75 possibly new animal species discovered in PHL

The Philippines, located at the center of the coral triangle, which holds the world’s highest concentration of marine life diversity, apparently still has many natural secrets waiting to be found. Scientists comprising the 2011 Philippine Biodiversity Expedition of the University of the Philippines (UP) and the California Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced on Wednesday that they may have discovered 75 new species of marine and terrestrial creatures endemic to the Philippines. The expedition explored varied ecosystems in Luzon, including Taal Lake, from April 26 to June 8. In Batangas, the team discovered the juvenile singing catfish, Moorish idol and dragon sea moth of Taal Lake. Different species of mollusks, corals and sea urchins were also discovered in Batangas waters.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV At Mt. Makiling, Mt. Banahaw and Mt. Isarog, the CAS and the UP Los Baños Arachnology team found possibly new species of spiders, including one as small as an ant. The different teams also discovered new crickets, walking sticks, and assassin spiders. CAS Science and Research Collections dean Terrence Gosliner said that the species they encountered have “always been there," but have been found only now. “We just haven't been looking carefully enough. The expedition is just the initial discovery aspect. The hard work comes when we really start understanding what we've found," he added. The scientists clarified that further study is needed to confirm that the 75 newly documented creatures actually are new species. ‘Historic, most comprehensive’ Scientists noted during the expedition’s press conference earlier that the expedition would be the “the first to make a comprehensive survey of both terrestrial and marine diversity" in the country. Biologist Dr. Perry Ong noted that it has been over 100 years since Mt. Makiling was last comprehensively surveyed. According to the CAS website for the project, “climate change, increased fishing pressure, increased urbanization, and increased logging" have made the areas involved in the expedition threatened hot spots, heightening the need to explore the area at the soonest possible time. “In order to protect, we need to understand what exists," according to the CAS. CAS researchers have long been making trips to the Philippines — since 1992 — and keep on discovering new creatures. For UP Professor Emeritus Dr. Edgardo Gomez, the teams’ discoveries ought to spur more conservation efforts. “What might be happening in Lake Taal, for example, is not only introduced species being killed, but maybe even the indigenous and endemic species are being killed by all the pollution," he said. Last week, Taal Lake was the subject of headlines because of a massive fish kill caused by fish farming mismanagement and the abrupt change in the lake’s average temperature because of the rainy season. — BC/ELR/VS, GMA News