A unique sea creature with panda-like markings and a skeleton-like body has been officially identified as a new species, Clavelina ossipandae. Discovered inhabiting the waters around Kumejima Island in Okinawa Prefecture, this enigmatic creature captured the attention of scientists after the initial online buzz, according to the researchers' press release. New species confirmed: New research, led by third-year doctoral student Naohiro Hasegawa from Hokkaido University, involved the collection of specimens and further analysis of the creature's morphology and DNA.
The new worm species was discovered in the soil of a longan tree. Click to read more. A new worm species that kills insects was discovered in the soil of a longan tree in the Mueang Lamphun District, Thailand.
Context: Risk assessments currently undertaken to approve pesticides for use against locusts in Australia are predominated by laboratory-generated data, often collected from non-endemic species. Very little information exists concerning the potential ecological effects of insecticides used for locust control. Aim: To determine the effect of aerial ultra-low volume (ULV) applications of the organophosphorous insecticide, fenitrothion (used for locust control), on avian assemblages in arid and semiarid agro-ecosystems. Methods: Avian abundance was surveyed in pesticide-exposed and unexposed locations during standard locust control operations, using fenitrothion, in western New South Wales and Queensland in the spring and summer of 1996, 1997 and 2000, using a transect-point method. Temporal changes in assemblages were analysed using multi-dimensional ordination (MDS) and permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) with PRIMER (V7). Key results: Avian assemblages varied over time, inde