Hanoi (VNA) – Scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources (IEBR) and the Institute of Genome Research, both under the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, have discovered two new lizard species in Vietnam.
The first species, Scincella truongi Pham, was named after Professor Dr. Nguyen Quang Truong, Deputy Director of IEBR for his contributions to reptile and amphibian research and conservation in the Indochinese region.
This species was discovered in Sop Cop Nature Reserve in northern Son La province, which is home to 99 species of amphibians and reptiles, including 15 species listed in Vietnam’s Red Data Book and 10 in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It has morphological and genetic characteristics different from the remaining species in the genus and closely related to the red-tailed ground skink (Scincella rufocaudata) but differs in the number of nape scales, dorsal and body scale rows.
The second newly discovered species, Acanthosaura cuongi Ngo, was named after Dr. Pham The Cuong, a member of the Scientific Council of IEBR, in recognition of his contributions to reptile and amphibian research and conservation in Vietnam.
This species was detected in Khanh Hoa and Phu Yen provinces in the south-central region of Vietnam. It differs from its congeners and closely related to Acanthosaura coronata, which is found in the Central Highlands and Southeastern Vietnam, but has a larger body size.
The discovery was published in the journal Zookeys and European Journal of Taxonomy.
Cuong noted that initial findings suggest that the distribution areas of these species are completely non-overlapping. However, further research is needed to determine their exact habitat ranges.
The discovery of these two new lizard species provides further evidence of Vietnam’s exceptional biodiversity, particularly in the Sop Cop Nature Reserve in Son La province, and the south-central coastal region. This also highlights Vietnam’s critical role as a global biodiversity hotspot for reptiles and amphibians in the Indochinese region, he said./.
