Birds > Manakins
Formally described in 2017 by an international team of ornithologists, the Painted Manakin (Machaeropterus eckelberryi) honors the acclaimed 20th-century bird illustrator Don Richard Eckelberry. Previously confused with the Striped Manakin (Machaeropterus regulus),...
Mammals > Rodents
Described scientifically in 2005 from specimens discovered in local food markets in Khammouan Province, Laos, the Laotian Rock Rat (Laonastes aenigmamus)—locally known as the kha-nyou—stunned the global zoological community. Morphological and molecular analyses...
Fungi > Amanitaceae
Formally described to honor renowned Dutch mycologist Cornelis Bas, an international authority on the genus Amanita, Amanita basiana is a stately Mediterranean basidiomycete fungus. Often confused historically with Amanita strobiliformis or Amanita boudieri, molecular...
Birds > Hummingbirds
The Ecuadorian Hillstar (Oreotrochilus chimborazo) is a marvel of evolutionary physiology, dwelling at higher altitudes than almost any other hummingbird on Earth. Thriving in the frigid, oxygen-depleted páramo slopes of Ecuador’s volcanic giants—including...
Mammals > Bats
Formally described in 2017 to honor Venezuelan mammalogist Adriana Jerez, Sturnira adrianae is an ecologically essential frugivorous bat inhabiting the cloud forests of northern Venezuela. Prior to genetic and morphometric revision, populations were lumped under...
