850 new species discovered in semi-arid Australia

October 6th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered seven new glow-in-the-dark mushroom species, increasing the number of known luminescent fungi species from 64 to 71. The discoveries also shed light on the evolution of luminescence, adding to the number of known lineages in the fungi 'family tree' where luminescence has been reported.

September 29th, 2009 SYDNEY - A report has found that one in five species of Australian mammals are at risk of extinction. According to www.news.co.au, of the 388 species of mammals found naturally in Australia, 78 are listed as vulnerable, endangered or extinct in the wild.

September 28th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Australian researchers have discovered 850 new species of invertebrates, which include various insects, small crustaceans, spiders, worms and many others, in underground water, caves and "micro-caverns" amid the harsh conditions of the Australian outback. The team, led by Professor Andy Austin (University of Adelaide), Dr Steve Cooper (South Australian Museum) and Dr Bill Humphreys (Western Australian Museum), has conducted a comprehensive four-year survey of underground water, caves and micro-caverns across arid and semi-arid Australia.

September 5th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Reports indicate that climate change may affect critical water resources that support prey for 75 migratory bird species in the Great Basin in the US. As climate change either freshens wetlands or drier weather makes them saltier, the distribution and availability of waterbird prey species may impact which waterbirds can use the wetlands and when.

August 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered a previously unknown species of predatory crustaceans in the Canary Islands, which have a head equipped with long antennae for eyes, powerful prehensile limbs and poisonous fangs. The species was found by an international team of scientists and cave divers in the Tunnel de la Atlantida, the world's longest submarine lava tube on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands.

August 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - An international team of scientists has discovered an extinct rodent species, based on fossil tooth remains found in Alborache, Valencia, which is the oldest find within this genus in the world. The small number of Eomyops noeliae fossils found has prevented the scientists from the University of Valencia (UV), who have led this research study, from being able to gain a full picture of this "new" rodent.

July 28th, 2009 LONDON - A new survey has indicated that two thirds of all species of freshwater crab maybe at risk of going extinct, with one in six species particularly vulnerable. According to a report by BBC News, the study, which is the first global assessment of the extinction risk for any group of freshwater invertebrates, makes freshwater crabs among the most threatened of all groups of animals assessed so far.

July 23rd, 2009 MUMBAI - A new lizard species has been discovered in the Western Ghats, near Kolhapur in Maharashtra, and been appropriately named - Cnemaspis Kolhapurensis. It was discovered by scientists of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) with help from experts of Villanova University, USA, an official said Thursday.

July 9th, 2009 LONDON - A striking new species of lungless salamander has been found living in a small stream in the Appalachian foothills of the US. According to a report by BBC News, the salamander, scientifically known as 'Urspelerpes brucei', is so distinct that it's been classified within its own genus, a taxonomic grouping that usually includes a host of related species.

July 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL), US, gives important new information on how plants can change "nitrogen cycling" to gain nitrogen and how this allows plant species to invade and take over native plants. In the research, UNL biologist Johannes Knops has demonstrated how one invasive plant species replaces native species because of its ability to take up and hold on to nitrogen.

June 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered a unique species of a thumb-sized bat in a volcanic island in Africa's Comoros chain. According to a report in National Geographic News, weighing just 0.2 ounce (5 grams), the bat is a unique species, as confirmed by a DNA analysis later on.

June 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered a new species of phallus-shaped mushrooms on the African island of Sao Tome. The new species of stinkhorn mushroom, dubbed 'Phallus drewesii', is two inches long, grows on wood, and is shaped like a phallus.

June 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A biologist has discovered a pink-winged moth in the Chiracahua Mountains in the US, which is an entirely different species from an entirely different family. The moth was found by University of Arizona biologist Bruce Walsh, who is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology.

June 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has indicated that African bird species could struggle to relocate to survive global warming because natural features of the landscape will limit where they can move to. As the global climate changes, some land bird species will be forced to move to new habitats, expanding and shifting their natural geographical 'range', in order to maintain suitable living conditions.

March 18th, 2009 SYDNEY - An ecologist has said that large herbivores like elephants need to be introduced in regions such as Australia and South America, which would help save threatened native plants. According to a report by ABC News, Professor Chris Johnson, of James Cook University, Far North Queensland, Australia, ecologist has called for the introduction of elephants into South America and the creation of Pleistocene parks across the world.