<p>Discovering a new species is never easy. But it’s especially difficult when the species in question is relatively rare — and smaller than a breadbox. Yet sharp-eyed scientists found several Lilliputian species in 2015, including these five.</p><div class="vert-display-toggle collapsible relative flex flex-col items-center "><div class="vert-unit mt-4 mb-3 top-20"><div ad-type="mobile-desktop" class="ad-wrapper vert min-h-boombox flex items-start justify-center" data-ad-mapping="inline" data-ad-slot="Discover/inline-ad" id="div-inline-ad-0"></div></div><span aria-label="Advertisement" class="text-ad mt-1 text-[11px] uppercase">Advertisement</span></div><hr><figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21584/the-loner-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21584/the-loner-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21584/the-loner-s.jpg" title="Primitively Perfect" loading="lazy" data-id="21584"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption">Capelatus prykei, a 0.3-inch diving beetle found in Cape Town wetlands, is an orphan of a bug, earning it its own genus. Its closest kin live thousands of miles away and haven’t shared an ancestor for at least 30 million years. | David Bilton/Plymouth University</p></figcaption></figure><figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21585/transparent-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21585/transparent-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21585/transparent-s.jpg" title="Primitively Perfect" loading="lazy" data-id="21585"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption">Kermit the Frog has a 1-inch doppelganger in the Costa Rican glass frog species Hyalinobatrachium dianae. But this tiny frog’s belly is transparent, revealing its organs. | Brian Kubicki</p></figcaption></figure><figure class="fr-image-container fr-full"><img srcset="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21586/primatively-perfect-s.webp 480w, https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21586/primatively-perfect-m.webp 660w" sizes="(max-width: 480px) 480px, 660px" src="https://cdn.discovermagazine.com/assets/image/21586/primatively-perfect-s.jpg" title="Primitively Perfect" loading="lazy" data-id="21586"><figcaption class="fr-figcaption"><p class="fr-caption">This coin-size Australian moth with iridescent wings retains features from primitive moths, and its entire adult life spans a single day. Scientists named this tiny enigma Aenigmatinea glatzella. | You Ning So/CSIRO</p></figcaption></figure>

Primitively Perfect

January/February 2016

The January/February  2016 issue of Discover Magazine

100 Top Stories of 2015

Among them: a see-through frog, a moth who lives one day as an adult, and one lonely beetle.

Planet Earth

5 Small Wild Things Make Their World Debut

Article

News

Brenda Poppy

Science

Discovering a new species is never easy. But it’s especially difficult when the species in question is relatively rare — and smaller than a breadbox. Yet sharp-eyed scientists found several Lilliputian species in 2015, including these five. Capelatus prykei, a 0.3-inch diving beetle found in Cape Town wetlands, is an orphan of a bug, earning it its own genus. Its closest kin live thousands of miles away and haven’t shared an ancestor for at least 30 million years. | David Bilton/Plymouth University Kermit the Frog has a 1-inch doppelganger in the Costa Rican glass frog species Hyalinobatrachium dianae. But this tiny frog’s belly is transparent, revealing its organs. | Brian Kubicki This coin-size Australian moth with iridescent wings retains features from primitive moths, and its entire adult life spans a single day. Scientists named this tiny enigma Aenigmatinea glatzella. | You Ning So/CSIRO

Discover Magazine’s award-winning journalism inspires and informs, delivering thought-provoking content that sparks meaningful conversations. With a focus on groundbreaking developments in science, technology, and the world around us, Discover highlights the impact of these innovations on our daily lives.

5 种小型野生生物首次亮相 (5 zhǒng xiǎoxíng yěshēng wùshēng shǒucì xiàngliàng)

新闻简报

布伦达·波皮 (Brenda Poppy)

发表于

2015年100个最佳故事

三种新发现的蟾蜍以奇异的进化方式产下活体幼崽

弓头鲸可活到200岁，其DNA可能蕴含长寿的秘密

切尔诺贝利的狗神秘变蓝，但辐射并非罪魁祸首

深海发现食肉死亡球海绵及其他新物种

这些吸血鬼鹿拥有三英寸长的獠牙而非鹿角来抵御对手

吸血蜘蛛痴迷于人类血液，通过扑向蚊子来饱餐一顿

最稀有的海洋动物及其他6种神秘潜伏在深海的难以捉摸的生物

冰岛首次发现蚊子，可能与气候变化有关

这些蝙蝠在紫外光下会发出绿光，但原因仍然是个谜

不再是“料理鼠王”——芝加哥鼠洞实则被一只松鼠压扁

蝠鲼潜入近4000英尺深的海洋——不是为了觅食，而是为了寻找方向

鲸鱼和海豚为何会搁浅，痴呆症是罪魁祸首吗？

狗如何看世界？它们确实能看到颜色，但更关注我们

澳大利亚海岸附近发现新的深海灯笼鲨和一种珍珠白色的螃蟹

泰国发现新的科学怪人蜘蛛，一半雄性一半雌性

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