300 new species for the Philippines

Dr. Terry Gosliner discovered this new species of nudibranch during the museum's 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition. (Credit: Terry Gosliner, California Academy of Sciences )

Earlier this year a team of scientists from the California Academy of Sciences explored the biodiversity of the Philippines. It was one of the most extensive wildlife surveys ever conducted in the country and ranged from mountain tops to under sea corals. The result was more than 300 potential new species.

This extensive survey was conducted by a multi-disciplinary team comprising researchers from both the US and local organisations. The researchers also contained a numbers of lecturers and teachers who worked with the local community and conservation organisations in order to share the expeditions results.

From sharks to spiders, new species for the Philippines.

The new species discovered ranged from spiders and colourful sea slugs right up to a new species of shrimp eating shark. The next task for the scientists is to use microscopes and DNA sequencing to confirm the new species.

The Philippines is one of the hottest of the hotspots for diverse and threatened life on Earth

“The Philippines is one of the hottest of the hotspots for diverse and threatened life on Earth,” says Dr. Terrence Gosliner, Dean of Science and Research Collections at the California Academy of Sciences and leader of the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition. “Despite this designation, however, the biodiversity here is still relatively unknown, and we found new species during nearly every dive and hike as we surveyed the country’s reefs, rainforests, and the ocean floor. The species lists and distribution maps that we created during this expedition will help to inform future conservation decisions and ensure that this remarkable biodiversity is afforded the best possible chance of survival.”

42 days, 1 island and hundreds of new species.

The 42 day biodiversity survey concentrated on the island and waters of Luzon which is the largest island on the Philippine archipelago. The expedition involved the creation of a wide range of species lists and distribution maps that covered the full range of biodiversity including plants, insects, spiders, reptiles, amphibians, fish, corals, barnacles, sea urchins and many other marine invertebrates.

Some of the more notable finds included:

a cicada that makes a distinctive “laughing” call,
a deep-sea swell shark that inflates its stomach with water to bulk up and scare off other predators,
a starfish that exclusively eats sunken driftwood,
three new lobster relatives that squeeze into crevices instead of carrying shells on their backs,
a crab whose pincers are lined with needle-like teeth,
and a worm-like pipefish that hides among colonies of soft coral.

A good proportion of the new species are new purely because they evaded previous discovery due to either their size – such as the many species of spider and insects – or their habitats were hard to get to. In the latter category were species such as a primitive plant called a spikemoss which clung to the dangerous upper slopes and cliffs of Mt. Isarog and a newly discovered snake eel that lived at the bottom of the sea.

All of the new species that were discovered on this expedition adds evidence to the belief among scientists that the Philippines is a critically important haven for biodiversity, and that its waters likely house more species than any other marine environment on Earth.

Real time release of biodiversity surveys.

Unlike the normal survey model of results being released to the public months or years after the actual survey, the team released results on an almost real time basis. Regular meetings and conferences during the expedition was undertaken with a range of organisations and government departments to keep them up to date with preliminary findings. This enabled the team to advise on the most promising locations for establishing or increasing marine protection areas. They were also able to highlight the major problem of plastic waste and litter which is widespread in the marine environment – even being found on the sea bed at depths of 6,000 feet.

The real time reporting of the survey also enabled the researchers to work with government departments and NGOs on potential areas of reforestation and where enforcement of nature reserve legislation needed to be improved.