[Animals] Scientists discovered 351 new plant, animal species previously unknown to science in 2022

[Douma]

While 2022 was a year of extreme, it was also a year of great innovation and discovery and scientists discovered 351 new species of animals and plants that were previously unknown to science. The discovery includes a diverse list of moss animals and dinosaurs, to stick insects and minerals.

The new discoveries are important since a million species on the planet are on the brink of extinction. A majority of the species discovered in 2022 fall in the group of invertebrates, which are animals without a backbone. This includes 84 species of beetle, 34 species of moths, 23 species of moss animals along with 13 species of trematode worms.

However, what impressed scientists were the vast catalogue of Wasp species discovered this year. A total of 85 new species were described, which include "some miniature individuals with the most beautiful, feather-like wings."

Scientists believe that despite their small size, these parasitic wasps might be important for agriculture. The insects parasitise the eggs of thrips (a type of insect that can cause crop damage) and as such the wasps may be important biological control agents.

"It's no surprise that new wasp species came out on top, it's just a surprise that wasps don't come top every year. The abundance of parasitoid wasps makes the order Hymenoptera the most species-rich order of insects, but it is way behind some other groups in terms of actual species descriptions," Dr Gavin Broad, Principal Curator in Charge of Insects at the Natural History Museum said.

 

Apart from Wasps, scientists also catalogued 12 new species of protists, seven species of flies, two bumblebees from Asia, two polychaete worms from the depths of the oceans and a centipede with a number of segments that have never been seen by scientists before. Meanwhile, 19 new species of stick insects were described.

Among the new discovery are six frog species, which are some of the smallest known vertebrates found living in the leaf litter of Mexico. Scientists said that the frogs grow to just eight millimetres in length, which is smaller than a 1p coin. However, they are yet to figure out why these frogs are this small.

Scientists also found three new species of dinosaurs, of which two are armoured dinosaurs from China. The museum in a statement said that the first of these is the oldest and most complete armoured dinosaur found in Asia, while the other is the oldest ever stegosaur. Together, the two species are helping researchers better understand how the heavily armoured group evolved.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.indiatoday.in/amp/science/story/scientists-discovered-351-new-plant-animal-species-previously-unknown-to-science-in-2022-2315338-2022-12-30