Inhabitants of "Professor Schwarzengold"

Every year on May 23, the entire progressive and conservative biological community celebrates the birthday of Carl Linnaeus . And not some banal drunkenness or conferences. But who knows, biologists? May be so. However, for several years now this day has been celebrated in Arizona in the most original way.

Every year, hundreds of extant and extinct animal species are described in scientific journals, and each year the International Institute for Species Exploration at the University of Arizona selects the top ten from these hundreds. TrV-Nauka has already written about the top 10 species - 2010 (No. 55), 2011 (No. 88) and 2012. A year has passed, and another ten-seater ark sets sail across the pages of the media and blog posts. It's time for the top 10 of 2013 (that is, species described in 2012). This year, the organizers of the competition, like last year, kindly marked the locations of species discovery on Google maps. So, let's go. Sorry, let's swim.

1. Viola lilliputana

These violets grow in the Peruvian Andes. They first came to the attention of botanists back in the 1960s, but were described only in 2012. The name of the flower speaks for itself - the entire plant fits on a one-cent coin. True, we didn’t seem to meet the Lilliputians themselves. Maybe they just stepped on?

2. Chondrocladia lyra

No, this is not the skeleton of a Kremlin star. It's not even a starfish. This is a carnivorous lyre-shaped sponge discovered at a depth of 3399 meters in the northeast Pacific Ocean. This sponge needs “ribs” in order to increase its own surface area for more plankton to be filtered. Well, Lyra also loves to eat well - it’s fitting for a poet to be hungry.

3. Cercopithecus lomamiensis

This African monkey is well known to the Congolese under the name lesula. However, it came to the attention of scientists for the first time. Apparently, it made it into the top 10 species because it is only the second species of monkey to be discovered in Africa in 28 years (the first was discovered in 2003).

4. Sibon noalamina

The snake is "not in the mine." This cute and harmless snake lives in Panama and preys on earthworms, snails and slugs. And it escapes from dangerous animals by mimicking a coral adder. Unfortunately, mining is destroying the habitat of this snake. So its name comes from the Spanish No a la mina - “not into the mine.”

5. Ochroconis lascauxensis

No, we are not talking about the ancient animals depicted in the drawings of ancient people in the Lascaux cave (France). But about small living creatures that pose a threat to rock art. In 2001, black streaks began to appear on the rock paintings. This is the fungus Ochroconis lascauxensis . Yes, he also amazes people. Modern.

6. Paedophryne amanuensis

The unusual nature of this frog, discovered in 2006 in Papua New Guinea, is described in three words: The Smallest Vertebrate. Plus photos - and comments are unnecessary.

7. Eugenia petrikensis

This shrub, discovered in Madagascar, is actually notable for several characteristics. Firstly, it is large enough to be discovered earlier (up to two meters in height), secondly, it is evergreen, and thirdly, it is endangered. Well, then, in the list of the top 10 for recent years there is a lyre (almost a piano), but no bushes.
Not good.

8. Lucihormetica luckae

This is not Wall-E's girlfriend. This is a firefly. The individual was discovered in 1999, but biologists apparently spent a damn dozen years recovering from what they saw before they were able to describe anything.

9. Semachrysa jade

And this lacewing is a sign of the times, which shows that it is possible to discover a new species not only in tropical forests and deserts, but also on the Internet. A photographer took a photo of a beautiful insect and posted it on Flickr. And the entomologist saw it and realized that this was a new species.

10. Juracimbrophlebia ginkgofolia

Look how beautifully these mosquitoes - living fossils from the order Oteoptera - camouflage themselves as gingko leaves!

Beauty is also a reason to get into the top 10. And rare.