege that comes with a species description, and we’ve seen firsthand how different that answer can be. For some it’s a straightforward geographic name, for others it’s about morphology, and still others name after collectors, celebrities, or loved ones. Dr. Stefano Mammola wants to know why.

Beginning in 2020 he and a team of researchers from all over the world analyzed 48,464 etymologies across nearly 300 years to examine naming trends in spider taxonomy to answer the question, “what’s in a spider name?” They cite many different projects (including this podcast!) and, as Stefano shares in this interview, come across some real surprises along the way.

Stefano Mammola’s paper “Taxonomic practice, creativity, and fashion: What’s in a spider name?” is in the February 13th issue of the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac097

A transcript of this conversation can be found here: Transcript - Stefano Mammola

Episode image courtesy of Stefano Mammola

Check out Stefano’s website: https://publications.cnr.it/authors/stefano.mammola

And his twitter: @stefanomammola1

Check out this data and more on the World Spider Catalog

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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Amanda Grunwald is fascinated by arthropods, by reptiles, pretty much anything that creeps or crawls. But what about the creatures that fly? Here we dive into her work on bats in the genus Pseudoromicia, simple-nosed bats that are relatively less known. She takes us from the mountains of Cameroon to a genetics lab in Chicago, and we discuss what responsible science looks like and why it’s important. 

A review of bats of the genus Pseudoromicia (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) with the description of a new species” is in volume 21 issue 1 of Systematics and Biodiversity.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1080/14772000.2022.2156002

Or open access here: http://ir-library.mmarau.ac.ke:8080/bitstream/handle/123456789/13562/A%20review%20of%20bats%20of%20the%20genus%20Pseudoromicia.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Amanda Grunwald - Transcript

New Species: Pseudoromicia mbamminkom

Episode art courtesy of Amanda Grunwald

To learn more about Amanda’s work, check out: batcon.org

Further reading on the topic of a more ethical taxonomic practice: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01460-w

Researchers mentioned in this episode: Dr. Eric Bakwo Fils, Dr. Patrick Atagana, and Frank Mayo https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Bakwo-Fils-Eric-Moise-Lab

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), Instagram (@newspeciespodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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Dr. Ángel Valdés has known since childhood that he would study sea slugs, and several years ago that dream took him to New Caledonia to work with a large international research team. While divers and other collectors swept the shoreline and beyond for marine life, Ángel diligently photographed every sea slug, including some unexpected finds. Were those hours worth it? Definitely, in part because he and his team have described seven new species of Nudibranchs, in the family Discodorididae. 

Nudibranchs, also known as sea slugs, are found all over the world. But what’s so special about these “cryptic” New Caledonian species, and what might they have to do with curing rare diseases? Learn all of this and more on this episode of New Species Podcast. 

Ángel Valdés’ paper “Seven new “cryptic” species of Discodorididae (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Nudibranchia) from New Caledonia” is in the March 7th issue of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1152.98258

New Species: Atagema kimberlyae, Atagema sobanovae, Jorunna daoulasi, Jorunna hervei, Rostanga poddubetskaiae, Sclerodoris faninozi, Sclerodoris dutertrei

Episode image courtesy of Ángel Valdés

Visit Ángel’s website: https://www.cpp.edu/faculty/aavaldes/index.shtml

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Ángel Valdés - Transcript

Check out our website: www.newspeciespodcast.net

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

What can tiny, flightless beetles tell us about the history of mountain geography and climate? It turns out, quite a bit! In this episode, Dr. Adam Haberski introduces us to the wild world of Staphylinid beetles, some of the most diverse creatures on the planet. We learn about the joys (and pitfalls) of collecting in the Southern Appalachians, as well as their billion-year-old history and the amazing beetle lineages that they helped shape. 

Adam Haberski’s paper “A review of Nearctic Lathrobium (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), with revision and descriptions of new flightless species from the mountains of the southeastern U.S.” is in volume 1198 of Zookeys. 

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1198.118355

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Adam Haberski - Transcript

New Species: Lathrobium balsamense, Lathrobium camplyacra, Lathrobium islae, Lathrobium lividum, Lathrobium smokiense, Lathrobium absconditum, Lathrobium hardeni, Lathrobium lapidum, Lathrobium solum, and Lathrobium thompsonorum

Episode image credit: Mike Caterino

Check out Adam’s amazing photography on instagram: @alaskamacro

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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Muy a menudo, los científicos que entrevistamos en el podcast hablan inglés como su segundo, tercer o cuarto idioma. Y muchos de los oyentes también son multilingües. Me parece muy importante hacer que estas entrevistas sean accesibles en los idiomas que hablan los científicos, y estoy muy agradecida de que me hayan ayudado a grabar este episodio y espero hacer más de lo mismo en el futuro.

