It is said that between 11,000 and 58,000 animal and plant species irreversibly go extinct each year, but there is also good news: around 18,000 new species are described and named by taxonomists each year; this number includes extinct or fossilized organisms, as well as bacteria and viruses. Even in 2023, scientists have contributed to researching and documenting the biological diversity on our planet. Here is a small selection of newly discovered animals 2023:
Newly discovered mammals 2023
Although it happens infrequently, new mammal species are sometimes discovered. For instance, in 2023, scientists identified another species of Asian pangolins using illegally traded scales: the new species bears the mysterious name Manis mysteria. As pangolin meat is internationally considered a delicacy, and their scales and other body parts are believed to have medicinal properties, the illegal trade in Asian pangolins is booming, and this new pangolin species is already threatened with extinction.
In the mountainous regions of eastern Turkey, two new mole species were discovered: Talpa hakkariensis and the subspecies Talpa davidiana tatvanensis. Both belong to the genus of Eurasian moles (Talpa), which currently includes a total of 18 species; the most well-known is probably the European mole (Talpa europaea). What makes these two new species special is their adaptation to extreme temperature fluctuations due to their underground lifestyle, as they live in an area where temperatures can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius in the summer, while in winter, the ground is covered with a thick layer of snow.
New discovery in Brazil: Oecomys jamari
Oecomys, a genus of rodents from Central and South America, have gained a new species, as Oecomys jamari was recently discovered in the states of Pará and Rondônia, one of the most heavily deforested regions of Brazil. Oecomys jamari is distinguishable from other species in the genus by its fur color and specific skull features. With a body length of just 9.7 centimeters, this rice rat species is relatively small. The newly discovered species contributes to the understanding of the taxonomy of the genus and increases the number of known Oecomys species to 20. It is found in one of the least studied regions of the Amazon Basin – the center of endemism in Rondônia. The animals there are only found in a defined geographic area, bounded to the north by the Amazon River, to the east by the Tapajós, and to the west by the Madeira River.
The discovery of the Nariño cat: A new species of wildcat from Colombia
The discovery of a new species of wildcat, the Nariño cat (Leopardus narinensis), is quite spectacular. It was described in 2023 based on a single pelt collected in Colombia in 1989. Initially classified as an ocelot skin, this pelt had been stored for many years in the biological collection of the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute in Colombia. In 2001, evolutionary biologist Manuel Ruiz-García came to examine Jaguar and Puma fur patterns and noticed this particular skin. He immediately recognized it as a new species: its base color is redder, the body is shorter and sturdier, the head rounder and broader, the face flatter, and the fur denser and woollier than any other known wildcat species.
After other experts on South American cats also failed to identify the skin, Ruiz-García spent two decades studying this hitherto unknown species from the small cat subfamily (Felinae), before publishing his initial description in 2023. Genetic analyses in this description confirmed that the DNA of the Nariño cat indeed differs from that of other cat species.
The skin of the Nariño cat was collected in 1989 at the Galeras Volcano in the Southern Colombian Andes at an altitude of 3,100 meters above sea level – a region known for its high degree of endemism due to its isolated location. Since the Nariño cat has not been captured by any of the camera traps in use in Southern Colombia since 2018, the newly discovered species may be endangered or even already extinct.
Newly discovered birds 2023
In 2023, there weren’t many newly discovered bird species, but scientists identified a remarkable characteristic in two widespread species in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea: both the regent whistler (Pachycephala schlegelii) and the rufous-naped bellbird (Aleadryas rufinucha) carry poisonous feathers. The regent whistler has a striking yellow belly, and the rufous-naped bellbird has a red patch on an otherwise dark nape. The feathers of these birds contain batrachotoxin, a potent neurotoxin known from poison dart frogs. It is likely that the birds acquire the toxin through their diet. For humans, these birds are not dangerous due to the low toxin concentration of less than one nanogram per milligram of feather material, yet contact with them should be avoided as it can cause skin and mucous membrane irritation. Researchers in the study suspect that the two bird species use the toxin to kill parasites.
