Birds > Leptosomidae & Cuckoo Rollers
The Cuckoo Roller (Leptosomus discolor) is an avian enigma that occupies its own unique biological order (Leptosomiformes) and monotypic family (Leptosomidae). Endemic to Madagascar and the Comoros, this remarkable bird is neither a true cuckoo nor a true roller, but...
Fungi > Ophiocordycipitaceae & Cordyceps
The Goldenthread Cordyceps (Tolypocladium ophioglossoides), historically classified under Cordyceps, is a remarkable mycoparasitic ascomycete fungus found in old-growth temperate and boreal forests across the Northern Hemisphere. Unlike insect-parasitizing cordyceps...
Invertebrates > Xystodesmidae & Polydesmida Millipedes
The Yellow-spotted Millipede (Harpaphe haydeniana), also widely recognized as the cyanide millipede or almond-scented millipede, is a keystone macro-decomposer native to the temperate rainforests of the Pacific Northwest. Instantly recognizable by its glossy jet-black...
Fish > Nemichthyidae & Snipe Eels
The Slender Snipe Eel (Nemichthys scolopaceus) is one of the most anatomically extraordinary fish inhabiting the oceanic twilight and midnight zones. Characterized by an impossibly slender, ribbon-like body that terminates in a fine filament and an elongated,...
Amphibians > Microhylidae & Narrow-mouthed Frogs
The Matang Narrow-mouthed Frog (Microhyla nepenthicola) is celebrated as one of the smallest vertebrate animals on Earth. Discovered by herpetologists in 2010 in the rainforests of Malaysian Borneo, adult males of this diminutive creature measure barely ten to twelve...
