Five new Hoya species have been named after the Museum and its curators in three separate issues of Hoya New, an online publication (ISSN 2329-7336) dedicated to the Genus Hoya.

Hoyas, commonly known as wax plants, belong the Apocynaceae family. It is an evergreen perennial creeper or vine that rarely shrubs, with waxy texture and with milky latex-like sap. There are more than 100 recorded species of Hoya in the Philipines as of last year, 25 of which are endemic.

The new species namely H. histora, lambioae, litii, leticiae and edwinofernandoi have already been added to the International Plant Name Index by Robert Dale Kloppenburg, a research agronomist and Hoya taxonomist.

Curators, staff and students from the Museum of Natural History recently participated during the "International Symposium on Biodiversity as Economic Resource — Innovative Exploitation for Science and Society" last 18 January 2016.

Director Juan Carlos T. Gonzalez, Curators Dr. Ayolani De Lara, Dr. Alberto T. Barrion, Dr. Aimeee Lynn B. Dupo, Dr. Emmanuel Ryan De Chavez; MNH staff James DV. Alvarez and David Emmanuel M. General; and MNH special problem students Mattheus Imcon V. Abris and Clarizette O. Llegado attended the scientific gathering hosted by Ateneo de Manila University, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and BIOTA AdMU chapter.

A high-profile group of German scientists visited the Museum of Natural History last 17 January 2016 as part of their special tour arranged by Ateneo de Manila University.

Those among the delegation were Dr. Johannes Vogel, Director General of the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin; his Deputy Director General, Dr. Christoph Häuser and Dr. Thomas von Rintelen, Curator for Mollusca.

Museum für Naturkunde Berlin is one of the most significant research institutions worldwide in biological and geo-scientific evolution research and biodiversity and comprise more than 30 million items relating to zoology, palaeontology, geology and mineralogy.

The Museum of Natural History conducted its first planning meeting for the year last 08 January 2016 at Cuyab Hot Springs Resort in Calamba City, Laguna.

Dr. Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Director, opened the program by highlighting the accomplishments of the Museum in 2015.

MNH staff on the other hand reported the status of the following: Researches and Projects, Extension and MNH Services, Academic Programs and Linkages, Collections Management, MNH Publications, Curator Appointments, and Income and Administration/Procurement.

A new species of cone-headed stick insect from Western Samar has been formally described by Dr. Ireneo L. Lit, Jr. and Mr. Orlando L. Eusebio in an article published by Germany-based journal ARTHROPODA Generalis this October 2015. Lit and Eusebio are Curator and staff, respectively of the UPLB Museum of Natural History Entomology Section. Dr. Lit is also a Professor at the Institute of Biological Sciences of the University of the Philippines Los Banos.

According to Lit and Eusebio, the new species Loxopsis waray is the third Philippine species of Loxopsis; the first two came from Mindanao and were described in 2012 by Joachim Bresseel of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.

The discovery, by myrmecologist David Emmanuel M. General of the UPLB Museum of Natural History, of two new species of ants, was recently announced by Myrmecological News in its September 2015 issue. The two species represent a new genus, Aretridis, composed of “ground-foraging ants apparently restricted to elevations above 900 meters above sea level.” The new genus name combines two Greek words arête (excellence) and idris (ant).