Newly discovered fish 2023
The genus Labeo is a species-rich genus of carp fish found in Africa and Southeast Asia. To date, more than 100 Labeo species have been described, with two additional species, Labeo mbimbii and L. manasseeae, added in 2023. These new species were discovered in the Lulua River in the Democratic Republic of Congo. With these additions, the total number of Labeo fish from the Lulua Basin has increased to 14 species, making the Lulua River a hotspot for Labeo diversity in the Congo Basin and across the African continent. Labeo mbimbii, reaching a size of about nine centimeters, and L. manasseeae, growing to about twelve centimeters, are considered small-sized carp fish.
New fish species discovered in South America and Southeast Asia
A new miniature catfish species from the Trichomycteridae family, described as Rhinotridens chromocaudatus, has been discovered in the river basin of the Rio Purus in the Amazon Basin in Brazil. This species is morphologically distinct from other fish in the Tridentinae subfamily, which consists exclusively of miniature catfishes: It features a dark brown pigmentation in the middle of the tail fin. This characteristic is also reflected in its species epithet chromocaudatus, with “cauda” from the Latin word for “tail” and “chroma” as a Latinized form for “color.” The small catfish species Rhinotridens chromocaudatus measures only about 1.8 centimeters in length.
Scientists have discovered another tiny fish species in the southeastern province of Indonesian Borneo: the largest specimens of Phenacostethus sikat reach only about 1.5 centimeters in length. This freshwater fish belongs to the Phallostethidae family, known as priapium fishes, where the males are distinguished by a unique reproductive organ (phallostethium) located at the throat or on the side of the head, a feature unique among fish. Phenacostethus sikat differs from related species in the characteristics of its mating organ. Additionally, the female fish of this newly described species lack pelvic fins.
Newly discovered reptiles 2023
Cyrtodactylus santana was not named after the musician Carlos Santana, but rather after the location where the researchers discovered the animal from the genus of bent-toed geckos: in caves of the Nino Konis Santana National Park in the Southeast Asian island state of East Timor. The bent-toed gecko, measuring over seven centimeters in length, is likely nocturnal and adapted to life in rocky limestone caves in the lowland rainforest. Researchers were unable to find any geckos in the vegetation surrounding the caves.
New discoveries in the world of snakes
In the rainforests of Panama, Ecuador, and the Andes, five new species of snail-eating snakes were discovered. One of them is named the DiCaprio snake (Sibon irmelindicaprioae), in honor of the mother of actor and environmental activist Leonardo DiCaprio. According to the initial description published in January 2023, the DiCaprio snake is the rarest of the newly discovered snake species. It is found only in a small area of the Chocó-Daríen rainforest on the border between Colombia and Panama. Since this non-venomous snake is arboreal, deforestation particularly affects it. Additionally, mining and illegal gold mining in the region have resulted in a reduction of its main food source.
In 2023, a new species of snake was also discovered in Zimbabwe, Africa: the Nyanga spitting cobra (Hemachatus nyangensis). Interestingly, this venomous cobra had been resting as a preserved specimen in the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe since 1982. Only recent morphological and genetic analyses revealed that it is not the commonly known spitting cobra but a species previously unknown. Regrettably, it is highly likely that this species has already become extinct, as the last known record of it dates back to 1988.
New amphibians discovered in 2023
In the highlands of central Vietnam, a new species of newt was discovered: the Ngoc Linh crocodile newt (Tylototriton ngoclinhensis). Due to its tiny distribution area and small population size, the species was immediately classified as threatened. The Ngoc Linh crocodile newt, belonging to the family of true salamanders (Salamandridae), is found at an altitude of over 1,800 meters, which is considered a record altitude for animals of this genus, as they typically inhabit areas around 250 meters in elevation. Moreover, this discovery represents the southernmost known distribution area of the crocodile newt genus. Additionally, Tylototriton ngoclinhensis impresses with its unique coloring: it is black with a brightly orange head, as well as orange stripes and spots on its back.
Two new frog species from Ecuador
The frog genus Pristimantis, with 603 currently described species, is the largest. The hotspot of diversity is concentrated in the Andes of Ecuador, Colombia, and Peru. Especially in Ecuador, a significant increase in the descriptions of new species of rain frogs has been observed in recent decades – often these are cryptic species that may not necessarily differ in appearance, but do differ genetically.
Two frog species discovered in 2023 in the Ecuadorian Andes are Pristimantis donnelsoni and Pristimantis kayi. These were long considered to be two known species (Pristimantis festae and P. gladiator) due to their visual similarities. Although both species are closely related, their distribution areas do not overlap at all, which is attributed to geographical features. In the initial description from September 2023, the research team highlights the importance of the Quijos and Pastaza rivers in species formation along the mountain slopes in the Andes of Ecuador.
