Newly Discovered Pangolin Species Faces Immediate Threat

Recently, a previously unknown species of pangolin, Manis mysteria, has been identified through genetic analysis of confiscated scales, expanding the pangolin family to nine species, although the discovery comes with warnings of its immediate vulnerability.

• Pangolins, highly endangered and often considered the world's most trafficked mammal, were previously believed to consist of eight species – four Asian and four African.
• The new pangolin species, Manis mysteria, was identified through analysis of scales confiscated in China's Yunnan province in 2015 and 2019.
• Scientists initially noticed a lineage unrelated to the known species in confiscated scales from Hong Kong in 2012 and 2013 but lacked ....