21 species once presumed lost to science, including a giant millipede last seen more than a century ago, rediscovered in Madagascar
July 22, 2024
By Fred Mugira
Up to 21 species presumed lost to science, have been rediscovered in Madagascar, an island nation in eastern Africa.
The list includes three translucent fish species and a millipede unseen for 126 years, though known locally in Madagascar.
The expedition to Makira, Madagascar’s largest and most pristine forest, was part of Re:wild’s Search for Lost Species. It brought together teams from Antananarivo University, the American Bird Conservancy, The Peregrine Fund, the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Biodiversity Inventory for Conservation (BINCO) and local guides.
It marked the first multi-taxa effort by the initiative, targeting mammals, fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates missing from scientific records for over a decade but are not assessed as extinct by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The team of over 30 scientists explored Makira for weeks in September 2023, followed by months of analysis.
Setting up a light trap in Makira to survey invertebrates at night during a lost species expedition in September 2023. (Photo by Merlijn Jocque)
“In the past, the Search for Lost Species has primarily looked for one or two species on each expedition, but there are now 4,300 species that we know of around the world that have not been documented in a decade or more,” said Christina Biggs, Lost Species officer for Re:wild, whose eDNA work during the expedition detected 37 additional vertebrate species that the taxonomic experts didn’t sight.
“Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot and Makira is an underexplored area within the country, so we decided to pilot a new model for lost species searches there. We convened a group of scientists to search for as many species as possible, and it proved successful.”
The expedition team initially had a list of 30 lost species they hoped to find in Makira. The species on the list included three mammals, three fish, seven reptiles, 12 insects and five spiders. With the help of local guides and fishers, the team found the three fish species on the list: the Makira rainbow fish (Bedotia alveyi), lost since 2003, Rheocles sp., lost since 2006, and Ptychochromis makira, lost since 2003. It proved to be much more difficult than biologists anticipated to find the lost fishes.
“In the past, the Search for Lost Species has primarily looked for one or two species on each expedition, but there are now 4,300 species that we know of around the world that have not been documented in a decade or more,” said Christina Biggs, Lost Species officer for Re:wild, whose eDNA work during the expedition detected 37 additional vertebrate species that the taxonomic experts didn’t sight.
“Madagascar is a biodiversity hotspot and Makira is an underexplored area within the country, so we decided to pilot a new model for lost species searches there. We convened a group of scientists to search for as many species as possible, and it proved successful.”
The expedition team initially had a list of 30 lost species they hoped to find in Makira. The species on the list included three mammals, three fish, seven reptiles, 12 insects and five spiders. With the help of local guides and fishers, the team found the three fish species on the list: the Makira rainbow fish (Bedotia alveyi), lost since 2003, Rheocles sp., lost since 2006, and Ptychochromis makira, lost since 2003. It proved to be much more difficult than biologists anticipated to find the lost fishes.
Rheocles sp., lost since 2006
Ptychochromis makira, lost since 2003
“When we didn’t find anything during the first five days of the expedition it was very frustrating,” said Tsilavina Ravelomanana, a fish biologist at Antananarivo University, who had been to Makira 20 years earlier to survey freshwater fish. “We sampled a small tributary of the Antainambalana River, then the main river, then upstream and then downstream, but we still didn’t find any fish. We changed our strategy and sent our local guides on a two-to-three-day hike away from our base camp to interview local fishermen.”
How it happened
Two of the expedition’s local guides, Melixon and Edmé, hiked around a steep waterfall and over mountains to villages that were within a few days’ walk of the expedition’s base camp along the Antainambalana River. After several days, the guides were able to find a Makira rainbow fish, a common fish to local communities, and brought it back to the camp in a bucket of water.
“When we didn’t find anything during the first five days of the expedition it was very frustrating,” said Tsilavina Ravelomanana, a fish biologist at Antananarivo University, who had been to Makira 20 years earlier to survey freshwater fish. “We sampled a small tributary of the Antainambalana River, then the main river, then upstream and then downstream, but we still didn’t find any fish. We changed our strategy and sent our local guides on a two-to-three-day hike away from our base camp to interview local fishermen.”
