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45 new snail species discovered on Australian islands Jeremy Hance mongabay.com September 17, 2009 "Because the islands are largely unexplored by modern science it means that we are finding previously unrecorded species very quickly and there is a surprisingly high number of them," said Dr. Frank Kohler with the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC). The snails are members of ancient camaenid land snails: they are tiny creatures that spend much of their time living underground. Their presence is a good indicator of the island's environmental condition, according to Kohler. "Most people will not see them," he says, "because they bury themselves deep in the soil or hide in crevices to escape the heat and conserve water, only emerging during the wet season […] One of the fascinating features is how you distinguish between different species through the size and shape of the male organs, so what might look like the same snail from the shell is actually another species that you'll recognise only if you look inside." The biological survey of 22 of the largest islands in Kimberley began in 2006 and is set to finish next year. Nine islands still need to be surveyed during the wet season and the researchers believe it is likely that more snails will be discovered. "Each island is different and tends to support a unique set of species due to its isolation by water and therefore the species form distinct groups which differ from the mainland," Kohler says to explain the startling number of species. The survey is a collaboration between DEC, the Western Australian Museum, the Australian Museum and the Kimberley Land Council. Related articles Saving the last megafauna of Malaysia, an interview with Reuben Clements 
(09/15/2009) Reuben Clements has achieved one success after another since graduating from the National University of Singapore. Currently working in peninsular Malaysia, he manages conservation programs for the Endangered Malayan tiger and the Critically Endangered Sumatran Rhino with World Wildlife Fund. At the same time he has discovered three new species of microsnails, one of which was named in the top ten new species of 2008 (a BIG achievement for a snail) due to its peculiar shell which has four different coiling axes. ie7uhig
Three new species discovered in mile-long underwater cave 
(09/01/2009) There are few places in the world more remote, more dangerous, and more unexplored than underwater caves. Cave diving—exploring these unknown abysses—has yielded many strange species unknown to science. A recent expedition to an underwater cave on Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands, was no exception. Researchers discovered two species of worm smaller than a grain of rice and a primitive poisonous crustacean.
Newly discovered deep sea worms throw bioluminescent 'bombs' 
(08/20/2009) Researchers from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have announced in Science the discovery of seven new species of deep sea worms, five of which drop orb-like parts of their body which cause a brilliant green display of bioluminescence. For this reason researchers have nicknamed them the ‘green bombers’. The worms are not just new species, but a clade of animals entirely unknown to science until now.
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