Team uncovers species treasure trove

The Vancouver Sun - 

Laughing cicadas and small "cat sharks" are among scores of species believed new to science discovered by Filipino and U.S. researchers in waters and islands of the Philippines, the team said Wednesday.

The finds showcased the vast biodiversity of the southeast Asian archipelago that is now under severe threat, said the experts from the California Academy of Sciences and local institutions.

The team found a rich harvest of starfish, sea urchins, eels and barnacles, many of which had not been previously documented by scientists, said Richard Mooi, one of the California marine scientists.

"We found at least 75 new species, perhaps more. A lot more analysis is needed," he told a forum to announce the discoveries. "Unquestionably, we found 20 new species of starfish and sea urchins alone."

Fellow academy scientist John McCosker said they discovered several small "cat sharks" with brown backs and having dark stripes and white bellies, colours which he had never seen on any other shark before.

Picked up by a trawler net 2,000 metres below the waves, the sharks are about 60 centimetres long and feed on shrimp, said McCosker, head of the aquatic biology department.

Detailing other finds, California Academy dean Terry Gosliner said: "We found one new species of eel, possibly a new species of pipe fish, new species of barnacles, new species of nudibranch (shell-less) mollusks."

Among the other unusual discoveries, Filipino entomologist Ireneo Lit said his team believed they had found several new species, including a cicada that made a sound like highpitched laughter.

"The local residents were afraid of them. They thought the laughter was from dwarfs, laughing dwarfs," he said of the insect found on 2,158-metre Mount Banahaw, a volcano on the main island of Luzon.

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