How it happened
Two of the expedition’s local guides, Melixon and Edmé, hiked around a steep waterfall and over mountains to villages that were within a few days’ walk of the expedition’s base camp along the Antainambalana River. After several days, the guides were able to find a Makira rainbow fish, a common fish to local communities, and brought it back to the camp in a bucket of water.
Makira rainbow fish
They returned to the same villages a few days later with photos of the Rheocles sp., which only measures a few inches long and has iridescent scales and red highlights on its body at the tips of its fins. Again, working with local fishermen, Melixon and Edmé were able to find the fish.
“We had already gotten two species, but we still needed to find one more,” said Fetra Andriambelomanana, a fish biologist at Antananarivo University. “The guides told us that they thought the best place to find it would be in an area on our hike back out of the forest. They left ahead of us and we made plans to meet them when we left Makira.”
The guides were able to find Ptychoromis makira, which biologists think may only live in one small area near Andaparaty, and is a rare species—even to local communities.
Makira proved to be home to several lost species of insects including bugs and some that were not even on the initial list of lost species for the area. Entomologists found two different species of ant-like flower beetles that had been lost to science since 1958. However, the most unexpected rediscovered lost species was a giant, dark brown millipede.
“I personally was most surprised and pleased by the fact that the giant millipede Spirostreptus sculptus, not uncommon in Makira Forest, appeared to be another lost species known only from the type specimen described in 1897,” said Dmitry Telnov, an entomologist with BINCO on the expedition team. “The longest specimen of this species we observed in Makira was a really gigantic female measuring 27.5 centimeters [10.8 inches] long.”
They returned to the same villages a few days later with photos of the Rheocles sp., which only measures a few inches long and has iridescent scales and red highlights on its body at the tips of its fins. Again, working with local fishermen, Melixon and Edmé were able to find the fish.
“We had already gotten two species, but we still needed to find one more,” said Fetra Andriambelomanana, a fish biologist at Antananarivo University. “The guides told us that they thought the best place to find it would be in an area on our hike back out of the forest. They left ahead of us and we made plans to meet them when we left Makira.”
The guides were able to find Ptychoromis makira, which biologists think may only live in one small area near Andaparaty, and is a rare species—even to local communities.
Makira proved to be home to several lost species of insects including bugs and some that were not even on the initial list of lost species for the area. Entomologists found two different species of ant-like flower beetles that had been lost to science since 1958. However, the most unexpected rediscovered lost species was a giant, dark brown millipede.
“I personally was most surprised and pleased by the fact that the giant millipede Spirostreptus sculptus, not uncommon in Makira Forest, appeared to be another lost species known only from the type specimen described in 1897,” said Dmitry Telnov, an entomologist with BINCO on the expedition team. “The longest specimen of this species we observed in Makira was a really gigantic female measuring 27.5 centimeters [10.8 inches] long.”
The giant millipede not uncommon in Makira Forest
The expedition team also found a variety of spider species in Makira, including five jumping spiders that were lost to science and 17 spiders that are new to science. The longest-lost spider was the jumping spider Tomocyrba decollata, which had not had a documented sighting since 1900 when it was first described by science.
The most unexpected discovery was a new species of zebra spider. Zebra spiders were not thought to live in the rainforests of Madagascar before the expedition to Makira. One evening a hanging egg sac in the entrance of a small cave caught the eye of one of the team members.
“I immediately recognized them as something special,” said Brogan Pett, director of the SpiDiverse working group at BINCO and doctoral candidate at the University of Exeter. “Pendulous egg sacs is one of the characteristics of the family of zebra spiders this new species belongs to. I crawled a short way inside the cave and saw a few adult spiders guarding egg sacs—they were quite large spiders and it was remarkable that they had gone unrecognized for so long.”
The expedition team also found a variety of spider species in Makira, including five jumping spiders that were lost to science and 17 spiders that are new to science. The longest-lost spider was the jumping spider Tomocyrba decollata, which had not had a documented sighting since 1900 when it was first described by science.
