Nature & Environment

New species of legless amphibian discovered

By T.K. Randall
January 18, 2015

Image: Amazon Rainforest in Tena, Ecuador
Credit: Jay / CC BY 2.0 (adapted) The peculiar species, which can grow up to 1.5m long and resembles a giant earthworm, was discovered in Cambodia's south-west Cardamom Mountains where habitat loss has been a growing concern in recent years.

Named Ichthyophis cardamomensis, the unusual new creature is actually a type of legless amphibian known as a caecilian and is typically found living underground.It was discovered in the rainforest alongside several other new species by a conservation team headed by herpetologist Neang Thy of Fauna and Flora International (FFI).

"These discoveries are important to demonstrate that much of Cambodia's biodiversity remains unknown and unstudied by science, and many more areas need to be searched," he said.

Conservationists have warned however that given the amount of illegal logging going on in the region the new species could end up going extinct not long after being discovered.

Source: ABC.net.au

Tags: Caecilian, Cambodia