Tag: Rediscovery

Wiederentdeckung: Lachskarpfen (Aaptosyax grypus)
The photo shows giant salmon carp at a market in Laos in 1997. This predatory fish species living in the Mekong had been considered extinct since 2005, partly due to overfishing and habitat loss. (© Peter Cunningham, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Mekong: Giant salmon carp, thought extinct since 2005, rediscovered

A study recently published in the journal Biological Conservation documents the rediscovery of the giant salmon carp (Aaptosyax grypus) in the Mekong river system. The species had been considered possibly extinct since 2005 because no confirmed records were available for a period of 15 years. Between 2020 and 2023, however,

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Rediscovered animals 2024: Ptychochromis makira
The cichlid Ptychochromis makira, not recorded since 2003, was rediscovered in Madagascar in 2024 by experts with local support. (© John C. Mittermeier/American Bird Conservancy (@johnmittermeier))

Leopard Barbel, Mussau Triller & Co.: Rediscovered Animals in 2024

From time to time, animals are rediscovered that were thought to have gone extinct for decades or longer—whether by chance or through targeted searches. These so-called Lazarus species not only highlight nature’s resilience, but also attract a great deal of public interest. They inspire people around the world to get

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Wiederentdeckung der Kurznasen-Maräne im Lake Superior (Oberer See)
It was here in Lake Superior that the shortnose cisco, believed extinct for 40 years, was surprisingly rediscovered recently. (© Yinan Chen, Public Domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Surprise find: The rediscovery of the shortnose cisco in Lake Superior

The shortnose cisco, a freshwater fish from the salmon family, had been considered extinct since 1985. After almost 40 years, it has now been rediscovered in a place where no one expected it: Lake Superior, the largest of North America’s five Great Lakes. Once, the shortnose cisco (Coregonus reighardi) was

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Regenfrosch Atelopus longirostris - 2015 wiederentdeckt
The longnose stubfoot toad (Atelopus longirostris) was also rediscovered in Ecuador in 2015 after being missing for 30 years. (© Luis Aurelio Coloma, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Pristimantis ruidus: Frog Species Missing for 100 Years Rediscovered in Ecuador

During a 2022 expedition to the Molleturo forest in the Ecuadorian Andes, biologist Juan Sánchez-Nivicela and his team made a remarkable discovery: two tiny frogs that could not be immediately identified. Now, as the researchers report in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, the frogs belong to the species Pristimantis ruidus,

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Abrau-Sprotte (Clupeonella abrau)
At a body length of around 9.5 centimeters, the Abrau sprat is a relatively small fish. (© Лев Семёнович (Симонович) Берг (2 (14) марта 1876 — 24 декабря 1950), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

Russia: Believed-to-be-extinct Abrau Sprat Rediscovered

In October 2019, researchers collected nine small fish during an expedition from Lake Abrau in the Krasnodar region of western Russia. Recent DNA analyses have confirmed that the captured fish are indeed the endemic Abrau sprat (Clupeonella abrau), a species that had not been recorded since 2008. Challenges for the

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Mussauraupenfänger nach 44 Jahren wiederentdeckt
The Mussau caterpillarcatcher, considered missing since 1979, was rediscovered in June 2024 on the island of Mussau in Papua New Guinea. (© Photo by Joshua Bergmark/Ornis Birding Expeditions)

Mussau Triller: Lost Bird Species Rediscovered After 44 Years

The Mussau triller (Lalage conjuncta), last documented in 1979, was rediscovered in June of this year by Australian bird photographer Joshua Bergmark during a tour with a group of birdwatchers. This songbird species, part of the cuckooshrike family, is endemic to Mussau Island, located in the Bismarck Archipelago north of

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Im Makira-Wald wiederentdeckt: Tausenfüßler Spirostreptus sculptus
An expedition to the Makira Forest in Madagascar rediscovered the millipede Spirostreptus sculptus, which had been missing for more than 125 years. (© Dmitry Telnov)

Madagascar: Expedition Rediscovers 21 Lost Species in the Makira Forest

A scientific expedition to the Makira Forest, the largest and best-preserved forest area in Madagascar, has rediscovered 21 species long lost to science. Among the rediscovered species are three iridescent, nearly transparent fish species and a millipede last documented 126 years ago. The expedition was part of the Search for

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Pseudophilautus hypomelas - wiederentdeckt 2013
Pseudophilautus hypomelas from Sri Lanka was considered missing for more than 130 years before being rediscovered in 2010. The species is classified as endangered because it is known from only a small area. (© L.J. Mendis Wickramasinghe, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Incredible Rediscovery of the Brown-eared Shrub Frog in India

A recent study published in the journal Zootaxa reports the rediscovery of the brown-eared shrub frog (Pseudophilautus regius) – approximately 700 kilometers away from its previously known distribution range. The brown-eared shrub frog, originally native to the forests of Sri Lanka, was found by researchers in the Indian state of

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Berezowskis Riednatter
The rare Berezowski’s reed snake has not been sighted for at least 26 years. (© Liang Y-T, Huang Z-D, Ding L, Vogel G, Ananjeva NB, Orlov NL, Shi S-C, Wu Z-J, Chen Z-N (2024) Revalidated after having been described more than a century ago: Calamaria berezowskii Günther, 1896 (Squamata, Colubridae) from Sichuan, Southwestern China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(3): 897-911. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.125798)

South China: Mystery of Berezowski’s Reed Snake Solved

The snake species Berezowski’s reed snake (Calamaria berezowskii), described as a new species in 1896, puzzled scientists for a long time, as it was unclear whether it even existed. Due to a lack of sightings, it was assumed that the missing Berezowski’s reed snake was not a distinct taxon but

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Kattupoovamkurunnila Uniyala multibracteata
Researchers have rediscovered the plant species Kattupoovamkurunnila (Uniyala multibracteata) in the Western Ghats, a mountain range in western India. (© Raju, R., J. Joseph, K.S. Divya, C. Badekar & J. Augustine (2024). Uniyala multibracteata (Gamble) H.Rob. & Skvarla (Asteraceae: Vernoniae): notes on its identity and rediscovery.Journal of Threatened Taxa 16(4): 25107–25110. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8763.16.4.25107-25110)

India: Researchers Rediscover Rare Tree Species After 140 Years

After 140 years, researchers have accidentally rediscovered the tree species Uniyala multibracteata, believed to have been lost and locally known as Kattupoovamkurunnila, in the unprotected mountain regions of Vagamon in India’s Western Ghats. This is according to a recently published study in the Journal of Threatened Taxa. Kattupoovamkurunnila, originally discovered

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