International Institute for Species Exploration


The International Institute for Species Exploration was a research institute located in Syracuse, New York. Its mission was to improve taxonomical exploration and the cataloging of new species of flora and fauna. Between 2008 and 2018, IISE published a yearly "Top 10" of the most unusual or unique biota newly identified in the previous year, with the aim of drawing attention to the work done in taxonomy across the world over the previous year.
In 2011, the institute contributed towards the estimate that Earth was home to approximately 8.7 million species.
The institute disbanded in 2018 when its founder, Quentin D. Wheeler, resigned.
WWW esf.edu/species

Overview

The International Institute for Species Exploration was a research facility dedicated to cataloging the Earth's species across all biological kingdoms. IISE cited three reasons why an improved taxonomic understanding of life is important: without knowing what exists today, humans will be unable to tell when species go extinct; the diversity of life driven by billions of years of natural selection means nature likely holds the answers to many human problems; and to better appreciate our place in the world.
IISE was hosted by the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and located in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was founded in 2007. IISE was previously associated with Arizona State University. The institute's executive director was Quentin D. Wheeler, an entomologist.
In 2011, the Institute contributed to a widely publicized estimate that Earth is home to approximately 8.7 million species.

Top 10 New Species list

Between 2008 and 2018, the IISE published an annual list of the "Top 10 New Species" in an effort to increase public awareness of the diversity of life on Earth. The list was credited with bringing attention to the abundance of new discovers, just as the world's species are declining. Additionally, Wheeler said he hopes it spurs a sense of urgency to catalog Earth's creatures.
Each year an international panel picked the list from the 17,000–18,000 species described during the previous calendar year, emphasizing diversity with their picks. To be eligible for inclusion, the species must have been formally described in an accredited scientific journal and named within the previous calendar year. The list was published on or just before May 23, the birthday of Carl Linnaeus, the "father" of taxonomy. The list was unordered. According to selection committee chair Antonio Valdecasas, it was very difficult to select the list due to the large number of species discovered each year. He added that he was "always surprised" by the diverse discoveries each year and that we are "very far" from a complete description of life on Earth.
The list regularly drew considerable press attention. The Delhi Daily News said the list "highlights the most amazing species found last year", while the New Zealand Herald called the creatures it features "bizarre discoveries". TIME magazine called the list the "best of the best when it comes to new life".

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

The Top 10 New Species for 2012 were announced on May 24, 2012, and included :
  • Bonaire banded box jellyfish
  • Night-blooming orchid '
  • Wandering leg sausage '
  • Devil worm
  • Walking cactus '
  • Dive-bombing wasp '
  • Myanmar snub-nosed monkey
  • Nepalese autumn poppy
  • Sazima's tarantula
  • Spongebob squarepants mushroom ''''

2013

The Top 10 New Species for 2013 were announced on May 22, 2013, and included :
  • Petriky Forest Eugenia '
  • Scorpionfly '
  • Lesula monkey
  • Lilliputian violet
  • Lightning Roach '
  • Lyre sponge
  • Lascaux Cave Fungus '
  • Microhylid Frog '
  • Green Lacewing '
  • No to the Mine ''''

2014

The 2014 list was announced on May 22, 2014. According to National Geographic, the list featured "a lineup of startling creatures notable for their scrappiness, weirdness, thrift, and sloth."
  • Kaweesak's dragon tree
  • Olinguito '
  • ANDRILL Anmone '
  • Skeleton Shrimp '
  • Cape Melville leaf-tailed gecko
  • Domed Land Snail '
  • Tinkerbell Fairyfly '
  • Orange Penicillium '
  • Amoeboid Protist
  • Clean Room Microbes ''''

2015

The list was announced on 23 May, to coincide with the birthday of Carolus Linnaeus.
  • Feathered dinosaur
  • Coral plant
  • Cartwheeling spider
  • The X-phyla
  • Bone-house wasp
  • Indonesian frog
  • Walking stick
  • Sea slug
  • Bromeliad
  • Pufferfish

2016

  • Giant tortoise
  • Giant sundew
  • Hominin
  • Isopod ''
  • Anglerfish
  • Seadragon
  • Tiny Beetle
  • New Primate
  • Flowering Tree
  • Sparklewing

2017

  • "Sorting Hat" Spider
  • Unexpected Katydid
  • Omnivorous Root Rat
  • 414-legged Millipede
  • "Dragon" Ant
  • Freshwater Stingray
  • Swimming Centipede
  • Bush Tomato
  • Endangered Orchid
  • "Churro" Marine Worm

2018

  • Protist
  • Atlantic forest tree
  • Amphipod
  • Baffling Beetle
  • Tapanuli Orangutan
  • Swire's Snailfish
  • Heterotrophic Flower
  • Volcanic Bacterium
  • Marsupial Lion
  • Cave Beetle

State of observed species report

The IISE also released an annual report that inventoried the complete list of species cataloged two years prior and discussed the state of new species discovery. The 2011 report, for example, found that 19,232 species were named in 2009, a 5.6% increase over the prior year. The report took about two years to compile due to the lack of standardized registration for new species, an issue on which the IISE campaigned. It routinely found that insects made up roughly half of all new species discovered, followed by vascular plants and arachnids.