First Photo Evidence of Snub-Nosed Monkey Species in China

ScienceDaily (July 26, 2012) — Chinese researchers have published the first evidence that a population of the recently discovered snub-nosed monkey, Rhinopithecus Strykeri, live in China. Until now researchers have been unable to photograph the monkey, whose upturned nostrils are said to make it sneeze in the rain.

The paper is published in theAmerican Journal of Primatology.The species was first discovered by a team led by Ngwe Lwin from the Myanmar Biodiversity and Nature Conservation Association and described by Dr Thomas Geissman in the American Journal of Primatology in October 2010. It was believed that the species was isolated to the Kachin State of north eastern Myanmar. However, this new discovery reveals the international range of this critically endangered species.

The new expedition, led by Yongcheng Long from the Nature Conservancy China Program, travelled to the Yunnan province of China after a forest guard, Liu Pu, took photos of a group of snub-nosed monkeys in a forest in near Pianma, in Yunann's Lushui County.



Continued:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/07/120726101715.htm

Ants in 3D: project begins to image every known species

Scientists are embarking on a mission to capture a 3D image of every ant species known to science.

The US team is visiting museums around the world to photograph all of the ant specimens in their collections.

They are using a technique that, for the first time, allows microscopic anatomical detail of the insects' bodies to be photographed.

The aim is to make an online catalogue called Antweb, providing a unique tool for scientists who study the insects.

It will also allow anyone with access to the internet a detailed glimpse of the diverse world of ants.

Brian Fisher from the California Academy of Sciences is leading the study. He and his colleagues have started their "world ant tour" at the Natural History Museum (NHM) in London.

The team has already used the imaging technique on ant collections in the US, capturing snapshots of 8,000 ant species so far.

But there are approximately 15,000 species that have been "formally described" in science, and about 30,000 species in total.

Each named and described species has a specimen - an ant that provides the reference for what this species looks like - housed in a museum collection.

Dr Fisher and his team plan to capture a snapshot of every single one of these specimens.

Continued: http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/18368213