The most unexpected discovery was a new species of zebra spider. Zebra spiders were not thought to live in the rainforests of Madagascar before the expedition to Makira. One evening a hanging egg sac in the entrance of a small cave caught the eye of one of the team members.
“I immediately recognized them as something special,” said Brogan Pett, director of the SpiDiverse working group at BINCO and doctoral candidate at the University of Exeter. “Pendulous egg sacs is one of the characteristics of the family of zebra spiders this new species belongs to. I crawled a short way inside the cave and saw a few adult spiders guarding egg sacs—they were quite large spiders and it was remarkable that they had gone unrecognized for so long.”
New species of spider Madagascarchaea sp. discovered during Makira expedition (Photo by John C. Mittermeier/American Bird Conservancy)
Although the expedition found nearly two dozen lost species, there were several that the expedition team was unable to find including the Masoala fork-marked lemur; a large chameleon, Calumma vatososa, named after Malagasy ‘vato’ or stone and ‘soa’ or beautiful; and the recently rediscovered dusky tetraka. The lemur has not had a documented sighting since 2004 and the chameleon since 2006.
As a result of this expedition, local scientists were able to clarify the uncertain taxonomic status of the Ellerman’s tuft-tailed rat and the Malagasy slit-faced bat, allowing them to be removed from the list of more than 4,300 lost species maintained by Re:wild and the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
The dusky tetraka was rediscovered by the Search for Lost Birds in Madagascar in December 2022 and January 2023 in two different locations in Andapa and Masoala. Makira is between Andapa and Masoala and ornithologists were hoping to determine if the species also lives in Makira. They were unable to find any of the cryptic olive and yellow birds during the expedition, but they are not ready to rule out the forest as a habitat for the species yet.
“The Makira Forest has the potential for two rare bird species, the dusky tetraka and the Madagascar serpent eagle, but we were not able to find them this time,” said Lily Arison Rene de Roland, Madagascar program director for the Peregrine Fund. “I was surprised by the abundance of white-browed owls. In general, this species is very localized and not very abundant, but it was very common in Makira.”
Although the expedition found nearly two dozen lost species, there were several that the expedition team was unable to find including the Masoala fork-marked lemur; a large chameleon, Calumma vatososa, named after Malagasy ‘vato’ or stone and ‘soa’ or beautiful; and the recently rediscovered dusky tetraka. The lemur has not had a documented sighting since 2004 and the chameleon since 2006.
As a result of this expedition, local scientists were able to clarify the uncertain taxonomic status of the Ellerman’s tuft-tailed rat and the Malagasy slit-faced bat, allowing them to be removed from the list of more than 4,300 lost species maintained by Re:wild and the IUCN Species Survival Commission.
The dusky tetraka was rediscovered by the Search for Lost Birds in Madagascar in December 2022 and January 2023 in two different locations in Andapa and Masoala. Makira is between Andapa and Masoala and ornithologists were hoping to determine if the species also lives in Makira. They were unable to find any of the cryptic olive and yellow birds during the expedition, but they are not ready to rule out the forest as a habitat for the species yet.
“The Makira Forest has the potential for two rare bird species, the dusky tetraka and the Madagascar serpent eagle, but we were not able to find them this time,” said Lily Arison Rene de Roland, Madagascar program director for the Peregrine Fund. “I was surprised by the abundance of white-browed owls. In general, this species is very localized and not very abundant, but it was very common in Makira.”
White-browed owl
Scientists reflect on the expedition’s impact
Jeconius Musingwire, an environmental scientist and former scientist with Uganda’s national environmental watchdog NEMA, described the rediscovery of these species as “significant to the whole world.” He urged African governments to investigate how these species were able to thrive in Madagascar, so they can apply “similar conservation techniques” in their own countries.
Cosmo LeBreton from the University of Oxford, The RIDGES Foundation, described the Makira expedition as a pivotal moment in biodiversity research, emphasizing its profound impact in global hotspots such as Madagascar. He believes, “this expedition is an extremely important example of the impact that output-driven research expeditions can generate in global hotspots for biodiversity.”
