Scientists estimate that up to 86% of eukaroytic species (Composed primarily of animals, plants, fungi) on land have not been described (Mora et al., 2011). There may be about 5.5 million species of insects, approximately 80% of which have not been described (Stork, 2018). The photo series shows some interesting looking insects and arachnids from the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
[Photos by Neetha Iyer; captions by Meredith Lutz]
Mora, C., Tittensor, D. P., Adl, S., Simpson, A. G. B., & Worm, B. (2011). How many species are there on Earth and in the ocean?. PloS Biology, 9, e1001127.
Stork, N. E. (2018). How many species of insects and other terrestrial arthropods are there on Earth?. Annual Review of Entomology, 63, 31-45.
theethogram.com 