Species Spotlight: Desertas Wolf Spider

Name: Desertas Wolf Spider
Scientific Name: Hogna ingens
Conservation status: Critically Endangered
Location: Desertas Islands Portugal
Habitat: Mixed grasslands with exposed rocks and soils
Diet: Predator; invertebrates and lizards

Additional information: The Desertas Wolf Spider is the world's larges wolf spider with a leg span of 3-5 inches. With no mammals on the island this spider is the top predator in its environment. Decline of this spider is caused directly by invasive grasses which root in the crevasses needed for the spider, and other wildlife native to the island, to make homes. Current conservation efforts are underway to move populations of the island's wildlife to areas without the invasive grasses and to remove the invasive grass as well.

Resources:
IUCN Red List
EOL
Animal Arkive

Species Spotlight: Lemur Leaf Frog

Name: Lemur Leaf Frog
Scientific Name: Hylomantis lemur
Conservation status: Critically Endangered (Extirpated from many sites particularly in Costa Rica)
Location: Central America (Panama, Columbia and Costa Rica)
Habitat: Undisturbed Humid Forest
Diet: Unknown though small invertebrates are most likely diet.

Additional information: The Lemur Leaf Frog changes color depending on activity level and time of day. This frog is one of few species that can bask in sunlight for long periods of time without drying out. Pterorhodin pigment in the skin allows it to reflect heat and may add to disease resistance. The resistance of this tiny frog to Chytridiomycosis, a fungal disease that is decimating many amphibian populations, is of great interest to scientists who are involved in amphibian conservation efforts around the world.

Resources:
IUCN Red List
EOL
Animal Arkive

Species Spotlight: Short-eared Dog

Name: Short-Eared Dog (Short-eared Zorro)
Scientific Name: Atelocynus microtis
Conservation status: Threatened/Endangered
Location: Peruvian Amazon Rainforest
Habitat: Undisturbed Rainforest
Diet: Generalist; fruits, fish, mammals, insects, frogs, crabs, and reptiles

Additional information: The Short-Eared Dog has thick dense fur to stay dry while swimming and in the intense rains within the forest. The dog also has partial interdigit membranes (partial webbing) probably owing to its time spent swimming and fishing. Due to being extremely reclusive the exact numbers in the wild are unknown but it is suspected that there are less than 15,000 left in the wild.

Resources:
IUCN Red List Entry
Animal Arkive Entry
Encyclopedia of Life Entry

Species Spotlight: Sea Pigs

Name: Sea Pig
Scientific Name: Scotoplanes sp.
Conservation status: Unknown but threatened by deep sea trawling
Location: Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans
Habitat: Deep sea >1000m
Diet: detritus and scavenged corpses

Additional information: Sea pigs have a very sensitive sense of smell that they use to locate food. The appendages, including those coming from the animal's back, are legs. Sea pigs are echinoderms, related to starfish and sea urchins, and are a type of sea cucumber. These animals have been cited as a possible source for figuring out the life style of the fossil Hallucigenia from the Burgess Shale deposits.

Resources:
Encyclopedia of Life Entry
Facts from WIRED Magazine
From Echinoblog

Species Spotlight: Fossa

Name: Fossa

Scientific Name: Cryptoprocta ferox

Conservation status: Endangered

Location: Madagascar

Habitat: Dense forests and woodlands

Diet: Carnivore; lemurs, rodents, frogs, lizards and birds.

Additional information: Despite its feline appearance, including retractable claws, the Fossa is the largest member of the mongoose family that can grow to over 2 feet long and close to 30 lbs. The Fossa specializes in hunting lemurs. Due to its forest habitat requirements this species has seen a population drop of 30% over the past 20 years as Madagascar rainforest is cleared for agriculture and by logging. It is also often targeted by locals for eradication because it will prey on domestic fowl.

Resources

IUCN Red List Entry

Animal Arkive Entry

Species Spotlight: Pink Fairy Armadillo

Name: Pink Fairy Armadillo
Scientific Name: Chlamyphorus truncatus
Conservation status: Unknown/Data deficient
Location: Argentina
Habitat: Desert, and dry, sandy grasslands
Diet: Worms, insects, snails and grasses

Additional information: The smallest of the armadillo species, measuring 3-4 inches long on average. Nicknamed the "sand swimmer" for its extraordinary speed and efficiency when it comes to burrowing. Listed as Data Deficient; little is known about its population status, ecology or requirements. Due to its capture for black market pet trade and the fact that it has a poor survival rate in captivity it is a priority species for future assessment studies.

Resources:
IUCN Red List Entry
Animal Arkive Entry

Species Spotlight: Maui hesperomannia

Common Name: Maui hesperomannia
Scientific Name: Hesperomannia arbuscula
Status: Critically Endangered
Type of plant: Shrubby tree
Habitat: Lowland rainforests
Range: Maui and Oahu

Additional information: This distant relative of the Magnolia resembles a more familiar plant, rhododendrons, in growth and shape. Only 25 individuals are thought to remain of this beautiful plant. The biggest threats come from feral pigs, introduced rats, invasive plant species, trampling by humans and human collection of specimens. Several botanical gardens are propagating this plant to help with species survival.
Animal Arkive
EOL
IUCN Red List