This episode is a Spanish translation of our previous interview with Cristian Pertegal. To listen to this conversation in English, please refer to the episode published April 4th, 2023.

Las arañas de trampilla son un misterio relativo para los aracnólogos: son un grupo pequeño que no es muy conocido a pesar de su coloración a menudo audaz y sus madrigueras únicas. Pero para Cristian Pertegal son una pasión y una fascinación, aunque en ocasiones también son un dolor literal. Escuche mientras Cristian comparte su amor por estas arañas, su morfología única, sus fascinantes trampillas y lo que pueden decirnos sobre nuestro mundo.

publicación de Cristian “Descripción de una nueva especie de araña trampera del sur de España, y nueva información sobre Nemesia uncinata (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Nemesiidae)” es en el volumen 64, número 1 de Arachnology Letters.

Se puede encontrar aquí: https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6401

Una transcripción de este episodio se puede encontrar aquí: Cristian Pertegal - Transcript

Imagen del episodio cortesía de Cristian Pertegal

Encontrar Cristian en instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cristianpertegal/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nemesidae.nemesia.7/

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cristian-Pertegal

Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/entomologiaasturias

Asegúrese de seguir a New Species en (@PodcastSpecies), Instagram (@newspeciespodcast) y dale me gusta a la página del podcast en Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Visita el sitio web: https://www.newspeciespodcast.net

Para obtener contenido adicional, suscríbase al podcast en Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

La música en este podcast es "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

Si tiene preguntas o comentarios sobre este podcast, envíenos un email a: NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

Where there is a unique ecosystem to be studied, for example, a patch of tropical evergreen forest 1,000 meters up a mountain, sometimes it’s best to be pushy. Michael Curran had done his master’s research in altitudinal patterns and species richness in rural Mozambique, and when he heard about an expedition back to the area, he wrote to the researcher in charge and asked them to let him come along and catch a few bats. That risk certainly paid off, because he and his coauthors have now described a brand new species of Rhinolophid, or horseshoe bat.

Bats are mysterious creatures of mind-boggling diversity and beauty, and ecosystems like Mount Namuli hold just as much of both. Learn about all of this and more as Michael takes us on his journey of collection and description, and discover the unique story these bats have to tell. 

Michael Curran’s paper “A new species of horseshoe bat (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) from Mount Namuli, Mozambique” is in Volume 24, Issue 1 of Acta Chiropterologica.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3161/15081109ACC2022.24.1.002

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Michael Curran - Transcript

Listen to this episode on our website: www.newspeciespodcast.net

New Species: Rhinolophus namuli

Episode image courtesy of Michael Curran

See some more amazing photos of bats from Michael and his team: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/rare-african-bats

Check out Michael’s website: https://www.fibl.org/en/about-us/team/curran-michael

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), Instagram (@newspeciespodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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Trapdoor spiders are a relative mystery to arachnologists - they’re a small group that is not well known despite their often bold coloration and their unique burrows. But for Cristian Pertegal they are a passion and a fascination, even if they are occasionally also a literal pain. Listen in as Cristian shares his love for these spiders, their unique morphology, their fascinating trapdoors, and what they can tell us about our world. 

Cristian Pertegal’s paper “Description of a new trapdoor spider species, Nemesia amicitia spec. nov., from southern Spain, and new information on Nemesia uncinata (Araneae: Mygalomorphae: Nemesiidae)” is in Volume 64 Issue 1 of Arachnology Letters.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.30963/aramit6401

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Cristian Pertegal - Transcript

New Species: Nemesia amicitia

Episode image courtesy of Cristian Pertegal

Follow Cristian on instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cristianpertegal/

And on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nemesidae.nemesia.7/

Or ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cristian-Pertegal

And also on Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/entomologiaasturias

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), Instagram (@newspeciespodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Check out our website: https://www.newspeciespodcast.net

For bonus content, subscribe to the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

Did you know that there are still new species of tree to discover? Wei Harn does, and in this episode he tells us all about his trip surveying Malaysian Royal Belum State Park and an unexpected new species discovery. How does one collect a tree, this entomologist host would like to know! (there certainly aren’t any vials big enough). We learn all about the stunning diversity of the park including its unique assemblages and history, and the importance of studying and valuing natural areas like it.

