More than twenty biodiversity researchers from the Philippines attended the UPLB Museum of Natural History's online "Biodiversity Data Mobilization" workshop last 23-24 March 2023. The participating researchers came from UP Los Baños, UP Diliman, UP Mindanao, Philippine National Museum of Natural History, DOST-funded research programs, and other organizations across the...
New, critically endangered tree species found in Mt. Mantalingahan dedicated to PH botanist Dan Lagunzad
The Philippine Journal of Science recently announced, through its upcoming 152nd volume, the discovery of the 6th species of Helicia in the Philippines. According to the journal, foresters from the University of the Philippines Los Baños led by Professor Pastor L. Malabrigo, Jr. found the new tree species, now named...
Cristian Lucañas and his two new LOTR-inspired cockroach genera
Cristian Lucañas, an insect taxonomist at the UPLB Museum of Natural History, is a young man on a mission. Just below his 30s, he has already described/co-described more than 14 species of cockroaches and other insects. Last week, as a result of his continuing studies to revise the cockroach genus...
Interpretive writing and exhibition workshop held for museum staff
Held on 17-18 January 2023 at the annex building of UPLB’s Office of the Vice-Chancellor for Research and Extension, the training-workshop on “Interpretive Writing and Exhibition” was conducted for 20 of the museum’s regular and project staff. Three resource persons were invited to facilitate the training design: Dr. Ruby Roan...
17th int’l congress on Auchenorrhyncha slated in PH in 2024
The Philippines will host the 17th International Auchenorrhyncha Congress simultaneous with the 13th International Workshop on Leafhoppers and Plant Hoppers of Economic Importance (2024 IAC PH) on 25-29 March 2024. Since 1973, the IAC has been held triannually as scientific gathering of experts whose biological disciplines focus on auchenorrhynchous insects,...
Entomologists describe new species of predatory mites from Indonesian corn fields
UPLB entomologists published two species of predatory cunaxid mites new to science last 30 November 2022 in the journal Zootaxa (https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5214.1.3) The new species of mites are Dactyloscirus sumatranus Corpuz-Raros and Naredo sp.n. and Dactyloscirus ladangjagung Corpuz-Raros and Lit sp.n. The discoveries were the outputs of Professor Emeritus Leonila...
Museum team continues international collaboration in search for bat viruses
A research team of Japanese scientists and Filipino biologists from the UPLB Museum of Natural History continued its efforts to survey zoonotic diseases from bats, braving the aftermath of Typhoon Paeng (Nalgae) which recently crossed southern Luzon in the Philippines and flooded several areas of Laguna province. From 30 October...
Legazpi env’t office partners with MNH in bid to have own community herbarium
The UPLB Museum of Natural History recently partnered with the Office of the City Environment and Natural Resources (OCENR) – Legazpi City, Albay for the latter’s capacity development program seeks to prepare the agency’s constituents and stakeholders in planning for a community herbarium. According to Florante A. Cruz, museum extension...
New Philippine moth is named after University of the Philippines’ president
A new species of geometrid moth, specifically a “pug” moth, has just been described from the island of Sibuyan of Romblon by the Museum’s curator for geometrid moths and spiders, Dr. Aimee Lynn B. Dupo and French lepidoptera systematist, Claude Tautel. The description of the new moth was published in...
New endemic forest palm discovered, named after late botanist Leonard Co
A slender new species of Pinanga, a genus of palms native to eastern and southern Asia across to New Guinea, has been recently described from the volcanic slopes of Mt. Cagua, Cagayan by botanists Jiro T. Adorador and Edwino S. Fernando. Adorador and Fernando are assistant professor and Professor Emeritus,...