Top 10 New Species Discovered In 2019

Discovering something new about our world always brings forth emotions of adventure, surprise, and awe. Even though it sometimes might feel like the whole of the world and its wonders have already been discovered and mapped, that can't be farther from the real truth. Scientists are working every day towards the discovery of new animal and plant species, and sometimes it seems like we only scraped the surface of all the variety of species that inhabit our planet.

Here are our top ten unusual new species that were discovered in 2019 by equally amazing scientists.

10. Rubroshiraia Bambusae

Even though this ball-shaped fungus was well known in China for a very long time under the name "Zhuhongjun, it is a species that was unknown to science. Growing on bamboo in Yunnan, this fungus has unique medicinal properties that treat arthritis. 

9. Inversodicraea Koukoutamba

This beautiful seaweed shrub is said to be found only on the waterfalls of the Bafing River in West Africa. Yet another species that is endangered and expected to be extinct due to hydropower projects around its habitat. It is also called the waterfall seaweed "orchid. "

8. Cyrtandra Vittata

The flower also is known as the "Candy-striped violet"due to its vibrant pink color and white stripes. This species was found in the northern parts of New Guinea, and it belongs to the African violet family. 

7. Madrella Amphora

This weird-looking sea slug was found by Terry Goslinger from the California Academy of Sciences, along with six other sea slugs in the year 2019. This sea slug is specific because of its mimicry abilities; it steals the color and the shape of snail eggs that often surrounds its habitat. It was already confirmed that sea slug genetics enable them to mimic other animal colors, but to mimic completely is an entirely new ability.

6. Lola Konavoka

Lola Konavoka is an organism closely related to spiders. It is a harvester spider that is found in the biodiverse caves of Croatia. Even though it's just recently discovered, the scientists already consider it an endangered species. It primarily dwells in the caves, living in the dark.

5. Myrmecicultor Chihuahuensis

Have you ever heard of spiders that worship ants? This is a special kind of arachnid originating from the Chihuahuan Deserts in Mexico. Unfortunately, their behavior in ant tunnels remains a mystery because the scientists cannot observe them in their natural state, only at the surface. 

4. Cordylus Phonolithos

This girdled lizard is found on one of the highest peaks in Angola called Seera da Neve.  It is morphologically distinguished by its unique head scale positions and color. Serra da Neve is incredibly rich in biodiversity but is unfortunately still an understudied area.

3. Siphamia Arnazae

This one is also known as Cat's eye cardinalfish because of its noticeable cat-like black bars in the middle of its pupil. It was found in Papua New Guinea in the western part of the Pacific Ocean. This species has pale pink to orange tones with a variety of orange spots along its body.

2. Gladiolus Mariae

Named after the wife of the scientist called Xander van der Burgt, who discovered it, "Maria "is a beautiful plant found only on two specific mountains near Moussaya in West Africa. It is said to grow up to 160 centimeters, and it has six orange flowers.

1. Cirrhilabrus Wakanda

This particular fish is named after the fictional nation of Wakanda from Marvel's own Black Panther because it was discovered in African reefs. This purple fish species swim in the "Twilight Zone", also known as the dark coral reefs. It shines with a brilliant purple color, which shines even when the fish is preserved for research.