Tuesday, June 2, 2015

Chicken from Hell, Cartwheeling spiders, and other new species

Each year, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry's International Institute for Species puts together the list of the Top 10 newly named species from the thousands discovered each year.  Some of the species include:

Chicken, but not from Hell (by N.A. Irlbeck, Bugwood.org)

  • Extinct feathered dinosaur called Anzu wyliei or "Chicken from Hell."  Oddly, it is called this because it was found in the Hell Creek Formation.
  • Moroccan flic-flac spider (Cebrennus rechenbergi) which, rather than running, will cartwheel away from threats at up to 2 m/s
  • Bone-house Wasp (Deuteragenia ossarium) constructs a nest with many cells in which one egg is laid in each cell.  The wasp will then hunt for a spider to put in the cell with the egg, to provide nutrition for the larva to eat upon hatching, and it seals the cell shut.  One cell will contain only a large amount of dead ants to serve as a chemical barrier and scent mask to protect the larvae.



To find out the rest of the species listed for 2015: ESF Top 10 New Species for 2015
To see past year's lists: Past Years Top 10 New Species