5 New Exotic Species from Indonesia in 2013

A number of new species from Indonesia successfully uncovered by scientists, both from Indonesia, overseas, or through collaboration. Some discovery is somewhat surprising because not only expressed as a new species, but also a new genus.

Of the new species that found in Indonesia, there are five species are somewhat special views of its rarity, a surprise when found, as well as of its characteristics. Here are five species,

1. Horned Orchid

The new species was discovered by Destario Metusala. a researcher of Biological Research Center of Indonesia Institute of Sciences (Lembaga Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia/LIPI). Orchid species found was named Malleola inflata.

Horned orchid (Malleola inflata). (Picture from: http://sains.kompas.com/)

Rio said, that the flower called as the horned orchid because it has a large enough bulge of callus that burst from the lips of the flowers and make it looks like a horn. This species is found through the orchid collection learning results in the Purwodadi Botanical Gardens. The horned orchids collected from West Kalimantan in 2006. The floral discovery is published in the Malesian Orchid Journal on February 2013.

2. Bokimekot Spiny Rat

Spiny rat species found in the region of Halmahera by the researchers team was led by the Museum Zoologicum Bogoriense in Indonesia and the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate at the University of Copenhagen. The findings were published in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society in September 2013. Referred to as spiny mice because it feathers hard, unlike rats generally.

The Bokimekot spiny rat (Halmaheramys bokimekot) has unusually coarse, spikey fur on its back and a short tail with a distinctive white tip. (Picture from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/)

A unique set of characteristics - a prominent tuft of spiny hair on its back, a white tip on its tail and three pairs of teats - were found on the new genus of mammal, which was discovered in Wallacea, a biogeographical region named after British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. These rats named after Halmaheramys bokimekot, appropriate to the name of discovery place. These rats also unique because while the eastern Indonesia animals has more Australian characteristics, but these mice have Asian characteristics. Not just a new species, the rat is also a new genus.

3. Rinjani Scops Owl

A new species of owl has been found on an Indonesian island, identified by its unique birdsong. It had escaped scientific detection for so long partially because it looks very similar to a related species. This finding is somewhat special because for the past 100 years is rarely heard finding new species of owl. New owl species found in Lombok named Otus jolandae. This owl is identified by its voice.

The newly-discovered Rinjani scops owl, or Otus jolandae. (Picture from: http://www.livescience.com/)

The owls are known to locals as "burung pok," which is "an onomatopoeic name reflecting the song note of the bird, which may be transcribed as 'pok' or 'poook,'" the authors wrote in the study. In a publication in the PLoS ONE journal, George Sangster, research leader of the Swedish Museum of Natural History, said that this owl produces sound "pok" and occasionally longer, "poook".

4. Walking Shark

The walking shark was a new species thet discovered in the waters of Halmahera. The name of the walking shark was Hemiscyllum Halmahera. Walking sharks, also known as bamboo sharks or longtail carpet sharks, belong to the family Hemiscylliidae in the shark order Orectolobiformes. Rather than swim, these slender-bodied sharks ‘walk’ by wriggling their bodies and pushing with their pectoral and pelvic fins.

The walking shark or bamboo shark or Hemiscyllium halmahera. (Picture from: http://www.sci-news.com/)

They are relatively small, with the largest species measuring about 48 inches (1.22 m). The newly discovered species, called Hemiscyllium halmahera, reaches 28 inches (70 cm) in length. The findings of this special walking shark because sharks are found in the first run of Halmahera and gives a hint that the spread of this species was the same as the spread of the bird of paradise (Cendrawasih). The walking shark found through cooperation LIPI, The Nature Conservancy (TNC), University Khairun, Natural Resources Conservation Center (Balai Konservasi Sumber Daya Alam / BKSDA), and Conservation International (CI).

5. Renny’s Flasher Wrasse Reef Fish

The discovery of flasherwrasse type reef fish is special because using the name of Indonesian researchers, Renny Kurnia Hadiaty. This beautiful reef fish called Paracheilinus rennyae can only be found in the coral reef island of Flores and Komodo National Park is included in the Coral Triangle region of the world.

Renny’s Flasher Wrasse (Paracheilinus rennyae) is endemic to East Nusa Tenggara. (Picture from: http://www.reefs.com/)

This new reef fish species was unique because of the color pattern of the dorsal fin, back, and has a circular tail. Flasherwrasse always been a favorite fish of divers and underwater photographers because their blue and red color patterns are very interesting, usually shown when the mating ritual before the sun sets. *** [EKA | FROM VARIOUS SOURCES | SAINS KOMPAS | BBC | LIVESCIENCE | SCI-NEWS.COM | REEFS.COM]

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