Wei Harn’s paper “Castanopsis corallocarpus (Fagaceae), a new species from Royal Belum (Perak) in Peninsular Malaysia” is in the 219th issue of Phytokeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.219.95991

New Species: Castanopsis corallocarpusEpisode image courtesy of Wei Harn

To learn more about the evolutionary history, diversity, identification and conservation of this new species and over 700 others, check out www.asianfagaceae.com

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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How do you continue your research when the harsh climate makes collecting impossible most of the year, or when much of your focal area is contained within a Buddhist community which prevents the harm of any animal? What if it’s also a remote area that is difficult and costly to access? Oh, and don’t forget the trap-destroying monkeys and wild hogs!

But once you are able to navigate all of these obstacles, the nature you find is well worth the trouble. In this episode, Dibyajyoti Ghosh shares his experience collecting carpenter bees in a unique and understudied corner of India’s Himalayan mountains. In addition to tales from the field he shares his affection for native bees and speaks with conviction about why their habitats should be better surveyed and protected.

Dibyajyoti Ghosh’s paper “Description of a new species of genus Ceratina Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera, Apoidea) from Eastern Himalayas, India with a new country record” is published in volume 9 issue 1 of the Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.52547/jibs.9.1.139

New Species: Ceratina tawangensis

Episode image courtesy of Dibyajyoti Ghosh

Find Dibyajyoti’s work on ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Dibyajyoti-Ghosh-2242506077

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), Instagram (@newspeciespodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

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Meet Dr. Marshal Hedin. He’s an arachnologist fascinated with Nesticidae, a group of cave-dwelling spiders found in the southern Appalachian mountains, an area of tremendous beauty and biodiversity. In this interview he describes the joy of discoveries of new and interesting species, the struggles of collecting in rock piles and other dangerous terrain, as well as a few adventures along the way. What can we learn from Nesticus? Marshal says: “I just think generally if you live in some hollow or some mountain in southern Appalachia and you happen to have some Nesticus that’s only found in that mountain you might find that interesting and unique…a sense of place, you know? That’s your little cave spider.”

Marshal Hedin’s paper “New species in old mountains: integrative taxonomy reveals ten new species and extensive short-range endemism in Nesticus spiders (Araneae, Nesticidae) from the southern Appalachian Mountains” is in the February 3rd edition of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1145.96724

New Species: Nesticus binfordae, Nesticus bondi, Nesticus canei, Nesticus cherokeensis, Nesticus dellingeri, Nesticus dykemanae, Nesticus jemisinae, Nesticus lowderi, Nesticus roanensis, and Nesticus templetoni

Episode image courtesy of Alan Cressler

Marshal’s lab site: https://marshalhedinlab.com/

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreoNesticuscom/NewSpeciesPod

For some, roadkill is just roadkill. For one researcher, it was the start of a brand new career path.

Did you know that there is a group of animals that are legless like snakes and burrow through the ground like worms? Meet Caecilians, an amazing group of amphibians that just received 3 new species courtesy of Dr. Juan David Fernández and his team from Bogotá, Colombia. They examined specimens from the Cordillera Oriental to help piece together the story of Caecilian biodiversity in the Andes. Listen to this interview to learn about these unique creatures and what they can tell us about one of the most fascinating biodiversity hotspots in the world.

And in case you’re curious, the new species pictured here (Caecilia macrodonta) is aptly named- it has the largest dentary teeth of the entire genus!

Do you want to share your thoughts on the podcast? Please do so here:

https://forms.gle/fnXUuiNknRFadXWj6

We now have an instagram! Follow @NewSpeciesPodcast

Juan David Fernández’s paper “On the identities of Caecilia degenerata Dunn, 1942 and of C. corpulenta Taylor, 1968 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) with descriptions of three new species of Caecilia Linnaeus, 1758 from the Cordillera Oriental of Colombia” is in the January 5th edition of Zootaxa.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5227.2.3

New Species: Caecilia atelolepis, Caecilia epicrionopsoides, and Caecilia macrodonta

Episode image courtesy of Juan David Fernández

Follow Juan on instagram: @jdfernandezr

Or check out his researchgate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Juan-Fernandez-Roldan-2

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

'When it comes to ants,' Dr. Kiko Gómez says, 'it’s important to know what you don’t know.' The ant genus Pheidole contains over 1,000 species, and is found across the world. But what does it mean to find a new species in this genus? In this episode, Kiko shares his experience collecting and identifying Pheidole ants in the Ivory Coast. He tells us what it’s like to visit the amazing Taï National Park, how myrmecologists differentiate between worker, soldier, and other ant designations, and what makes his group of ants unique from the rest.

