New species discoveries in Eastern Himalayas

A new report, "Hidden Himalayas: Asia's Wonderland" by the World Wildlife Fund, describes a treasure trove of 211 new species found by scientists. The finds include 133 plants, 39 invertebrates, 26 fish, 10 amphibians, one reptile, one bird and one mammal between 1998-2014.

This digital illustration shows the Myanmar snub-nosed monkey which inhabits the Kachin State in Northeastern Myanmar. With an estimated population of only 260-330 of the species, it is classified as Critically Endangered. The illustration is a composite of the head of dead snub-nosed money and the body of a monkey of a different species.

Myanmar snub-nosed monkey

The monkey with an upturned nose has an unusual problem in that rainfall makes it sneeze.

Researchers first learned of the money from hunters in Kachin state in early 2010, according Flora & Fauna International (FFI). The hunters reported that rain falling down into their upturned snubby noses made the monkeys sneeze, which made them easier for the hunters to find. The WWF report explained that the monkeys spend rainy days with their heads firmly tucked between their knees to keep from sneezing.

The species has been named 'Rhinopithecus strykeri' in honor of Jon Stryker, President and Founder of the Arcus Foundation who supported the research project. However, in local dialects it is called mey nwoah, 'monkey with an upturned face.' Like many of Asia's rare mammals, the snub-nosed monkey is threatened by habitat loss and hunting, according to FFI.

Myanmar snub-nosed monkey

The Myanmar snub-nosed monkey, nicknaked "snubby," has a white beard and a long tail. The previous photo and this one were captured by a camera trap recently.

Jeremy Holden, who led the FFI camera trapping team said, "We didn't know exactly where they lived, and I didn't hold out much hope of short term success with this work." Saw Soe Aung, a field biologist who set the cameras explained, "We were very surprised to get these pictures. It was exciting to see that some of the females were carrying babies - a new generation of our rarest primate." The babies' heads are visible near the stomach of the female adults in this photo.

Leptobrachium bompu

A new report, "Hidden Himalayas: Asia's Wonderland," describes a treasure trove of 211 new species found by scientists. The finds include 133 plants, 39 invertebrates, 26 fish, 10 amphibians, one reptile, one bird and one mammal between 1998-2014.

One of 10 new species of frog found in the past six years in India, the Leptobrachium bompu has black bands and has distinctly wrinkled skin. The small frogs have also have greyish-blue eyes and a vertically oriented pupil.

​Vibrant blue "walking" snakehead fish

One of the most striking finds is a vibrant blue dwarf "walking" snakehead fish (Channa andrao) from the Lefraguri swamp in West Bengal.

Snakeheads are a primitive fish. This particular one can breathe air and survive on land for up to four days though their movement has been described as clumsier than a slithering snake.

While the report details the new discoveries it also describes a threatened ecosystem primarily due to development, climate change, deforestation and wildlife trade and pollution among other factors.

​New wild banana - Musa markkui

Musa markkui is a a new banana species, named after scientist Markku Hakkinen.

​Impatiens lohitensis

Impatiens lohitensis, a wildflower, is one of six new plant species discovered.

​Dwarf snakehead fish

There are a total of 10 snakehead species in the Eastern Himalayas, representing almost one third of the known species in the genus.

"The challenge is to preserve our threatened ecosystems before these species, and others yet unknown are lost," said Sami Tornikoski leader of the WWF Living Himalayas Initiative.

Himalayan lance-headed pit viper

The Himalayan lance-headed pit viper (Protobothrops himalayansus) is poisonous and grows to nearly 5 feet long.

In total, the Himalayas are home to at least 10,000 plant species, 300 mammal species, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles, 105 amphibians and 269 types of freshwater fish.

​Spotted wren-babbler

The spotted Elachura or spotted wren-babbler (Elachura formosa) is found in the dense forests of the Eastern Himalayas in thick undergrowth. The males have an unusual high-pitched song.

There are a thousand types of birds in the Himalayas, one tenth of all known bird species in the world.