163 new species discovered in Greater Mekong region in 2015: WWF

A rainbow-headed snake, a dragon-like lizard, a newt, and a tiny frog are just four of the 163 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region last year, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement Monday.

The Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia that spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China's southwestern Yunnan province is one of the world's five biodiversity hotspots.

"Nine amphibians, 11 fish, 14 reptiles, 126 plants and 3 mammals were described for the first time," the statement said.

Four of the new species found by scientists are a new species of a rainbow-headed snake native to Laos, a dragon-like lizard and a Klingon newt native to Thailand, and an orange-eyed litter frog native to Cambodia and Vietnam, it said.

"The Greater Mekong region is a magnet for the world's conservation scientists because of the incredible diversity of species that continue to be discovered here," Jimmy Borah, Wildlife Program Manager for WWF-Greater Mekong, said.

Habitat destruction is a major threat to many of these new species, the statement said, adding that poaching for bushmeat or the multi-billion-U.S.-dollar illegal wildlife trade puts immense pressure on wildlife in the region, meaning many species could be lost before they are even discovered.

"Many collectors are willing to pay thousands of dollars or more for the rarest, most unique and most endangered species, often buying them at the region's illegal wildlife markets, especially in the Golden Triangle region where China, Laos, Thailand and Myanmar meet," said Borah.

"To save them, it's crucial that we improve enforcement against poaching and close illegal wildlife markets as well as the tiger and bear farms that openly flaunt wildlife laws," he said.

According to WWF, between 1997 and 2015, there have been 2,409 new species described in the Greater Mekong region with an average of two new species being identified every week. Endit