This Green Lacewing is an entirely new species, discovered in a set of Flickr photos. (Photo: Species ID/Guek)

Click the banner above for a link to a publication we have just come across that looks quite interesting. Click the photo above for the source of the discovery explained in this story (quoted below).  There are still plenty of flora and fauna that have not been identified.  One of the hopes of nature conservation is to get further down the path to identifying and understanding all our co-habitants on this planet. It should come as no surprise that social media and photographers like Hock Ping Guek play a critical role in this race against time:

The lacewing Guek had photographed in May 2011 was quite distinctive. Beneath long antenna sat its bulbous, iridescent eyes in front of a turquoise thorax supported by six translucent legs. Its thin, green abdomen was flanked by a pair of large, shimmering wings with distinctive black spots on each. Inside each of these irregular patches were flecks that shone like mother of pearl.

After sending out Guek’s photographs to other scientists, Winterton began to believe that the insect was indeed unclassified. However, photos alone weren’t sufficient to fully analyze the creature. For that, Winterton would need a living sample.