Although not a rain frog, another species newly discovered and described in 2023 in Ecuador is the Rio Negro stream frog, or Tolkien frog (Hyloscirtus tolkieni), a strikingly colored tree frog. Scientists have so far found only a single specimen, a female, which makes it unclear whether this newly discovered frog species is already endangered, possibly by diseases such as chytridiomycosis. The green-gray, black-speckled Tolkien fFrog, measuring about 6.5 centimeters in size from the Ecuadorian cloud forest, was named after the author J.R.R. Tolkien, who gained worldwide fame with his fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.
Newly discovered insects 2023
Also belonging to cryptic species are the seven new species of walking leaves, a subfamily of stick insects, discovered in 2023: Phyllium iyadon from the Philippine island of Mindoro, Phyllium ortizi from the island of Mindanao, Phyllium samarense from the Philippine island of Samar, Pulchriphyllium heracles from Vietnam, Pulchriphyllium delislei from the island of Borneo, Pulchriphyllium bhaskarai from Java, and Pulchriphyllium anangu from southwestern India. Due to external characteristics, some specimens found in India were previously mistakenly identified as a species also present in Southeast Asia. However, through genetic analyses, researchers have now determined that they are indeed distinct species.
Describing walking leaves as new species presents a particularly complex challenge for scientists, as just detecting these insects is difficult: Due to their camouflage, which mimics leaf veins, leaf shapes, colors, or even damage spots on leaves, the insects are nearly indistinguishable from their surroundings. Moreover, they are mostly nocturnal and reside high up in trees, adding another layer of difficulty to their study and identification.
New wasp species discovered in Germany
The insect fauna of Germany is generally considered well-studied, yet there are so-called “dark taxa” such as many Diptera (flies) and parasitic Hymenoptera (wasps), which are often neglected not only in biodiversity research but also in conservation efforts. However, in 2023, during an expedition in a nature reserve near Tübingen, scientists discovered a new wasp species, Aphanogmus kretschmanni, named after Winfried Kretschmann, the Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg.
Aphanogmus kretschmanni is a parasitoid wasp species that lays its eggs inside other insects. Uniquely, this species has a series of spines on its abdomen. The scientists who described the species for the first time speculate that the spines act like a saw, allowing the wasp to open the surface of host insects to lay their eggs. Little is known about this newly discovered insect, as only one specimen has been found so far. However, it is clear that parasitoid organisms are particularly vulnerable due to their life cycle, which depends on host animals.
Other newly discovered invertebrates 2023
In the northern part of Karnataka, India, a new species of freshwater crab, Ghatiana sanguinolenta, was discovered. So far, this species is only known from its type locality. Its distinctive dark blood-red color makes this crab species easy to differentiate from others in the genus. This is also reflected in its species epithet sanguinolenta, which comes from Latin and means “red” or “blood-red.” Ghatiana sanguinolenta spends most of its time in water collected in tree trunks and shows increased activity during the rainy season. The red crab primarily feeds on insects and algae.
Semi-slug: A new discovery in Borneo’s rainforest
Everyone is familiar with snails that have shells and slug that lack shells, but semi-slug? In the tropical rainforest of Borneo, scientists discovered a semi-slug in 2023. This creature does carry a shell on its back, but it is too small for the animal to fully retract into; nevertheless, the fingernail-sized house made of rudimentary shells still serves as protection. The species with the uninhabitable snail house has been named Microparmarion sallehi. To date, ten semi-slug species from the genus Microparmarion are known. These crepuscular and nocturnal snails are found in the cool forests of the Borneo mountains.
Just one of many newly discovered spiders
Australia is well-known for its diversity of spiders. In 2023, a new, particularly impressive trapdoor spider was described in the state of Queensland: Euoplos dignitas. The species, found in forested areas, is roughly the size of an average human hand including its legs, with males being larger and significantly more colorful than females. Trapdoor spiders live in underground tunnels and stretch spider silk like a trapdoor at their tunnel entrance. If another animal touches the threads, the spider snaps. The newly discovered spider is already considered endangered, as it has lost a large portion of its habitat due to deforestation.
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