Three Gecko Species Discovered in Cambodia

Phnom Penh, November 20, 2024 --

The Wild Earth Allies in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (NCMNS) has announced the discovery of three slender gecko species in Cambodia’s Cardamom Mountains.

According to the Wild Earth Allies issued on Nov. 19, two of these species are newly described to science, and one represents a new country record for Cambodia. The species were discovered by Wild Earth Allies Conservation Manager Neang Thy and Dr. Bryan Stuart of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.

Their findings, published in Zootaxa, underscore the importance of conservation in Cambodia, one of Southeast Asia’s most biodiverse countries. The discoveries were made in close collaboration with the General Department of Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environment.

Neang identified the newly described slender gecko species, Hemiphyllodactylus bokor sp. nov. and Hemiphyllodactylus samkos sp. nov., through detailed morphological and molecular analyses in collaboration with Dr. Stuart. These species were discovered in the Preah Monivong Bokor National Park, Kampot province, and Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Pursat province—two critical wildlife areas situated at opposite ends of the Cardamom Mountains.

The authors also documented Hemiphyllodactylus typus in Preah Monivong Bokor National Park, marking its first recorded presence in Cambodia. While both H. typus and the newly identified species, H. bokor sp. nov., occur in Preah Monivong Bokor National Park, H. typus appears to be at lower elevations and H. bokor sp. nov. at higher elevations.

“These discoveries mark a significant step forward in our understanding of Cambodia’s rich biodiversity,” said Neang. “The new species highlight the incredible biodiversity hidden within the Cardamom Mountains and a clear need for ongoing research and conservation in Cambodia.”

Neang and Dr. Stuart recently collaborated on describing a new species of bent-toed gecko, the Royal Cave Bent-toed Gecko (Cyrtodactylus regicavernicolus), also found in southern Cambodia. With these findings, Neang has now contributed to the discovery and description of 31 species.

“Thy’s field discoveries show that different blocks within the Cardamom Mountains harbour unique species,” said Dr. Stuart. “They emphasise the need to conserve areas throughout the mountain range in order to protect its phenomenal biodiversity.”