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Newly Discovered: Previously Disputed Or Merely Alleged Species

Australians have been eating a previously unrecognized and undocumented species of grouper.
Mystery fish being eaten by Australians found to be unknown to science

A fish previously unknown to science has been discovered – on Australians’ plates.

People in southeastern Australia had apparently been happily catching and eating a reportedly tasty type of grouper, without realising the somewhat unremarkable fish had not been officially documented.

The discovery was only made when Queensland Museum fish expert Jeff Johnson was contacted by a fisherman who had sent him a photo of a grouper, also known in Australia as a “rockcod”, which he had never seen before.

When Mr Johnson asked for the fisherman to send him the sample to examine, he was told the fish had already been sent to market.

So Mr Johnson decided to undertake his own detective work, and eventually he found five of the large fish for sale at a market in Brisbane’s North Lakes.

“As soon as I saw them, I thought they were probably a new species, so I purchased all five and began the hard work of formally proving they were a new species,” Mr Johnson said.

“Queensland Museum geneticist Dr Jessica Worthington Wilmer ran some tests in Queensland Museum’s molecular lab and after comparing them with other specimens in various museum collections, had enough evidence to prove it was a new species.”

In a statement, the museum said the new species, Epinephelus fuscomarginatus, can be found off the central section of the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland at depths of about 220 metres.

Mr Johnson said he had previously been alerted to this particular fish, but had been unable to acquire the specimens required to formally identify and describe it. ...

“The fish reaches at least 70cm in length and has been selling in fish markets – I’ve been told they are quite tasty,” he said.

“The plain-looking fish, with no real distinctive markings, is typical of most other grouper species and probably explains why it has remained unnoticed and without a name for such a long time.” ...
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FULL STORY (WITH PHOTOS):
https://news.yahoo.com/mystery-fish-being-eaten-australians-140036086.html
 
Another rediscovery, the Rainbow Snake-
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute is reporting the first documented sighting of a rainbow snake (Farancia erytrogramma) in the Ocala National Forest. It is apparently the first such sighting of the elusive species since 1969.
Click to expand...

86696790_3496702163679158_3365188480794624000_o.jpg


http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Rai...la-National-Forest-For-First-Time-since-1969/
 
Turtely new species.

Together with an international team, Senckenberg scientist Uwe Fritz described a new species of mata mata turtle based on genetic analyses.

Until now, it had been assumed that the genus Chelus only contained a single species. The new description also necessitates a reassessment of the conservation status of these species, which are frequently sold in the illegal animal trade. The study was recently published in the scientific journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

There is a good reason for the bizarre appearance of the mata mata turtle: hidden in the mud under water, the up to 53-centimeter-long animals look like algae-covered rocks. But when a prey animal approaches, the turtle sucks it in by suddenly opening its large mouth and swallows it whole. "Although these turtles are widely known due to their bizarre looks and their unusual feeding behavior, surprisingly little is known about their variability and genetics," explains Professor Dr. Uwe Fritz of the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden, and he continues, "Until now, we assumed that there is only one species of this armored reptile that ranges widely across South America."

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-species-turtle.html
 
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Reactions: Jim
ramonmercado said:
Turtely new species.

Together with an international team, Senckenberg scientist Uwe Fritz described a new species of mata mata turtle based on genetic analyses.

Until now, it had been assumed that the genus Chelus only contained a single species. The new description also necessitates a reassessment of the conservation status of these species, which are frequently sold in the illegal animal trade. The study was recently published in the scientific journal Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.

There is a good reason for the bizarre appearance of the mata mata turtle: hidden in the mud under water, the up to 53-centimeter-long animals look like algae-covered rocks. But when a prey animal approaches, the turtle sucks it in by suddenly opening its large mouth and swallows it whole. "Although these turtles are widely known due to their bizarre looks and their unusual feeding behavior, surprisingly little is known about their variability and genetics," explains Professor Dr. Uwe Fritz of the Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden, and he continues, "Until now, we assumed that there is only one species of this armored reptile that ranges widely across South America."

https://phys.org/news/2020-04-species-turtle.html
Click to expand...

It's a mean looking critter.

5ea2f50c1fcd4.jpg
 
It's just lulling you into a false sense of security.
 
A creature with a mouth like that obviously spends a lot of time in grabbing at things.
 
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