Taxa

We work to support the survival of diverse lifeforms across Indonesia and the phylogenetic Tree of Life, from spikemoss and wild gingers to tree frogs and cave spiders. These species are culturally less familiar and yet are just as precious, and in some cases, as threatened, as tigers and elephants.

Hence the name, Species Obscura.

Tracheophytes - Native flora of Java

The island of Java was the likely origin of many beloved ornamentals, such as lipstick flowers (Aeschynanthus), rubber plant (Ficus elastica) and Coleus. However, the unmitigated growth of urban networks between and across Java’s major cities meant that so much of the island’s native vegetation is now history - replaced by toxic landfill, concrete, or invasive exotics. Tragically, a few of Java’s own endemic plants had been declared extinct due to these very processes.

The ecosystem services they provide are irreplaceable to many other species, including

humans. To reintegrate native flora to Java, we first aim to study remnant ecosystems and to educate the public about the issue - paving solid foundations towards the restoration of the island’s original vegetation.

Lissamphibia, Sauropsida - Endemic herpetofauna

Across the world, amphibians have declined under the onslaught of climate change and fatal chytrid fungus. Indonesia’s amphibians have suffered a similar fate, along with the pressures of habitat loss and pollution. The use of agricultural pesticides, for instance, has endangered endemic frogs like Chirixalus trilaksonoi.

In comparison, endemic reptiles face additional threats from direct exploitation, due to the demands of pet trade. In the severe case of Roti snake-necked turtle (Chelodina mccordi), populations have become critically endangered and are now declared ecologically extinct.

Chirixalus captive breeding is currently underway to mitigate the risk of extinction in their native habitats.

Araneae - Spider database

Indonesia’s spiders ranged the whole gamut: from the ancient Mesothelae, whose predecessors lived in the times before the emergence of the first dinosaurs, to forest tarantulas and small, jewel-like jumping spider Thiania. Given their ubiquity and role as insect predators, it is likely that their presence is beneficial to agriculture - and thus food production.

Despite their richness, Indonesian spiders are among the most poorly known taxa. An extensive taxonomic work is therefore foundational in providing an accurate picture of spider biodiversity and their status across the archipelago. A database exploring this biodiversity is currently under construction.

Anabantiformes, Cypriniformes - Indonesia’s blackwater fishes

The peat swamps of Sumatra and Kalimantan are home to highly specialized fishes that survive and thrive in these acidic, tea-colored environments. As peat swamps are being destroyed for lucrative oil palms, so too are the only homes of these colorful fishes. Some, including several licorice gourami species (Parosphromenus), could only be found in a single river, or a small stretch of swampland.

For many such fishes, aquaculture has helped to guarantee their continuing existence on the planet. To provide insurance populations, we work to culture blackwater fishes ex-situ, allowing the possibility for future reintroduction programs once their original habitats become viable.

Various phyla - Invertebrates of marine lakes

A marine lake is a unique ecosystem: at a glance it appears to be an ordinary lake in the middle of a rainforest. Its depths may hide a suite of soft-bodied marine invertebrates, including jellyfish, sponges, echinoderms, and mollusks. They evolved in this isolated, brackish habitat for thousands of years after diverging from their marine ancestors. Some species belonging to these lakes are known or suspected to be endemic, or found nowhere else.

Several marine lakes in Indonesia are known to be impacted by introduced predators. As a result, these lakes have undergone drastic changes in their biodiversity, with little recourse for local endemics.

By collaborating with local leaders and utilizing ex- and in-situ strategies, we work to preserve these extraordinary ecosystems and the unusual species that inhabit them.