Do you want to share your thoughts on the podcast? Please do so here:

https://forms.gle/fnXUuiNknRFadXWj6

I really appreciate the responses, and I’m working hard to make them happen. Expect bonus content, episode transcripts, a website, and more coming soon. If you’d like to support the podcast, please consider giving us a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or supporting us on Patreon to get access to that bonus content. Even $1-2 a month really helps keep the podcast going!

https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Book mentioned: Journey to the Ants by Bert Hölldobler and E. O. Wilson

Found here: https://bookshop.org/p/books/journey-to-the-ants-a-story-of-scientific-exploration-edward-o-wilson/6711464?ean=9780674485266

Kiko Gómez’s paper Pheidole klaman sp. nov.: a new addition from Ivory Coast to the Afrotropical pulchella species group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae, Myrmicinae) is in the June 20th 2022 issue of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1104.81562

New Species: Pheidole klaman

Episode image courtesy of Kiko Gomez

Find Kiko on Instagram: @netodejulilla

Virtual 3D data of the major worker holotype (CASENT0764691) and two minor worker paratypes (CASENT0764692 & CASENT0745509) can be found on Dryad (doi: 10.5061/dryad.mpg4f4r1k)

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Have you ever heard of Mud Dragons? They’re actually a group of marine invertebrates that can be found in oceans across the globe. And, as Dr. María Herranz tells us in this interview, collecting and processing them is a unique challenge. Listen in to find out how a piece of copy paper and Madonna in the early 90s are connected to these fascinating creatures!

María Herranz’s paper “Expanding the Echinoderes coulli group (Kinorhyncha: Cyclorhagida) with a new species from the Chuuk Islands, Micronesia” is in Volume 302 of Zoologischer Anzeiger.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcz.2022.11.010

New Species: Echinoderes inaequalis

Episode image courtesy of María Herranz

Follow María on twitter: @Maríaherranz___

Check out María’s website: https://www.Maríaherranzm.com/

And visit the Natural History Museum of Denmark’s Collections Portal: https://collections.snm.ku.dk/en

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

The frogs are back! In a year of episodes rich in amphibians, New Species rounds out 2022 with Dr. Mark Scherz and his paper describing 20 new species of frogs from Madagascar. This paper has everything! Barcode fishing, large-scale scientific collaboration, and plenty of fascinating frog facts. The real question I should have asked Mark is how he became an expert in Brygoomantis calls - as you’ll hear in this episode, he’s very accomplished.

Do you want to share your thoughts on the podcast? Please do so here: https://forms.gle/fnXUuiNknRFadXWj6

Mark Scherz’s paper “An inordinate fondness for inconspicuous brown frogs: integration of phylogenomics, archival DNA analysis, morphology, and bioacoustics yields 24 new taxa in the subgenus Brygoomantis (genus Mantidactylus) from Madagascar” is in Volume 7 Issue 2 of Megataxa.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.11646/megataxa.7.2.1

New Species: M. ambohimitombi marefo, M. ambohimitombi miloko, M. mahery, M. steinfartzi, M. incognitus, M. jonasi, M. katae, M. kortei, M. riparius, M. fergusoni, M. georgei, M. jahnarum, M. marintsoai, M. grubenmanni, M. gudrunae, M. augustini, M. bletzae, M. brevirostris, M. eulenbergeri, M. glosi., M. stelliger, M. manerana, M. manerana fotaka, and M. manerana antsanga.

Episode image (M. stelliger) courtesy Miguel Vences

Find Mark on twitter: @MarkScherz

Or on Mastedon: @MarkScherz @EcoEvo.social

Or how about Tumblr: MarkScherz.tumblr.com

Or check out his website: MarkScherz.com

Mark’s other content includes:

Anatomy Insights: www.youtube.com/AnatomyInsights

Squamates Podcast: http://squamatespod.com/

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

In part 3 of Taxonomy Basics, Marc Milne of the University of Indianapolis tells us all about the process of identifying and publishing new species. He has tips and tricks for microscope work, finding online resources, and many other facets of the description process.

