Irish Trinity College zoologists, their Indonesian colleagues from Halu Oleo University and Operation Wallace, an international zoological organization, discovered two new species of birds on the islands of the Wakatobi Archipelago in Indonesia. This is reported in an article published in the Zoological Journal of the London Linney Society. The representatives of the passerine group have been named the white-eyed Vakatobi and the white-eyed Vangi-Vangi.
The group of Professor Marples of Trinity College began studying the biological diversity of the island of Sulawesi and the surrounding archipelagoes in 1999. Isolated from the rest of the land, the region is known for unusual plants and animals - unique species differ from their close relatives from Asia and Australia. The Marples team has been compiling a catalog of unusual species that inhabit the Indonesian islands for 20 years.
Scientists believe that new types of white eyes appeared on the archipelago due to favorable conditions for distribution and reproduction.
“Two new species from one kind of bird in one region are amazing. The discovery of the white-eyed Vangi-Vangi is especially important, as it is found only on one tiny island, and its closest relatives live at a distance of more than 3000 km, ”said the professor of zoology and team leader Nicola Marples.
The region of Sulawesi remains unexplored and requires additional protection, according to zoologists.
“Our discoveries are not only of evolutionary interest - they will also be of real importance for the conservation of wildlife. By discovering new species on the Wakatobi Islands, we can protect this unique region. We hope that the islands will be recognized as a specially protected area where endemics live - species that are characteristic only for this habitat, ”said Dr. Marrens lead group researcher Dr. Darren O'Connell.
Otherwise, science will lose new species before they are discovered, zoologists are convinced.
The head of the ornithology sector of the Zoological Museum of Moscow State University, Pavel Tomkovich, considers the discovery of Irish colleagues to be a great success.
“Discovery of new types of birds in our time is a real rarity, this does not happen every year. Most often, new species are found in the jungles of South America, less often on exotic islands. Domestic ornithologists mainly conduct work on the description of subspecies. When new marine invertebrates or insects are discovered, this is an ordinary thing. The news of the discovery of new birds is a small joy for ornithology, because more often we report the loss of species. If new species have arisen as a result of hybridization (crossing), then this is even more rare, ”said Tomkovich in an interview with RT.
To gallery page
Currently, scientists from the Marples team require environmental organizations to review the protection status for the Wakatobi archipelago.
“These islands are an incredibly exciting place to work, they serve as a unique living laboratory in which we study evolution in action,” the researchers emphasize.