Linnaeus is the ‘Father of Taxonomy’ and his work in the mid-18th century was the beginning point for ‘modern’ naming and classification of plants and animals.

1. Eulophophyllum kirki, a species of katydid from Malaysia:

Eulophophyllum kirki was discovered while researchers were looking for tarantulas and snakes in Borneo.

The species is named for the photographer of the only known specimen, Peter Kirk.

Eulophophyllum kirki’s most striking feature is its use of color and mimicry to blend into the foliage.

The katydids are about 1.5 inches (4 cm) in length with the males uniformly green and females brilliant pink.

Eulophophyllum kirki is amazingly leaf-like in appearance, including hind legs that are smaller, yet similarly leaf-like in shape and detail.

Because it was discovered in a highly protected area, collecting permits could not be obtained and no specimens were collected. This creates the potential of confusion in the future as similar katydids are discovered and illustrates tensions between the advancement of science and well-intentioned regulations on collecting.

2. Potamotrygon rex, a species of freshwater stingray from Brazil:

Potamotrygon rex is blackish to blackish-brown in background color, with intense yellow to orange spots that, combined with its size, earn it the title ‘king.’

The type specimen is 43 inches (1.11 m) in length; large specimens may weigh up to 20 kg (44 pounds).

The species is endemic to the Tocantins River in Brazil and is among the 35% of the 350 documented fish species in this river that are found nowhere else on Earth.

The discovery of such a large and brightly colored ray highlights how incompletely we know fishes of the Neotropics.

3. The Sulawesi root rat (Gracilimus radix), a species of rat from Sulawesi, Indonesia:

The Sulawesi root rat dines on both plant and animal matter, making it unique among its strictly carnivorous relatives.

The species is known to sometimes feed on roots, and the species epithet ‘radix’ is derived from the Latin word for ‘root.’

The rat is most closely related to the Sulawesi water rat, with both belonging to a larger group, including shrew rats.

Found only on Sulawesi Island in Indonesia, the rat is small and slender, with gray-brown fur, rounded ears, and a sparsely haired tail.

4. Illacme tobini, a species of millipede from California, the United States:

Illacme tobini is the closest cousin of the leggiest animal on Earth, Illacme plenipes.

The species has ‘only’ 414 legs, compared to I. plenipes’ 750, yet, it has a similar complement of bizarre anatomical features.

In addition to notable legginess, Illacme tobini also has bizarre reduced mouthparts probably associated with a liquid diet, four legs modified to transfer sperm to females, silk-secreting hairs, and paired nozzles on each of its 100-plus segments that secrete a defense chemical of an unknown nature.

Long, thread-like — about an inch (2 cm) in length — and eyeless, the species boasts an ancient lineage dating from before the breakup of the supercontinent Pangaea more than 200 million years ago.

Discovered in Lange Cave in Sequoia National Park, it lives in minute fissures and cracks below the soil surface.

5. Eriovixia gryffindori, a species of spider from India:

Eriovixia gryffindori, less than a tenth of an inch (2 mm) long, takes its name from the bewitched Sorting Hat in J.K. Rowling’s beloved Harry Potter books.

The shape of the spider’s body – conical, with a jaunty bend at the narrow tip, is reminiscent of the hat first owned by the famed wizard Godric Gryffindor.

Eriovixia gryffindori is well camouflaged to resemble the dry, brown leaves among which it hides during the day.

Known from a single specimen, the species is believed to be nocturnal in forests of central Western Ghats, India, where evergreen and semi-evergreen vegetation is surrounded by deciduous trees.

The spider builds a vertical, orb-shaped web.

6. Pheidole drogon, a species of spiny ant from Papua New Guinea:

With their spiny backs reminding scientists of a dragon, Pheidole drogon is named for Drogon, the fierce black dragon commanded by Daenerys Targaryen in the epic fantasy, Game of Thrones.

Previously, large back spines were assumed to be a defense mechanism. However, microtomography — similar to medical CT scans — suggests at least some of the spines serve as a location for muscle attachment.

Major workers, or soldiers, have exceptionally large heads and mandibles used to crush seeds otherwise inedible to them.

Large heads require large muscles that must be anchored somewhere, such as the spines.

However, spines occur also in minor workers, with smaller heads, and not all spines are host to muscle attachment.

7. Scolopendra cataracta, a species of centipede from Laos, Thailand and Vietnam:

Scolopendra cataracta is black, has 20 pairs of legs and is up to 8 inches (20 cm) long.

It is the first species of centipede ever observed to be able to plunge into water and run along the bottom in much the same manner as it does on dry land. Its name, ‘cataracta,’ is Latin for ‘waterfall.’

Scolopendra cataracta, with its surprisingly adept swimming and diving abilities, was discovered under a rock but escaped into a stream where it rapidly ran to and hid under a submerged rock.

8. Solanum ossicruentum, a species of bush tomato from Australia:

Solanum ossicruentum is an upright, clonal shrub growing to 3-6.5 feet (1-2 m) tall, forking at about a third its height into two or three stems.

The fruit is a berry less than an inch (1.5-2.5 cm) in diameter.

When cut, its flesh oxidizes from whitish-green to blood red. Mature fruits change from light green to dark green, then chestnut brown, becoming leathery and bony hard. It is likely buzz pollinated by bees and the spiny fruits distributed in the fur of animals.

Solanum ossicruentum’s name was chosen with help from 150 seventh-grade life science students in Pennsylvania.

9. Telipogon diabolicus, a species of orchid from Colombia:

Considered critically endangered, Telipogon diabolicus is known only from southern Colombia where it is an epiphyte — a plant that grows harmlessly on another plant in moist, dwarf mountain forest.

The orchid is known only from one highly vulnerable location currently threatened by reconstruction of a road that will negatively impact its habitat.

There are about 3,600 species of orchids in Colombia alone, with hundreds of new species awaiting discovery.

10. Xenoturbella churro, a species of marine worm from the Gulf of California, Mexico:

Xenoturbella churro is a 4-inch (10 cm) long marine worm, one of half a dozen species now known in the genus.

The species is uniformly orange-pink in color with four deep longitudinal furrows that reminded the authors of a churro, a fried-dough pastry popular in Spain and Latin America.

These primitive creatures have a mouth, but no anus, and are a reminder of the amazing biodiversity found in the world’s oceans.

Xenoturbella churro is representative of a group of primitive worm-like animals that are the earliest branch in the family tree of bilaterally symmetrical animals, including insects and humans.

It was discovered deep in the Gulf of California, about 5,600 feet (1,722 m) below the surface.

Like some of its relatives, Xenoturbella churro is believed to feed upon mollusks, such as clams.

Source: Sci News