Unknown mollusks and crustaceans discovered in the Philippines
mongabay.com
February 5, 2007
A French-led marine expedition team may have discovered hundreds of previously unknown species of mollusks and crustaceans around Panglao, an island in the Philippines, according to a report from the Associated Press.
“Numerous species were observed and photographed alive, many for the first time, and it is estimated that 150-250 of the crustaceans and 1,500-2,500 of the mollusks are new species,” said the French National Museum of Natural History-led expedition in a news release.
In total the expedition team found some 1200 species of crustaceans and 6000 species of mollusks.
Courtesy of Google Earth |
Philippine waters are particularly rich in terms of biological diversity, but they are increasingly threatened by unsustainable fishing practices — ranging from cyanide bombs to trawling. Last November Philippine president Gloria Arroyo has enacted a new national conservation policy that established the country’s marine protected areas in the Verde Passage, a biodiverse region located in the “Coral Triangle” that includes the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
