Media release – July 2012
Two new crocodile species discovered – the first new croc species named for decades!
A recent global review of the living crocodiles identified a new genus and two new species of crocodiles, being the first formally named species for decades.
The two new species are from southern New Guinea and the Northern Territory, Australia.
Both had been known as different for some years, but neither had been scientifically described and named.
As part of a recent audit of the world’s crocodiles, Australian herpetologist, Snake Man Raymond Hoser formally named both species in honour of his two daughters, Adelyn and Jacky.
Oopholis adelynhoserae is the species from the Fly River region of southern New Guinea, while Oopholis jackyhoserae is the distinctive and small “Stone Country Crocodile” from the Liverpool River in Arnhemland.
The newly named genus of Crocodiles Oxycrocodylus is from Africa, includes the recently rediscovered species known generally as the Desert Crocodile (Oxycrocodylus suchus) (formerly Crocodylus suchus).
Separate molecular studies have supported the taxonomic actions by Hoser.
Hoser said, “There are potentially up to three unnamed species of crocodiles, one more in Australia, one in Indonesia and another in Africa”.
In an audit of the world’s snakes also completed recently, Hoser identified unnamed species (many others still yet to be named) and formally named about 80 new genera of snakes, (as well as subgenera, tribes and a family) the largest number ever formally named at a single time.
In terms of the snakes Hoser identified dozens of other genera in need of division based on recent mtDNA and other evidence, saying that “the work of taxonomists and herpetologists in terms of cataloguing the world’s reptile biodiversity is cut out for decades yet”.
In a word of warning, Hoser said, government policies, especially in Australia are likely to cause extinctions of species even before they become formally named by scientists.
However as Hoser wrote in his best-selling 1991 book “Endangered Animals of Australia”, the biggest threat to global biodiversity is human overpopulation and in the 20 years since that book was published things have only got worse!
The recent papers were published in issues 9-15 of Australasian Journal of Herpetology, the crocodiles paper being in Issue 14, published in hard copy on 30 June 2012.
Details at:
http://www.herp.net
Phone (Australia) 03 9812 3322
PS The genus name Oopholis was first used by Gray in the 1800's.