Marc is a spider taxonomist and ecologist who specializes in several different groups including Linyphiids and Nesticids. He is also a professor of Biology, and teaches classes that include ecology and genetics. 

Taxonomy Basics is a three part series on basic components of species description including collecting, preserving, and describing new species. This series focuses on entomological specimens, but has concepts that work across disciplines. Listen in as Evan Waite, Ashleigh Whiffin, and Marc Milne share their guidelines and discuss important concepts in taxonomy, curation, and beyond. 

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Marc Milne - Transcript

Episode image credit: Marshal Hedin

Follow Marc on twitter: @forthespiders

Resources mentioned in this episode include: 

The World Spider Catalog: https://wsc.nmbe.ch/

Spiders of North America: https://press.princeton.edu/books/paperback/9780691175614/spiders-of-north-america

Salticidae of the World: https://www.jumping-spiders.com/

American Arachnological Society Website State-by-State Guide: https://www.americanarachnology.org/about-arachnids/arachnid-orders/

LinEpig: https://linepig.fieldmuseum.org/

All Bugs Go to Kevin (Facebook Group): https://www.facebook.com/groups/AllBugsGoToKevin

iNaturalist: www.iNaturalist.org

BugGuide: https://bugguide.net/

Some scientists to learn from online:

The Bug Chicks: https://www.thebugchicks.com/

Entomologia Asturias (Christian Pertegal): https://www.twitch.tv/entomologiaasturias

Entomology Abby: https://www.instagram.com/entomologyabby/?hl=en

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

It’s possible that you’ve heard about a new species of bee from Western Australia that has a snout like a dog. But did you know it specializes on just a few species of plant from the Fabaceae (legume) family? And how did it get named L. zephyr? And what does it mean to be a “plasterer bee?” Hear about all of this and more as we get a behind the scenes look into the wonderful world of native bees with Dr. Kit Prendergast.

Kit Prendergast’s paper “Leioproctus zephyr, an oligolectic new bee species with a distinctive clypeus” is in Volume 93 of the Journal of Hymenoptera Research.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/jhr.93.85685

New Species: Leioproctus zephyr

Episode image courtesy of Kit Prendergast

Follow Kit onTwitter: @BeeBabette

Or on Instagram: @bee.babette_performer

Kit also has Facebook: @The Buzz on Wild Bees

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Imagine this: you’re hiking in the savannah of western Angola when you spot the silhouette of a gecko in the brush. You pick it up, expecting to find your old friend Kolekanos plumicaudus, a little brown patterned gecko with a feather-like tail. But when you look at this gecko, its tail is entirely different, spines instead of feathery plumes. When his colleague brought him the first four specimens, Javier Lobon Rovira knew immediately that they had found a new species. Listen in as he shares his tips for finding geckos, how special this species is to him, and how important it is to give attention to understudied areas like the Angolan savannah.

Javier Lobon Rovira’s paper “A new species of feather-tailed leaf-toed gecko, Kolekanos Heinicke, Daza, Greenbaum, Jackman, Bauer, 2014 (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from the poorly explored savannah of western Angola” is in the November 2nd issue of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1127.84942

New Species: Kolekanos spinicaudus

Episode image courtesy of Javier Lobon Rovira

Check out Javier’s stunning photography! www.javierlobonrovira.com

Follow Javier on Instagram: @javilbn_wildphotography

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

You’ve probably seen these organisms before. They’re green, shiny, and “quite nervous” according to Dr. Marc Pollet, who has been studying Dolichopodidae, long-legged flies, for decades. But there’s so much more to this group than what meets the eye. Take a deep dive into the fascinating world of flies with Marc, and learn a secret or two about the beauty of taxonomy, the importance of names, and what might be waiting to be discovered in your own backyard.

Dr. Marc Pollet’s paper “Discovery of a Lineage of Soil-Dwelling Medetera Species with Multi-Coloured Eyes in Southern Europe” can be found in volume 13 issue 11 of Insects.

An open access link is available here: https://doi.org/10.3390/insects13111012

New Species: Medetera aglaops, Medetera corsicana, Medetera gibbosipyga, Medetera hispanica, Medetera lusitana, Medetera parva, and Medetera rectipyga.

