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125 New Species Discovered, Including Zombie Fungus Threatened by Extinction

1/9/2026

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Kew Researchers Discover

Researchers at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG, Kew) named 125 new species in 2025, including a zombie fungus.
The zombie fungus infects trapdoor spiders in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest.
The flame-like shrub, named after a Howl’s Moving Castle character, could be ornamental.
Other discoveries include a bloodstained orchid from Ecuador and a fruit-bearing tree from Papua New Guinea.
Habitat destruction threatens undiscovered species, with up to 75% at risk of extinction.

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Kew Scientists Discover

Dr. Martin Cheek of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, led scientists who identified a new snowdrop, Galanthus subalpinus, from Mount Korab in northern Macedonia and Kosovo, and classified it as critically endangered.
Other discoveries include Eugenia venteri, 18-meter tree from Papua New Guinea, and Plagiosiphon intermedium, an endangered tree in Cameroon.
The annual report stresses documenting new species, as many are threatened by habitat loss, underscoring the need for conservation.

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Kew Researchers Discover

Researchers at Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (RBG, Kew) named 125 new species in 2025, including a zombie fungus.
The zombie fungus infects trapdoor spiders in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest.
The flame-like shrub, named after a Howl’s Moving Castle character, could be ornamental.
Other discoveries include a bloodstained orchid from Ecuador and a fruit-bearing tree from Papua New Guinea.
Habitat destruction threatens undiscovered species, with up to 75% at risk of extinction.

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