Researchers have found a new species of wolf snakes in Cambodia.
The species is named Lycodon zoosvictoriae after Zoos Victoria that has provided immense support to Fauna and Flora International (FFI) studies in the Cardamom Mountains in the past few years.
L. zoosvictoriae was found in the Cambodia's diverse Cardamom Mountains. The snake has unique coloration, which probably helped it remain hidden despite repeated surveys conducted in the area.
The new species is among the eight new snake species found in Cambodian mountains since 2000, which shows that the region is still under-studied.
Wolf snakes are non-venomous and belong to the family Colubridae. They have large teeth in both jaws, which is why they are called wolf snakes.
Asian wolf snakes have two genera: Cercaspis and Lycodon. About 26 species of these snakes in Southeast Asia belong to the genus Lycodon. These snakes eat small lizards, geckos and frogs.
Herpetologist Neang Thy, who found and described the new snake said that the new species is probably endemic to the Cardamom Mountains of Cambodia. Thy is a research advisor with Fauna & Flora International.
"The support FFI received from Zoos Victoria has helped build the capacity of Cambodian researchers and conservationists and has greatly improved understanding of Cambodia's reptiles and amphibians," Thy said in a news release.
"We are delighted to have a species named after us, and humbled to have our support for FFI's Cambodian program acknowledged in this way," added Chris Banks, Conservation Partnerships Manager, Zoos Victoria.
Southeast Asian forests are one of the major unexplored regions in the world. A recent report by the World Wildlife Fund for Nature had said that over 300 new species were found in the Mekong Region in 2012-2013. Some new species were found in markets of Laos, Cambodia Vietnam and Myanmar.