Stories

234 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong

portrait of the head of a Trimeresurus ciliaris snake in the Greater Mekong

Date: December 16, 2024

More than 900 feet above sea level in the rugged, mountainous terrain of Northern Viet Nam, Luan Thanh stood under the dark tropical forest canopy with a broken headlamp. Desperate to continue his expedition, he enlisted the help of the two local porters who went to get the headlamp repaired. When they returned, they brought a strange gift.

“They handed me an absolutely stunning male snake,” Luan recalls. “At first glance, I thought it was an unusual species.”

As a researcher and conservationist familiar with the region’s biodiversity, Luan was surprised that he could not identify the sleek, dark creature. And with good reason: it turned out they had stumbled upon a new species, not yet described by scientists. The snake is known as Rhabdophis hmongorum, or the H’mong keelback, named in honor of the porters who found it—members of the H’mong ethnic minority.

A new snake species known as Rhabdophis hmongorum, or the H’mong keelback

The snake was one of 234 species discovered this year in the Greater Mekong region—which includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Viet Nam—a region renowned for its extraordinary biodiversity. And this remarkable count is just the tip of the iceberg, as it excludes invertebrate animals, such as spiders, slugs, and butterflies, as well as fungi, mosses and algae. A new report by WWF highlights these findings and the region’s incredible biodiversity.

Just how are new species discovered, and what can we learn from them?

Discovering vs Describing a species

For scientists, discovering and describing, or identifying, species have distinct meanings. A species discovery can be made by anyone, anywhere, when someone finds a heretofore unknown organism. To describe or identify a new species requires a specific scientific process. This includes detailed study and analysis of the new specimen and similar organisms, determining the characteristics that make the new species unique, and assigning the species its name.

A new begonia species

Just because scientists haven’t formally described a species does not mean it is unknown to someone. Begonias, like the angle wing begonia, are popular as decorative plants. But new discoveries are still being made and can find their way into academic literature through many varied means, often with the help of local communities who have lived alongside these species for millennia. Such was the case for Begonia kayinensis

A local enthusiast, C.S. Paing, posted a photo of the plant on social media and drew the attention of a research team, including Mya Bhone Maw, a PhD candidate from Myanmar working with Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden. Intrigued by the plant’s distinct leaves, Mya and her co-authors collaborated with M.K. Naing, a local explorer and administrator for Native Species Conservation and Identification in Myanmar—an initiative that documents Myanmar’s biodiversity through a community of dedicated local and international researchers. Three years after that first photograph, scientists confirmed that it was indeed a new species.

“In my experience, local nature enthusiasts bring invaluable knowledge and enthusiasm that can greatly contribute to uncovering new species,” said Mya. ”They are often deeply familiar with the local environment and can access remote or difficult-to-reach areas that professional researchers may not be able to visit regularly."

A vampire hedgehog

Collaboration is vital in the complex task of documenting new species. Partnerships between researchers, communities, and institutions can span continents and even generations. Take the recently described Hylomys macarong, a soft-furred hedgehog with fang-like teeth that inspired its scientific name, since Ma cà rồng is Vietnamese for “vampire.” This species was photographed in the wild by a team from the Russian Vietnamese Research Centre in 2009. In total, co-authors from six countries and collectors dating back to the 1930s helped identify this species. “The specimens leading to H. macaron’s description had been stored in the Smithsonian since the 1960s,” says Smithsonian researcher Arlo Hinckley, underscoring the value of “mining” museum collections and the potential for genomic advances to accelerate discoveries.

The green pit viper snake known as Trimeresurus uetzi

A bright green pit viper

Trimeresurus uetzi, a pit viper discovered in Myanmar, owes its description to the comparison of specimens and research both old and new. When researcher and snake expert Joseph Slowinski died tragically from a snakebite in 2001 during an expedition to Myanmar, he left behind a significant collection. Researcher Gernot Vogel stepped in to gather detailed photographs of living, superficially similar species, analyze their features, and use further DNA analysis to cross-compare, examining around 1,000 species in total. “These collections are the memory of life on our planet,” Vogel said.

The minute patterns of the underwater fern known as Lindasea kohkongensis helped identify it as a new species

This leafless orchid known as Chiloschista quangdangii was for sale in the local market before it was identified.

Underwater fern

Time and evolving technologies can help researchers find new species that have been hiding in plain sight. Lindasea kohkongensis, an underwater fern found in Cambodia and Malaysia, was described by Chun Hwang from Jeongbuk National University’s Biology department using electron microscopes to investigate the minute patterns and veins of its feather-like fronds and spores.

A leafless orchid

Every so often, a new species is found in a surprising location, and there’s no need for a trip into the remote reaches of the region. Chiloschista quangdangii, a delicate leafless orchid, for instance, was collected by local residents in the forests near Viet Nam’s Lung Moui Village. They would take the plants to the local plant market, where they would be offered for sale. Little is known about this species’ habitat and rarity, but the extensive collection of these plants for commercial purposes suggests it is likely already critically endangered.

Leaf-toed geckos

The Muangfuang leaf-toed gecko was found at the foot of a mountain in Laos near a Buddhist temple. Its relative, the Gialai leaf-toed gecko, was found by researchers surveying the region’s reptiles around the same time. It was on the ground, amid the leaves, right beside the national highway. Fires raged in the background—a product of slash-and-burn agriculture. These two species form part of a genus that evolved separately over millions of years. Today, the very habitats they evolved to thrive within are being dramatically altered. Just as quickly as they are discovered, they are at risk of disappearing.

A crocodile newt

For some species discovered this year, such as the likely-endangered Tylotriton ngoclinhensis crocodile newt discovered in just one mountain area of the Viet Nam’s central highlands, help is already at hand. Protection of species in their native habitats is always the utmost priority, but this crocodile newt has extra assurance as a 500 individuals of a similar crocodile newt species have been bred at the Cologne Zoo and the Melinh Station for Biodiversity in Viet Nam. “This helps to buy time and prevents the extinction process,” says Thomas Ziegler of the Cologne Zoo. “Later, if required, animals can be brought back to nature when the problems are fixed. Literally, the ark has to go to shore again.”

The Hue Saola Nature Reserve in Viet Nam

The biodiversity crisis

Across the planet, species are declining at harrowing rates. The Mekong region is in the heart of Asia Pacific, where monitored wildlife populations have declined by 60%. But it is also where two-thirds of the world’s people live. As economies rapidly develop and the impacts of climate change accelerate, stresses on nature grow by the day, like the snaring crisis that's decimating wildlife populations across the region. You only have to look to the Mekong river—the region’s lifeblood artery—to see this in action: 19% of fish in the Mekong River are now estimated to be heading toward extinction.

Imagine a world where species are extinct before we even get the chance to discover them? The better we understand our natural world, the better we can protect it.

Citizen scientists, local communities, conservation organizations, governments, and research institutions all have a role to play. We must work together to discover and then rapidly protect the Greater Mekong’s bizarre, beautiful, and vitally important biodiversity.

Read the full report: New Species Discoveries in the Greater Mekong 2023
Learn more about what WWF is doing to protect biodiversity in the Greater Mekong