Natural History Museum scientists described a record 815 new species in 2023

The majority of new wasps this year belong to a group known as the Encyrtidae. These are parasitic insects that lay their eggs on and in unsuspecting invertebrate hosts. The astonishing numbers described this year are largely due to the ongoing work of the Natural History Museum’s Scientific Associates Dr John Noyes and Christer Hansson, who between them published 574 new species as part of their work documenting the diversity of Hymenoptera in Costa Rica.

Whilst beautiful in their own right, with flashes of metallic blues, purples and oranges, they are also economically significant animals that help control agricultural pests.

‘It is important to keep describing new species because many will have a profound influence on their environment and without knowing what to call them, we cannot convey any information about them,’ explains John. ‘In this particular case, the Encyrtidae is probably one of the most important groups of insects in biocontrol, or the use of natural enemies to control agricultural and forest pests.’

‘In the past 60 years or so, three species have been incredibly important. One in preventing the possible starvation of up to 300 million people in Africa, a second preventing the rainforest from destruction in Thailand, and another the collapse of the economy of Togo.’

With 2023 also celebrating the 60^th anniversary of Doctor Who, it is perhaps rather appropriate that these new species should also give a nod to the long-running sci-fi series. An entire genus of wasp has been named Dalek along with the 14 species within it.

‘I thought it was a good name for a genus and a bit of fun having been a big fan of Doctor Who in my early years,’ says John. 

Following on from the wasps, there were 58 new species of beetles named. These have included a number of gorgeous, vivid green and pinkish-orange darkling beetles from China and Laos, and four new long-snouted weevils from South Africa.

Moving slightly further afield and a whale carcass on the ocean floor off the coast of Byron Bay, Australia, has proven to be particularly rich pickings. On the remains of this one whale researchers were able to identify an incredible nine new species of polychaete worms, including two that actually eat the bones. 

There are typically fewer vertebrates described each year. This year the tally includes 24 new species of frogs, of which 20 are miniature species in the genus Mantidactylus that come from the forests of Madagascar. In addition to these, there have also been a handful lizards such as Strophurus spinula, a gecko from Australia that has the most strikingly patterned eyes, a snake and two fish.

Moving on from animals, and there have been a number of new plants and algae this year. This has included a new species of birch tree from China and 15 newly described species of algae from the freshwater pools, creeks and bores of Australia’s Northern Territory. 

Describing the dead

In addition to the living, researchers have also been busy describing the past diversity of Earth.

This year has seen four new fossil bird species. These include an ancient, toothed bird that was flapping around at the time the asteroid hit, a species of Mauritius ground thrush that likely went extinct in the 1600s after the introduction of black rats, and the largest penguin ever known to exist, Kumimanu fordycei.  

‘Paul is incredibly influential in our discipline,' says Susie. 'He is incredibly high profile and has contributed an enormous amount to the field. But he's also had an absolutely enormous influence on all of our careers, and we wanted to thank him for that.'

'So we decided to name a small, slow-moving, spikey organism after him.'

Diving beneath the waves and there have also been a number of fossil aquatic species named this year. This has included a trio of trilobites, a smattering of ancient sharks, a horseshoe crab relative and a couple of fossil turtles, in addition to an ancient creature called Anomalocaris dalyae, which would have been the largest predator swimming the seas roughly 500 million years ago.

As plants then first emerged onto land, a newly described species of parasitic fungus was not far behind. Discovered infecting the roots of 400-million-year-old plants, Potteromyces asteroxylicola is the earliest disease-causing fungus ever discovered.

Finally, there have been a number of extraterrestrial classifications with 14 new meteorites described by Museum scientists this year, and a new species of mineral named Mikecoxite joining the list.

With species around the world going extinct as an increasingly concerning rate, it is vitally important that we continue to describe as many new species as possible so that we have a record of the intricate web of life on this planet.