Modern Species Database (Premium)

Botanical illustration of Cynomorium from the early 20th century, drawn by Anton Joseph Kerner von Marilaun and Adolf Hansen，Image source：Kurt Stüber， CC0 1.0 。 Taxonomy Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Angiosperms Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Saxifragales Family: Cynomoriaceae Genus: Cynomorium Species: Cynomorium coccineum Morphological description Across the Mediterranean coasts and the deserts of the Middle East, Cynomorium coccineum emerges with a striking and unusual appearan

（Image source：Southwick3， CC BY-SA 3.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Annelida Class: Clitellata Order: Haplotaxida Family: Enchytraeidae Genus: Mesenchytraeus Species: Mesenchytraeus solifugus Morphological Description The glacier ice worm Mesenchytraeus solifugus is a slender annelid whose adult body length typically ranges from about 1.5 to 2.5 cm, with a diameter of roughly 0.5 mm. Individuals are hermaphroditic. The body is soft and highly flexible, allowing the

（Image source：Frank Schulenburg， CC BY-SA 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophyta Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Ericales Family: Ericaceae Genus: Sarcodes Species: Sarcodes sanguinea Morphological Description Sarcodes sanguinea is an angiosperm that completely lacks chlorophyll and therefore exhibits a striking bright red to deep crimson appearance. The plant bears an upright, thick, fleshy stem that is typically whitish or pale inte

（Image source：Albuquerque NR et al. (2025)， CC BY 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Order: Squamata Family: Colubridae Genus: Leptophis Species: Leptophis mystacinus Morphological description The whiskered parrot snake Leptophis mystacinus is a slender, laterally compressed diurnal colubrid. Its overall appearance is typical of arboreal snakes: the body is cylindrical with a slightly flattened ventral surface, and the paraventral region fo

（Courtesy of Pedro Peloso ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Didelphimorphia Family: Didelphidae Genus: Marmosa Species: Marmosa chachapoya Morphological Description The Chachapoya mouse opossum ( Marmosa chachapoya ) is a small to medium-sized species within the genus Marmosa . The combined length of the head and body is approximately 10.7 cm. The skull is overall slender with a markedly elongated and narrow rostrum. Postorbital processes ar

（Image source：Pauline Walsh Jacobson， CC BY 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Chondrichthyes Order: Myliobatiformes Family: Myliobatidae Genus: Mobula Species: Mobula yarae Morphological description The Atlantic manta ray ( Mobula yarae ) is a large member of the family Mobulidae with a broad, dorsoventrally flattened body. It possesses a terminal mouth, and the tooth band is restricted to the lower jaw, a condition shared with its closest relatives M

（Image source：Verhoeff TJ. (2025)， CC BY 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Mollusca Class: Cephalopoda Order: Octopoda Family: Opisthoteuthidae Genus: Opisthoteuthis Species: Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis Morphological description Carnarvon flapjack octopus ( Opisthoteuthis carnarvonensis ) is a flattened, gelatinous deep-sea member of the family Opisthoteuthidae. The mantle is short and dome-shaped, measuring approximately 3.3–4 cm in length, with a rounded posteri

（Image source：Manley DL et al. (2025)， CC0 1.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophyta Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Asterids Order: Asterales Family: Asteraceae Genus: Ovicula Species: Ovicula biradiata Morphological description Ovicula biradiata is a minute annual member of the family Asteraceae. Individual plants are extremely small, typically only 1–2 cm tall and occasionally reaching up to 3 cm. The plant spreads laterally to a diameter ranging from

（Image source：Xu Y et al. (2024)， CC BY 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Reptilia Order: Squamata Family: Agamidae Genus: Pseudocalotes Species: Pseudocalotes jingpo Morphological Description Pseudocalotes jingpo is a small to medium-sized arboreal agamid lizard characterized by a slender body and a tail distinctly longer than the trunk. The head is relatively large and appears roughly triangular in both dorsal and lateral views. The snout is blunt

（Image source：NOAA/MBARI， CC0 1.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopteri Order: Ophidiiformes Family: Ophidiidae Genus: Spectrunculus Species: Spectrunculus grandis Morphological description The five-lined giant cuskeel Spectrunculus grandis is a large deep-sea species belonging to the order Ophidiiformes. Its body is elongated and laterally compressed, gradually tapering from the trunk toward the tail. The head is relatively short and robust, with

（Courtesy of Andrea Bianchi ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophyta Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Eudicots Clade: Rosids Order: Fabales Family: Fabaceae Genus: Tessmannia Species: Tessmannia princeps Morphological description Tessmannia princeps is a large, unarmed evergreen tree of the family Fabaceae that typically reaches about 35 m in height, with some individuals attaining up to 40 m, forming a conspicuous canopy-emergent component of the forest. The trunk is straig

（Image source：Siti-Munirah MY et al. (2025)， CC BY 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Plantae Clade: Tracheophyta Clade: Angiosperms Clade: Monocots Order: Dioscoreales Family: Burmanniaceae Genus: Thismia Species: Thismia selangorensis Morphological description Thismia selangorensis is an achlorophyllous terrestrial herb reaching about 10 cm in height and belongs to the fully mycoheterotrophic plants that depend entirely on fungal symbiosis for nutrition. The root system is short an

Paratype（CORBIDI 26785）（Image source：Chávez G et al. (2025)， CC BY 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Amphibia Order: Anura Family: Strabomantidae Genus: Pristimantis Species: Pristimantis nunezcortezi Morphological description Pristimantis nunezcortezi is a medium-sized frog of the genus Pristimantis . The dorsal skin is finely roughened, whereas the ventral surface is coarsely areolate. A discoidal fold is present on the venter, along with a thoraci

Photographs of the holotype and paratype individuals of the Hooded Jewel-babbler（Image source：Woxvold, I. A et al. (2025).， CC BY 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Passeriformes Family: Cinclosomatidae Genus: Ptilorrhoa Species: Ptilorrhoa urrissia Morphological description The crown and nape of Ptilorrhoa urrissia are chestnut. In males, the plumage below the neck is blue across both the underparts and the back. Females show a different

Holotype specimen of Branchiostegus sanae （Image source：Huang, H et al. (2025).， CC BY 4.0 ） Taxonomy Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Actinopteri Order: Acanthuriformes Family: Branchiostegidae Genus: Branchiostegus Species: Branchiostegus sanae Morphological Description Branchiostegus sanae is a moderately slender and laterally compressed fish with a body length generally ranging from about 32 to 42 cm. The distal end of the upper jaw is nearly vertical. Both th