List of new species discovered - Aug 17

This page lists the new species of plants and animals discovered. The list is based on newspaper reports and will be updated till end of this month.

Mesosticta davidattenboroughi - A type of damsel flies, shadowdamsels, named after Sir David Attenborough. Discovered from Burma. The hyperlink has a list of species named after David Attenborough.

Hundreds of potentially new species of fungi discovered in the deep coral ecosystem from the University of Hawaii researchers.

New species of Monkeyflower reported from Shetland, UK.

Capinatator praetermissus, a new genus and species of arrow worms (Chaetognaths).

New species of grass snake identified in England, says Guardian.

Xibalbaonyx oviceps, a new species of giant sloth discovered from Mexico.

Cycas pschannae and Cycas dharmrajii are two new Cycas species discovered from India, taking the total number of species in India to 14.

New Species of Ocean Sunfish, the World’s Largest Bony Fish, discovered, says the Smithsonian magazine.

Reinwardtia glandulifera (Linaceae), a new species from Kachin State, northern Myanmar. Interestingly, Reinwardtia indica, yellow flax or pyoli, is a species of Linaceae found in the Himalayas, says Wikipedia.

Mercury in aquatic organisms can affect gene expression

Well known is the heavy metal Mercury's bioaccumulation in fishes and crabs. But a new study by University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, says that Mercury can affect the gene expression in algae found in aquatic ecosystems.

The researchers studied the set of all RNA molecules that controls gene expression using molecular biology tools in a species of algae known as Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The study says:

"...mercury disrupted the metabolism of algae, with numerous genes being deregulated, regardless
of whether the concentrations were comparable with those set by European environmental standards."

For more information, click here to read the study details.