Top 10 New Species - 2012

In celebration of our 5th anniversary of the Top 10 New Species, the IISE presents some of the best species officially described in 2011. As with every year, we consider all of these species to be equally exciting and engaging - as such, there is no ranked order; no firstborns, no middle children and definitely no one bringing up the rear. Please click on the links below for more details about this year's Top 10 and enjoy!

Click here to make a nomination for next year's Top 10.

	a snub-nosed monkey from Myanmar (Burma) that sneezes when it rains
	a banded box jelly that's so cool-looking that people exclaim "oh boy!" when they see it (or when they're stung!)
	a nematode from one of earth's deepest gold mines that survives the temperatures and pressures of living almost a mile below the planet's surface
	the first night-blooming orchid to be described and grows in a primeval tropical forest
	a teensy wasp that attacks desert ants to lay its eggs in less than 0.05 seconds
	a new mushroom that can be squeezed like a sponge with an uncanny resemblance to a popular cartoon character
	a yellow poppy that blooms in the autumn monsoon season and can only be reached by hiking miles into the Himalayan wilderness
	a millipede that's SO big it looks like a sausage
	an ancient, spiny creature nicknamed the "walking cactus" that may have used its bristly legs to capture prey
	a breathtakingly beautiful and blue tarantula that may be at risk due to habitat loss and exploitation by the pet trade

How are the Top 10 New Species Selected?

Each year, the IISE’s international committee of taxon experts evaluates the hundreds of new species that have been nominated by the public, IISE staff, scientists, scientific journal editors and by the committee members themselves. Chaired by Dr. Mary Liz Jameson, the 2012 Top 10 International Committee represents decades of experience and scientific expertise across the animals, plants and microbes. The Committee has complete freedom in determining each year’s Top 10 New Species but endeavors to provide a breadth of species attributes, importance and world-wide interest. With over 18,000 new species officially described each year, it is a daunting task and the IISE is extremely grateful for the Committee’s volunteerism and commitment in bringing attention to species exploration, conservation, biodiveristy and taxonomy. In alphabetical order, this year’s committee included:

Dr. Philippe Bouchet, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France
Dr. Meg Daly, Ohio State University, USA
Chair, Dr. Mary Liz Jameson, Wichita State University, USA
Dr. Peter Kämpfer, Justus-Liebig-Universität Giessen, Germany
Dr. Niels Kristensen, Zoological Museum, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Dr. James Macklin, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Dr. Ellinor Michel, Natural History Museum, London, UK
Dr. John Noyes, Natural History Museum, London, UK
Dr. Alan Paton, International Plant Names Index and Royal Botanical Garden Kew, UK
Dr. Andrew Polaszek, Natural History Museum, London, UK
Dr. Marcelo Rodrigues de Carvalho, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
Dr. Gideon Smith, South African National Biodiversity Institute
Dr. Antonio Valdecasas, Museo National Ciencias Naturales, Madrid, Spain
Dr. Zhi-Qiang Zhang, International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, New Zealand