2023 Unveiled: From a Legless Lizard to Countless New Species
Scientists made remarkable discoveries in 2023, unveiling nearly 1,000 new species Among these finds were pest-controlling wasps, a fascinating legless lizard, enigmatic plants, and groundbreaking insights into our past
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In the year marking the 50th anniversary of the US Endangered Species Act, important discoveries have been made. The Act has played a crucial role in saving numerous species, but there are still a million more at risk due to human-driven activities such as habitat destruction, climate change, and pollution. Scott Sampson, executive director of the California Academy of Sciences, emphasized the need to document Earth's living diversity in order to protect it, and expressed the Academy's commitment to being part of this global effort.
have been discovered among the 968 new species, along with unique dinosaurs, extinct creatures, beetles, moths, sea slugs, geckos, fish, frogs, spiders, plants, fungi, and worms. Additionally, a legless skink was also identified.
2023 might be remembered by scientists as the year of the wasp. Out of the 815 new species documented by researchers at the Natural History Museum, 619 were diverse varieties of pollinating, predatory, and parasitic wasps.
Dalek nationi is a new species of wasp from Costa Rica named after the Daleks from the British TV series "Doctor Who" and their creator Terry Nation.
John Noyes/Natural History Museum
Dr. John Noyes and Christer Hansson, scientific associates at the Natural History Museum, have significantly increased the number of discoveries through their ongoing research in Costa Rica to uncover bees, ants, and wasps. They emphasized the importance of describing new species, as it can have a profound influence on their environment and without proper identification, conveying information about these species would be impossible.
The new wasp species display a range of metallic colors such as blue, purple, and orange. In a nod to the British television series "Doctor Who" celebrating its 60th year in 2023, Noyes named a genus of wasp after the show's fictional mutant villains, the Daleks, and their creator. Despite their reputation as nuisances with stingers, wasps play a beneficial role in controlling populations of pests that can harm agricultural crops.
"Over the past six decades, three species have played a crucial role. One prevented the potential starvation of up to 300 million people in Africa, another halted the destruction of the rainforest in Thailand, and the third saved Togo from an economic collapse," Noyes stated.
A newly discovered species of legless lizard was spotted moving stealthily along the slopes of Serra da Neve, the second-highest peak in Angola. These legless lizards, also known as skinks, bear a strong resemblance to snakes and are adept at concealing themselves among the foliage on the forest floor as they search for insects and other small creatures.
Colorado checkered whiptail triploid female, Aspidoscelis neotesselata
Carina Kusaka
This lizard species stress-eats to cope with noisy US Army aircraft
Skinks differ from snakes in that they have external ear openings and movable eyelids, according to the Virginia Zoo.
Most skinks have a consistent color, but the recently named Acontias mukwando stands out with a distinctive pink band around its neck.
Serra da Neve offers a one-of-a-kind ecosystem for rare plants and animals that are exclusive to the isolated peak. Situated on the northern border of the Namib Desert, the mountain boasts a cool and humid environment.
"Every new species we discover on this mountain and similar ones serves as proof that these places warrant conservation efforts," stated research associate Aaron Bauer from the Academy of Sciences. "The fact that we are still uncovering new species on these isolated islands shows that it's not too late to ensure their protection."
Researchers from the National Polytechnic Institute in Durango, Mexico, collaborated with Academy of Sciences scientists to investigate a unique succulent found in the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range.
This particular plant, known to the local Odam Indigenous community, grows on the cliffsides with its distinctive bald leaves and stems. Referred to as danpakal by the Odam people, the name translates to bald, naked, or slippery in their language.
Pachyphytum odam is a succulent that grows out of steep cliffsides.
The succulent plant Pachyphytum odam was named by researchers to preserve its connection to the local community living on the land where it is found. This way, the plant's significance to the area is maintained.
Scientists have recently rectified a long-standing case of misidentification concerning a flowering plant in Costa Rica. For over 150 years, it was mistaken for a species found in Mexico that closely resembles it. The newly identified plant, known as Stenostephanus purpureus, has been distinguished as a separate species from the Stenostephanus silvaticus found in Mexico. Notably, the flowers of the two plants differ in color, and the Costa Rican plant is distinctive for lacking a flat petal that typically serves as a landing pad for butterflies and other insects during pollen collection. Instead, it is believed that Stenostephanus purpureus is mainly pollinated by hummingbirds.
revealed that I had never questioned the accuracy of the identification of the Costa Rican specimens until I directly compared them with images of living plants from Mexico," stated Ricardo Kriebel, a researcher at the Academy of Sciences. "The distinctions between the two are barely noticeable when dealing with preserved, dried specimens."
Natural History Museum researchers have recently unveiled four newly identified species of extinct birds through the examination of fossils, some of which date back to the time of dinosaurs. Among the most fascinating findings of the year was the discovery of Kumimanu fordycei, the largest penguin to have ever roamed the Earth. These flightless birds inhabited the planet 60 million years ago and tipped the scales at an estimated 330 pounds (150 kilograms).
An illustration shows the giant penguin Kumimanu fordycei, which lived about 60 million years ago.
Simone Giovanardi/Natural History Museum
A new species of armored dinosaur was discovered on the Isle of Wight, also known as Dinosaur Island, making it one of the top locations for finding dinosaur fossils in the United Kingdom. The ankylosaur, named Vectipelta barretti, lived on the island 140 million years ago and was named in honor of Natural History Museum professor Paul Barrett.
Brian Hynek
Hidden network of lagoons discovered, containing living fossils resembling those from over 3 billion years ago.
"Paul is highly influential in our field," stated Dr. Susannah Maidment, a paleontologist at the museum who examined the new species. "He is well-known and has made significant contributions to the field. His impact on all of our careers is immense, and we wanted to show our gratitude. Therefore, we chose to name a small, slow-moving, spikey organism after him."
An ancient fungus was named after the beloved children's book author and illustrator Beatrix Potter by researchers. Named Potteromyces asteroxylicola, this 400-million-year-old fungus was discovered infecting the roots of fossilized plants, making it the oldest known disease-causing fungus. Alongside her famous Peter Rabbit books, Potter was also passionate about mycology and dedicated her time to studying and illustrating fungi in great detail.
