Scientists named the skink Lygosoma veunsaiensis to honour the
Veun Sai-Siem Pang Conservation Area in Rattanakiri province where it was found,
Conservation International (CI) said in a statement.
The lizard was discovered in 2010 in the remote and
little-explored rainforest area during biological surveys led by Fauna &
Flora International (FFI) in partnership with CI, the group said.
"These creatures are difficult to find because they spend so much
of their life underground', said Neang Thy, a Cambodian national working for FFI
and the first herpetologist to see the new skink.
"Some similar species are known from only a few individuals. We
were very lucky to find this one," said Neang Thy.
The new species is unusual because it has very short limbs and a
tail that is much longer than its main body. Its skin has a refracting quality
to the scales that creates a rainbow-like effect in sunlight, the group
said.
The lizard was the third new species in the last two years to be
found in Veun Sai, following the discovery of a new type of bat and a
gibbon.