Similarly, Julie Linchant of WCS Madagascar underscores the expedition’s crucial role in uncovering Makira’s rich biodiversity. She notes that “it’s important to continue researching the biodiversity of Makira because although it is one of the largest rainforests in the country, we still have relatively little idea which species occur.”
A waterfall in Makira Natural Park. Steep waterfalls in Makira made searching for freshwater fish species more difficult. (Photo by Tahiry Langrand)
Dr. Abbas Mugisha, a lecturer at Kabale University in Uganda, suggested that more lost species “could still be living in various forests across Africa.” He cited the example of the Congo rainforest and advocated for additional expeditions to rediscover more lost species in Africa.
Reflecting on the survey, James Rafanoharana from WCS Madagascar says “It was the first time a herpetology survey was done at that low altitude and it was surprisingly diverse—although we mostly found common species.”
Armannd Benjara, who oversees the Complexe Tsimembo Manabolomaty Protected Area for The Peregrine Fund, expressed optimism about discovering the dusky tetraka in Makira’s varied habitats, stating that, “given the forest microhabitats we observed in Sahamatreha, I hope we can find the dusky tetraka in the Makira Forest.”
Angelinah Rene de Roland, a herpetologist also from The Peregrine Fund, marvelled at Makira’s lush forests and diverse ecosystems and said, “The expedition in general was amazing; the Makira Forest is very humid even during the dry season.”
Discussing the dusky tetraka, John C. Mittermeier, who leads the search for lost birds at the American Bird Conservancy, emphasizes its mystery, stating that, “the dusky tetraka is a really enigmatic species.”
Dr. Abbas Mugisha, a lecturer at Kabale University in Uganda, suggested that more lost species “could still be living in various forests across Africa.” He cited the example of the Congo rainforest and advocated for additional expeditions to rediscover more lost species in Africa.
Reflecting on the survey, James Rafanoharana from WCS Madagascar says “It was the first time a herpetology survey was done at that low altitude and it was surprisingly diverse—although we mostly found common species.”
Armannd Benjara, who oversees the Complexe Tsimembo Manabolomaty Protected Area for The Peregrine Fund, expressed optimism about discovering the dusky tetraka in Makira’s varied habitats, stating that, “given the forest microhabitats we observed in Sahamatreha, I hope we can find the dusky tetraka in the Makira Forest.”
Angelinah Rene de Roland, a herpetologist also from The Peregrine Fund, marvelled at Makira’s lush forests and diverse ecosystems and said, “The expedition in general was amazing; the Makira Forest is very humid even during the dry season.”
Discussing the dusky tetraka, John C. Mittermeier, who leads the search for lost birds at the American Bird Conservancy, emphasizes its mystery, stating that, “the dusky tetraka is a really enigmatic species.”
Detailed list of rediscovered species
Since they came back, the expedition team has unveiled a collection of rediscovered species, each with its own story of disappearing and coming back again.
Among these finds are the Spirostreptus sculptus, (a giant millipede) last documented in 1897, and the Tomocyrba decollata Simon, (a jumping spider) not seen since 1900. Adding to the roster are the Echinussa vibrabunda (spider), absent from records since 1901, and the Tetragonoderus tomasinae (beetle), which vanished in 1931. Also rediscovered were the Sapintus acuminatus and Sapintus mediodilatatus (ant-like flower beetles), both unseen since 1958.
The expedition further uncovered the Pandisus sp. (spider), missing since 1968, and the Myrmarachne eumenes (jumping spider), last observed in 1978. Others include the Makira rainbow fish (Bedotia alveyi), Ptychochromis makira, and Rheocles sp., all absent from scientific records for over a decade. Additional notable finds include the (Kaliella crandalli) snail, last recorded in 2010, the Oxypristis conspicuous (leaf-footed bug), missing since 1996, and the Zetophloeus pugionatus (straight-snouted weevil), last seen in 2010. Rounding out the list are the Cenoscelis cistelina (darkling beetle), missing since 2011, and the Tamatasida tuberculosa tuberculosa (darkling beetle), last documented in 1949.
This story was produced by InfoNile
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