San Jose, Dec 28 - The forests of Costa Rica provided the setting this year for science to discover 53 new species of insects, fungi and plants.

The National Biodiversity Institute, or INBio, said that it is still too soon to say if all these species are endemic to this country.

"We can't say if they are endemic or unique to Costa Rica because this is the first description ever made of them. It's very probable that, with time, we'll begin to discover them in other countries as well," said INBio's director of science, Jesus Ugalde, as cited in the daily La Nacion.

This year 26 new species of insects, 19 of plants and eight of fungi were discovered in the Central American country.

California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, California Secretary of Labor Victoria Bradshaw, San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed and Tesla Motors Inc. President and CEO Ze'ev Drori announced that Tesla Motors Inc. plans to set up the headquarters of its upcoming electric sedan factory to be set up at San Jose.

Zanker Road and Highway 237 near the San Jose Water Pollution Control Plant in North San Jose have been selected as the site for the 89 acre, $ 250 million factory. The construction is proposed to start in the summer of 2009. The first electric sedan is likely roll off in late 2010.