Record: A swarm of 12.5 trillion locusts The correct biological term for animals that form large groups is “swarm,” but when it comes to large assemblies of migratory locusts, the term “plague” is used because they not only migrate but also devastate entire regions. Migratory locusts differ from ordinary grasshoppers
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Loss in the USA: Key Largo Tree Cactus Eradicated by Climate Change
Scientists have documented the first local extinction of a species caused by climate change and the associated rise in sea levels. The up-to-seven-meter-tall Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii), which was found only in the Florida Keys in the USA, has disappeared. The rare tree-like cactus species has gone extinct
Continue readingChestnut casebearer moth
Chestnut blight from East Asia devastated more than just the American chestnut The American chestnut casebearer moth relied on the native American chestnut (Castanea dentata) for survival. This hardwood tree was the sole host plant for its larvae, ultimately leading to the highly specialized moth species’ downfall. Once one of
Continue readingUla-ai-hawane
The Hawaiian Islands once hosted 57 species of honeycreepers Honeycreepers (Drepanidini), a tribe within the finch family (Fringillidae), are found only on the Hawaiian Island chain. Honeycreepers are closely related as sister species to the rosefinches (Carpodacus), yet many species have developed characteristics that differ from those of finches. Honeycreepers
Continue readingYellow-tipped Oahu tree snail
Hawaii’s first scientifically described snail The yellow-tipped Oahu tree snail Achatinella apexfulva is not only the first scientifically described snail of the Hawaiian archipelago but also the first officially declared extinct. The species was first described in 1789 by British sailor and explorer George Dixon, who acquired a traditional necklace
Continue readingAinsworth’s salamander
Last seen in 1964: Plethodon ainsworthi, sp. nov. Ainsworth’s salamander is known only from two specimens collected by biologist Jackson Harold Ainsworth in 1964, two miles south of Bay Springs in Jasper County, Mississippi. Ainsworth initially assumed that these individuals were Northern slimy salamanders (Plethodon glutinosus). However, more than 30
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