Pictures: Tube-Nosed Bat, More Rare Species Found

Pictures: Tube-Nosed Bat, More Rare Species Found

nuisance animal problems

New Species Blends In

Photograph courtesy Piotr Naskrecki, Conservation International

Camouflaged in a Muller Range forest on Papua New Guinea, a new leaf katydid species peers pinkly at the camera in 2009. The animal likely eats flowers in the forest's tall trees, researchers said.

During one of the so called rapid assessment programs (RAPs)—quick expeditions involving "dream teams" of top scientists—Piotr Naskrecki and David Rentz collected 42 leaf katydids. At least 20 of those are new species, according to Conservation International.

Of the roughly 120 katydids—leaf katydids and others—the researchers collected, at least 40 are new species, Naskrecki said. "That's a very high number even for a tropical, fairly unexplored area."