Episode image courtesy of Andreas Stark

Find Marc’s work on his INBO Page: https://pureportal.inbo.be/en/persons/marc-pollet

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Many parts of the world are celebrating all things spooky this time of year, and spiders are getting their time to shine. Whether you’re a spider lover or not, you have to admit that spiders have some stunning diversity and fascinating natural history.

To celebrate that, this is a re-release of an episode we originally published on February 9th of 2021. It’s a wonderful interview with Dr. Rosemary Gillespie who studies “Happy Face Spiders,” spiders from the Hawaiian Islands with unique colors and patterns. Dr. Gillespie is a professor of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, professor in the Division of Insect Biology, and Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology at the University of California - Berkeley. She and Brian, creator of the podcast, discuss why these spiders are called Happy Face spiders, how they got to Hawaii, and why they are important in the Hawaiian ecosystem.

Rosemary Gillespie’s paper “A happy family: systematic revision of the endemic Theridion spiders of the Hawaiian Islands” is in the January 5th 2021 edition of Invertebrate Systematics.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1071/IS20001

To learn more about Dr. Gillespie, follow her on Twitter @Berkeley_Evolab or Instagram @berkeley.evolab. You can also check out her website at  https://vcresearch.berkeley.edu/faculty/rosemary-g-gillespie.

Follow the first author on the paper, Adrià Bellvert, on Twitter @AdriaBellvert, or follow the senior author, Dr. Miquel Arnedo, on Twitter @MiquelArnedo.

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Mud snakes may not look as exciting as some of their other snake relatives, but in this episode Dr. Justin Bernstein tells us just a few of the fascinating details he and his team have uncovered while studying them. How do you compare the genetic makeup of snake populations? Why should you turn off your headlamp while collecting in Mangrove forests? Learn all of this and more as Justin tells us stories from his travels and helps us unravel the mysteries of these fantastic snakes.

Justin Bernstein’s paper “Undescribed Diversity in a Widespread, Common Group of Asian Mud Snakes (Serpentes: Homalopsidae: Hypsiscopus)” is in Volume 110, Issue 3 of Ichthyology and Herpetology.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1643/h2022015

New Species: Hypsiscopus murphyi

Episode image courtesy of Bryan Stuart

Follow Justin on twitter: @JustBernstein

And check out his website: https://justinbernstein.org/

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Have you heard of snakes in the genus Atractus? They’re the largest snake genus in the world, and recently they received three new members found in an unexpected place. In this episode, Alejandro Arteaga shares the story of how he and his team found three new species of fossorial snakes in the Andes mountains of Ecuador, and what this discovery has to say about the conservation of biodiversity in this unique region of the world.

Alejandro Arteaga’s paper “Leaving no stone unturned: three additional new species of Atractus ground snakes (Serpentes, Colubridae) from Ecuador discovered using a biogeographical approach” is in the September 15th issue of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1121.89539

New Species: Atractus discovery, Atractus zgap, and Atractus michaelsabini

Episode image courtesy of Alejandro Arteaga

For more coverage of Ale and his work, check out the Khamai foundation’s press release: https://www.khamai.bio/news/three_new_ground_snakes.html

Follow Ale on instagram: @alejandroartheagath

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

New Species: Jakapil kaniukura

Did you know that there are still new dinosaurs being identified? In this episode, hear from Facundo Riguetti, a PhD student of the Universidad Maimónides-CONICET and a fellow of the Fundación de Historia Natural Félix de Azara, both in Buenos Aires. He'll tell us how his new species of dinosaur was collected, what makes it different from others of its clade, and even some theories on key morphological features which make it unique from other similar genera. It's the first of its kind to be found in South America, making it an especially important discovery!

Facundo Riguetti’s paper “A new Cretaceous thyreophoran from Patagonia supports a South American lineage of armoured dinosaurs” is in the August 11th issue of Scientific Reports, volume 12 article 11621.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-15535-6

New Species: Jakapil kaniukura (Riguetti, Apesteguía & Pereda-Suberbiola)

Episode image courtesy of Facundo Riguetti

And a bonus! Facundo's new species has been imagined to life through an animation by Gabriel Díaz Yanten, Mauricio Alvarez, and Lautaro Rodríguez Blanco. Watch their clip below, and follow @PaleoGDY on twitter or the artists on instagram for more of their work.

