Scientists have found dozens of new species during a survey of one of Africa’s last unexplored biodiversity regions.
The survey, called the Cassai Life Atlas, recorded eight new dragonfly species, three new species of grasshopper and around 60 new moth and butterfly species in Angola’s remote Lisima Plateau.
Specialists from The Wilderness Project led the trip, uncovering creatures and plant life previously unknown to science, including fruit beetles the size of a human palm and tiny spiders with fluorescent blue markings.
“The result of the survey was higher diversity than we anticipated,” said Rob Taylor, expedition leader and a conservation ecologist.
“Abundances were often low, partly because these ecosystems are nutrient-poor, but the diversity of specialised and unusual species was remarkable.”
