Rediscovery - Species Extinction

The grasshopper species Appalachia hebardi, once thought to be extinct, is flightless, measures about 2.5 to 3.8 centimeters in length, and has only been recorded in three U.S. states. This museum specimen was collected in 1962. (© thingsnotobservedbygray, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist)

2025-02-11 Doreen Fräßdorf

USA: Rediscovered Grasshopper Once Thought to Be Extinct

An intriguing discovery was made in Augusta County, Virginia, USA: Appalachia hebardi, a species belonging to the family of short-horned grasshoppers (Acrididae), which was believed to be extinct for decades, has been rediscovered. The last confirmed sighting of this rare species dates back – depending on the source – to

Rediscovery: Sira Barbet and Peruvian Solitaire

The Sira barbet, which had not been documented for twelve years, was rediscovered during an expedition in July 2024. Its distinctive red chest band and contrasting plumage make it an unmistakable resident of the Sira Mountains in Peru. (© Michael G. Harvey/Cornell University, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

2025-02-06 Doreen Fräßdorf

Two lost birds rediscovered in Peru: Sira Barbet and Peruvian Solitaire

The Search for Lost Birds project is dedicated to finding bird species that have not been documented in the wild for over a decade. These species, lacking recent genetic or photographic evidence and without ex-situ populations, are often considered lost to science. According to a recent report by Search for

A camera trap photo of an Omilteme cottontail in the Sierra Madre del Sur. (© Photo by Joe Figel, provided by Re:wild)

2025-01-28 Doreen Fräßdorf

Mexico: Omilteme Cottontail Rediscovered After Over 120 Years

Re:wild has announced the rediscovery of the Omilteme cottontail rabbit (Sylvilagus insonus), a species thought to be lost for over a century, in the Sierra Madre del Sur, Mexico. This finding is a significant milestone for conservation and research efforts. A team led by José Alberto Almazán-Catalán, president of the

The long-nosed stubfoot toad (Atelopus longirostris) was also rediscovered in Ecuador in 2015, after being missing for 30 years. (© Luis Aurelio Coloma, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-19 Doreen Fräßdorf

Pristimantis ruidus: Frog Species Missing for 100 Years Rediscovered in Ecuador

During a 2022 expedition to the Molleturo forest in the Ecuadorian Andes, biologist Juan Sánchez-Nivicela and his team made a remarkable discovery: two tiny frogs that could not be immediately identified. Now, as the researchers report in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution, the frogs belong to the species Pristimantis ruidus,

The Abrau sprat, with a body length of about 9.5 centimeters, is a relatively small fish. (© Лев Семёнович (Симонович) Берг (2 (14) марта 1876 — 24 декабря 1950), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-09-05 Doreen Fräßdorf

Russia: Believed-to-be-extinct Abrau Sprat Rediscovered

In October 2019, researchers collected nine small fish during an expedition from Lake Abrau in the Krasnodar region of western Russia. Recent DNA analyses have confirmed that the captured fish are indeed the endemic Abrau sprat (Clupeonella abrau), a species that had not been recorded since 2008. Challenges for the

Mussau Triller rediscovered after 44 years

The Mussau triller, long thought to be lost since 1979, was rediscovered in June 2024 on Mussau Island in Papua New Guinea. (© Photo by Joshua Bergmark/Ornis Birding Expeditions)

2024-08-28 Doreen Fräßdorf

Mussau Triller: Lost Bird Species Rediscovered After 44 Years

The Mussau triller (Lalage conjuncta), last documented in 1979, was rediscovered in June of this year by Australian bird photographer Joshua Bergmark during a tour with a group of birdwatchers. This songbird species, part of the cuckooshrike family, is endemic to Mussau Island, located in the Bismarck Archipelago north of

An expedition to the Makira Forest in Madagascar has rediscovered the millipede Spirostreptus sculptus, which had been lost for over 125 years. (© Dmitry Telnov)

2024-07-20 Doreen Fräßdorf

Madagascar: Expedition Rediscovers 21 Lost Species in the Makira Forest

A scientific expedition to the Makira Forest, the largest and best-preserved forest area in Madagascar, has rediscovered 21 species long lost to science. Among the rediscovered species are three iridescent, nearly transparent fish species and a millipede last documented 126 years ago. The expedition was part of the Search for

Pseudophilautus hypomelas from Sri Lanka was considered lost for over 130 years before it was rediscovered in 2010. The species is classified as endangered because it is known only from a small area. (© L.J. Mendis Wickramasinghe, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

2024-07-18 Doreen Fräßdorf

Incredible Rediscovery of the Brown-eared Shrub Frog in India

A recent study published in the journal Zootaxa reports the rediscovery of the brown-eared shrub frog (Pseudophilautus regius) – approximately 700 kilometers away from its previously known distribution range. The brown-eared shrub frog, originally native to the forests of Sri Lanka, was found by researchers in the Indian state of

The rare Berezowski's reed snake has not been sighted for at least 26 years. (© Liang Y-T, Huang Z-D, Ding L, Vogel G, Ananjeva NB, Orlov NL, Shi S-C, Wu Z-J, Chen Z-N (2024) Revalidated after having been described more than a century ago: Calamaria berezowskii Günther, 1896 (Squamata, Colubridae) from Sichuan, Southwestern China. Zoosystematics and Evolution 100(3): 897-911. https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.100.125798)

2024-07-10 Doreen Fräßdorf

South China: Mystery of Berezowski’s Reed Snake Solved

The snake species Berezowski’s reed snake (Calamaria berezowskii), described as a new species in 1896, puzzled scientists for a long time, as it was unclear whether it even existed. Due to a lack of sightings, it was assumed that the missing Berezowski’s reed snake was not a distinct taxon but