Animation: https://twitter.com/PaleoGDY/status/1557819385946988544?s=20&t=wa4k41TzTZk8WZLLYf_6PA

https://www.instagram.com/lautarorodriguezblanco/ (Lautaro Rodríguez Blanco; sculpture)  

https://www.instagram.com/paleogdy/ (Gabriel Díaz Yanten; 3D models and renders)

https://www.instagram.com/mauricio_alvarez_art/ (Mauricio Alvarez; illustration and skin of models)

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom).

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

 What's an ambrosia beetle? How do you go about finding one? Learn all of this and more as we interview Dr. Rachel Osborn of the A.J. Cook Arthropod Research Collection at Michigan State University. She'll take us on an adventure with a tribe of beetles about the size of a grain of rice, and reveal a newly-discovered clue to their evolutionary history.

Dr. Rachel Osborn’s paper “New Xyleborine (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) Genus With an Afrotropical-Neotropical Distribution” is in Volume 6, Issue 4 of Insect Systematics and Diversity. 

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixac016

New Species: Xenoxylebora pilosa, Xenoxylebora addenda, Xenoxylebora calculosa, Xenoxylebora hystricosa, Xenoxylebora serrata, and Xenoxylebora sulcata (Osborn, Smith & Cognato).

Episode Image courtesy of Rachel Osborn

If you would like to learn more about Dr. Osborn and her work, you can follow her on twitter @rachelkosborn

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom). 

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Dilian Georgiev is an Associate Professor in the department of Ecology and Environmental Protection at The Paisii Hilendarski University of Plovdiv. In this episode, he tells Zoe about his recent paper in volume 44 of Historia naturalis bulgarica, in which he and his coauthors describe a new species of spring-snail from the Belasitsa Mountains in South-West Bulgaria. He describes spring-snail evolution, tells us some stories about caving, and shares some wise words about the importance of conservation.

The title of the paper is "Bythinella fabiae n. sp., a new spring-snail species (Gastropoda: Rissooidea) from the Belasitsa Mountains, South-West Bulgaria."

The paper can be found here: https://doi.org/10.48027/hnb.44.041

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), like the podcast page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast), and music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom). If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPodcast

Dr. Derek Hennen works for the Virginia Department of Agriculture as the Slow the Spread Coordinator monitoring the spongy moth populations in the state. He talks to co-host Brian Patrick about his paper inthe April 15th issue of ZooKeys in which he and his coauthors describe 17 new species of millipedes from the eastern United States. We discuss this massive work on millipedes from eastern US, and particularly the group restricted to the Appalachians, how to find millipedes, and how a species named after Taylor Swift got its name!

The title of the paper is “A revision of the wilsoni species group in the millipede genus NannariaChamberlin, 1918 (Diplopoda, Polydesmida, Xystodesmidae).” The paper is currently available here: https://zookeys.pensoft.net/article/73485/

To learn more about Derek, follow him on Twitter, @derekhennen, or his millipede account, @DearMillipede.

Ricardo Bassini-Silva is an acarologist and post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Pathology at the Universidade Estadual Paulista in Saő Paulo, Brazil. In this episode, he tells us about the new genus of mites he and his coauthors have published in their recent paper in the April issue of the Journal of the Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington. We discuss the diversity of mites, the process of taxonomic reclassification, and the wonderful world of ectoparasitism.

The title of the paper is “A New Genus for Euschoengastia chisosensis Wrenn, Baccus, and Loomis, 1976 (Trombidiformes: Trombiculidae).” The paper is currently available here: https://doi.org/10.4289/0013-8797.123.4.693

To learn more about Ricardo Bassini-Silva and his work, follow him on instagram @RicardoBassini.

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), like the podcast page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast), and music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom).

If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPodcast

In part 2 of Taxonomy Basics, Ashleigh Whiffin of National Museums Scotland brings us into the entomology collection to learn the fundamentals of curation and preservation, including which pins to use, the importance of collection data, and much more.

Ashleigh is responsible for the care and development of a collection of 2.5 million insect specimens. She is particularly interested in collections care and science communication, and is a coleopterist, specializing in Carrion beetles (Silphidae). In the UK, she works with the Biological Records Centre to co-organise a National Recording Scheme for Carrion Beetles, promoting the importance of the group and encouraging more people to record them. In 2020, she co-authored an atlas on Silphids and Histerids and has featured on national TV, sharing her passion for these beetles.

