A New Gecko with Javier Lobon-Rovira

10/17/23 • 24 min

When researchers talk about species disappearing before we can discover them, they’re talking about species like Javier Lobon-Rovira’s new gecko. With a specific and rapidly fragmenting habitat, this species of Paroedura might have left the world as an unknown cryptic species.

“My goal in my life,” Javier tells us, “is not to describe new species... but when you describe new species and you put it on an evolutionary frame, you can provide the grounds to better understand how the species distributed in the space and in the time, and which factors that are involved have some implication in the diversification pattern of the species that is completely needed to keep the natural selection or the continued evolution of the species to survive.”

Thanks to everyone who gave feedback on episode length - this episode ended up being short and sweet, but in the future we will have longer episodes, closer to 45 minutes.

Javier Lobon-Rovira’s paper “Another step through the crux: a new microendemic rock-dwelling Paroedura (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from south-central Madagascar” is in volume 1181 of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1181.108134

New Species: Paroedura manongavato

Episode image courtesy of Javier Lobon-Rovira

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Javier Lobon-Rovira - Transcript

Check out Javier’s amazing photography: www.javierlobonrovira.com

Follow Javier on Instagram: @javilbn_wildphotography

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

Thanks to everyone who gave feedback on episode length - this episode ended up being short and sweet, but in the future we will have longer episodes, closer to 45 minutes.

Javier Lobon-Rovira’s paper “Another step through the crux: a new microendemic rock-dwelling Paroedura (Squamata, Gekkonidae) from south-central Madagascar” is in volume 1181 of Zookeys.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1181.108134

New Species: Paroedura manongavato

Episode image courtesy of Javier Lobon-Rovira

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Javier Lobon-Rovira - Transcript

Check out Javier’s amazing photography: www.javierlobonrovira.com

Follow Javier on Instagram: @javilbn_wildphotography

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

Previous Episode

Three New Wolf Spiders with Danni Sherwood

The island of Saint Helena can’t be described without the word special. It’s a small territory in the south Atlantic that is home to some of the most unique biodiversity in the world, including some extremely rare cloud forest spiders. An island full of spiders might not sound exciting for some, but to Danniella Sherwood it’s a dream! Listen in as Danni tells us all about the island and its history, the wolf spiders that find their home there, and the amazing community that supported and guided her work.

Danni Sherwood’s paper “Saint Helenian wolf spiders, with description of two new genera and three new species (Araneae: Lycosidae)” is in volume 19 issue 5 of Arachnology.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.13156/arac.2023.19.5.816

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Danni Sherwood - Transcript

New Species: Molearachne sanctaehelenae, Dolocosa joshuai, Hogna veseyensis

Episode image courtesy of Danniella Sherwood

For more information on the FCDO funded Cloud Forest Project: https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/conservation/projects/st-helena-cloud-forest-project/

Follow the Saint Helena National Trust here:

https://www.facebook.com/SHnationaltrust/

https://www.twitter.com/Shnationaltrust

Follow the Species Recovery Trust:

https://www.facebook.com/TheSpeciesRecoveryTrust/

https://www.twitter.com/speciesrecovery

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod

Next Episode

A New Scorpion with Javier Blasco-Aróstegui

What do glaciers and scorpions have in common? They’re the focus of Javier Blasco-Aróstegui’s paper in which he and his coauthor describe a new species from the foothills of Mount Olympus. It’s an area home to many legends, and also a surprising amount of biodiversity due to its unique topography. When a large-scale change in habitat restricts gene flow, it can result in species that are very different from their relatives and Javier has found one of those species. “Okay,” he remembers saying about the first specimen, “we’ve got something new and cool here.”

Javier Blasco-Aróstegui’s paper “Glacial Relicts? A New Scorpion from Mount Olympus, Greece” is in the November 9th issue of American Museum Novitates.

It can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1206/4003.1

A transcript of this episode can be found here: Javier Blasco-Aróstegui - Transcript

New Species: Euscorpius olympus

Episode image courtesy of Javier Blasco-Aróstegui

Follow Javier on Instagram: @javierblar

Or on Twitter: @jblascoarosteg

Check out his ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Javier-Blasco-Arostegui

Be sure to follow New Species on Twitter (@PodcastSpecies) and Instagram (@NewSpeciesPodcast) and like the podcast page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/NewSpeciesPodcast)

Music in this podcast is "No More (Instrumental)," by HaTom (https://fanlink.to/HaTom)

If you have questions or feedback about this podcast, please e-mail us at [email protected]

If you would like to support this podcast, please consider doing so at https://www.patreon.com/NewSpeciesPod