Ashleigh recently helped develop a new training resource hosted on the National Museums Scotland website:

https://www.nms.ac.uk/about-us/our-services/training-and-guidance-for-museums/caring-for-entomology-collections/ 

This self-guided resource is an introduction to Caring for Entomology Collections, covering the basics through a combination of videos and text, as well as links for where to go for additional information. 

Taxonomy Basics is a three part series on basic components of species description including collecting, preserving, and describing new species. This series focuses on entomological specimens, but has concepts that work across disciplines. Listen in as Evan Waite, Ashleigh Whiffin, and Marc Milne share their guidelines and discuss important concepts in taxonomy, curation, and beyond. 

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Ashleigh Whiffin - Transcript

Episode image credit: Molly Wilders

Connect with Ashleigh on Instagram/Threads: @ash_whiffin

X: @AshWhiffin

BlueSky: @ashwhffin.bsky.social

More info here: https://www.nms.ac.uk/collections-research/collections-departments/natural-sciences/meet-the-team/ashleigh-whiffin/ 

Places to be involved in virtual curation and other citizen science projects:

https://www.zooniverse.org/

https://scistarter.org/

https://transcription.si.edu/

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at NewSpeciesPodcast@gmail.com

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Kaila Pearson just graduated with her Master’s from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego. She’s here today to talk to me about her paper in the April 22nd issue of Zootaxa in which she and her coauthor describe three new species of deep sea vampire worms. We discuss how life exists without any sunlight, how to collect worms that are a mile (or two!) deep in the ocean, the difference between a deep ocean vent and a seep, why they’re called vampire worms, and how these species got their names!

The title of the paper is “Vampire Worms: A revision of Galapagomystides (Phyllodocidae, Annelida), with the description of three new species.” The paper is currently available here: https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5128.4.1

To learn more about Kaila, follow her on Instagram, @kailacoconut.

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), like the podcast page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast), and music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom).

If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPodcast

Brogan Pett is our guests and he talks about his recent paper in which he and his coauthor describe a new species of spider from Madagascar in the March 14th issue of Zootaxa. Brogan is a doctoral researcher in the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at the University of Exeter in the UK. Additionally, Brogan serves as the research director of SpiDervERse, a workgroup of the Belgian nonprofit organization Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO). We discuss these unique spiders, their less explored habitat, and the incredible undescribed diversity of this group of spiders in Madagascar!

The title of the paper is “A new species of Copa (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae) from dry forests in the north west of Madagascar.” The paper is currently available here: https://www.mapress.com/zt/article/view/zootaxa.5115.2.7

To learn more about Brogan Pett, follow him on Twitter, @broganConBio, and follow the Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO), @BINCOnpo.

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), like the podcast page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast), and music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom).

If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPodcast

In this episode, Zoe interviews Germán Chávez, Associate Researcher at the Instituto Peruano de Herpetologia and the Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad in Lima, Peru. His newly described frog is in the paper “A needle in a haystack: Integrative taxonomy reveals the existence of a new small species of fossorial frog (Anura, Microhylidae, Synapturanus) from the vast lower Putumayo basin, Peru” in the February 16th issue of the Journal of Evolutionary Systematics. (Link: https://evolsyst.pensoft.net/article/80281/element/8/4930//).

Germán describes the special adaptations of fossorial frogs, the epic journey he and his team took to collect their first specimens, and how this special little frog was named by its community.

To learn more about Dr. Chávez and his work, follow his institutions on Twitter: Instituto Peruano de Herpetologia (@IPHperu) and the Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad in Lima (@PeruCORBIDIteam).

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), like the podcast page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast), and music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom).

If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPodcast

Zoe interviews Kris Helgen, Chief Scientist and Director of the Australian Museum Research Institute. They discuss how one species became three, what makes these animals unique, and what other questions scientists could ask about them in the future.

This paper is in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society’s February 2022 issue, “Across the great divide: revision of the genus Eupetaurus (Sciuridae: Pteromyini), the woolly flying squirrels of the Himalayan region, with the description of two new species.” A copy of the paper is available here: https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article/194/2/502/6287636

To learn more about Kris, follow him on Twitter: @khelgen

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies), like the podcast page on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast), and music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom).

If you would like to support this podcast: https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPodcast