
Pregnant creature with ‘large' golden eyes found in Cambodia. It's a new species
Passing scientists noticed the patterned animal — and discovered a new species.
A team of researchers visited several 'unexplored' rock formations in Banan District in March 2024 to survey amphibians and reptiles, according to a study published June 4 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. The team suspected these hills might hold thus far undocumented biodiversity, and they were right.
During their surveys, researchers found dozens of unfamiliar-looking lizards, the study said. Intrigued, they took a closer look at the animals, analyzed their DNA and realized they'd discovered a new species: Cyrtodactylus kampingpoiensis, or the Kamping Poi bent-toed gecko.
Kamping Poi bent-toed geckos have 'long' bodies and 'long' tails, reaching about 7 inches in total length, the study said. Their heads are 'somewhat flattened' with 'large' golden eyes. Their fingers and toes are 'bent' with 'well-developed' claws.
Photos show the brown coloring of the new species, which varies in hue and detail but has a relatively consistent pattern. Dark brown bands run across its back, each one 'slightly wavy-edged' and lined 'with bright-white' bumps, researchers said.
Some geckos have higher contrast in their coloring, while others appear more faded. Some geckos have an almost black and white pattern on their tails, photos show.
Kamping Poi bent-toed geckos live on rocky karst hills at elevations of around 300 to 800 feet, the study said. The geckos were found on rocks, in or around caves, at the bases of trees and on the ground.
During their visits, researchers saw young geckos, or hatchlings, fully grown adult geckos and a few pregnant geckos, indicating the new species breeds in March.
Researchers said they named the new species after Phnom Kamping Poi, the rocky hill where it was first discovered.
Kamping Poi bent-toed geckos were found at four nearby but isolated hills in the Banan District, the study said. These four populations showed some variation in looks and had minor DNA differences, but researchers concluded they weren't quite unique enough to be described as separate species.
Banan District is in western Cambodia and near the border with Thailand. Cambodia also borders Laos and Vietnam.
The new species was identified by its scale pattern, size, body proportions, toe shape, finger pads, coloring and other subtle physical features, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 5% genetic divergence from other related species.
The research team included Evan Quah, L. Lee Grismer, Pablo Sinovas, Phyroum Chourn, Sophea Chhin, Seiha Hun, Anthony Cobos, Peter Geissler, Christian Ching, Matthew Murdoch, Sothearen Thi, Jeren Gregory, Eddie Nguyen, Alexis Hernandez, Amanda Kaatz and Jesse Grismer.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Miami Herald
Hairy ‘dwarf'-like creature found lurking in tree in Laos. It's a new species
In a mountainous forest of southeastern Asia, a 'dwarf'-like creature tucked its hairy body into the hollow of a tree. Its 'opportunistic' lifestyle and small size likely helped it go unnoticed — until visiting scientists spotted it. It turned out to be a new species. A team of Thai and Laotian scientists visited the forests of southern Laos in August 2023 to survey spiders, according to a study published July 22 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. During the visit, researchers found several small tarantulas that didn't quite match any known records, the study said. They took a closer look at the animals and soon realized they'd discovered a new species: Phlogiellus khampheng, or the Khampheng dwarf tarantula. Khampheng dwarf tarantulas can reach about half an inch in size, the study said. Like other spiders, they have eight eyes and eight legs. Photos show the 'dark brown' hue of the new species. 'Short, grayish white hairs' cover its body and legs, the study said. Khampheng dwarf tarantulas were found in a mountain forest at an elevation of about 870 feet, researchers said. 'The spiders are opportunistic utilizing various microhabitats such as soil walls, under rocks, beneath timber, within cracks in timber, and inside tree hollows.' In each of these places, researchers found Khampheng dwarf tarantula nests with a 'silk structure' surrounding the entrance. Photos show some spiders in their silk nest. Inside these 'retreats' were ant and termite remains, indicating these insects 'form a significant part of (the new species') diet,' researchers said. Researchers said they named the new species after a Lao and Thai word 'used as a term of endearment to refer to someone who is cherished and precious to the speaker… By choosing this name, the authors sought to convey the special and valuable relationship between Thailand and Laos, the two countries that collaborated closely in the discovery of this remarkable new tarantula species.' So far, the new species has only been found near Pakse, a city in southern Laos, the study said. Laos is a landlocked country bordering Cambodia, China, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. The new species was identified by its DNA, reproductive system and other subtle physical features, the study said. The research team included Patipan Sriranan, Chaowalit Songsangchote, Odeth Sihavong, Phoukhanh Sayavongsa, Keolamphanh Sidavong, Lilammone Satakoun, Khamla Inkhavilay, Narin Chomphuphuang and Ray Gabriel.


Miami Herald
16-07-2025
- Miami Herald
‘Milky-white' egg of new scaly species discovered in a crevice of house in China
While surveying the forests around southern China's karst region — a landscape carved out by canyons and depression, leaving clusters of limestone peaks — researchers came upon several creatures sitting on the walls of nearby buildings in the area. During the night, they collected six specimens, all now confirmed to belong to a new species of gecko, according to a study published July 16 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. The discovery brings the number of recognized Gekko species in the South China Karst — a UNESCO World Heritage Site— to five, highlighting the role that this fragmented ecosystem plays in supporting biodiversity and the development of new species, according to the study. At about 3 inches long, Gekko fengshanensis, or Fengshan gecko, is distinguished from other species by its 'moderate' size and scale patterns, according to the study. It is described as having a 'light reddish-brown body' that is long and slender, with scattered white spots on its snout, and yellow-green irises, researchers said. In specimens that have not regenerated their tails, their original is longer than their body, according to the study. The research team also discovered a single 'milky-white, elliptical egg' just over half an inch long in a crevice of a nearby house, the study said. The finding suggests the new species breeds in July and August. Karst landscapes are known to limit gene flow among populations of species, the study said. Over time, these populations, separated by geographic barriers like mountains and rivers, evolve into different species in a process called allopatric speciation. To date, the Fengshan gecko is known only from Fengshan County in China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. The research team included Zhong Huang, Hao-Tian Wang, Shuo Qi, Han-Ming Song, Yong Huang, Ying-Yong Wang and Yun-Ming Mo.


Miami Herald
14-07-2025
- Miami Herald
Divers find ‘rare' squishy sea creatures off Indonesia. It's two new species
From the birds of paradise in the forests of Papua New Guinea to the monarch butterflies of Mexico, some creatures around the world are covered in vibrant colors. Some use their colors to entice mates, while others have them as a sign of warning against potential predators. Off the coast of Bunaken Island, Indonesia, two creatures' vibrant bodies made them stand out against their rocky reef environment as divers swam past, leading to their discovery as two species new to science. Phyllidia ovata and Phyllidia fontjei were collected by scuba divers during expeditions between 2015 and 2017 in the North Sulawesi region of Indonesia, according to a study published July 14 in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys. Both were 'distinctive and can be easily recognized by their coloration,' as well as belonging to a 'rare' family of nudibranchs, or sea slugs, researchers said. Phyllidia fontjei was identified by its rings of orange, white and black, according to the study. The outer ring of the animal is orange, followed by a thick white band, then a black band, another white band and a central orange oval-shaped color, photos show. 'Minute' specks are scattered across the white section of the creature's body, researchers said. There are also 'yellow/orange rhinophores,' or protruding sensory organs near, the front end of the animal. The bottom side, or foot, of the animal is white with 'yellow-tipped' oral tentacles, according to the study. It is also partially transparent, allowing researchers to see a 'reddish gut content that perhaps comes from the dark orange sponge on which the animal was probably feeding,' according to the study. The species was named after the late Fontje Kaligis, a professor at Sam Ratulangi University who 'initiated our Indonesian co-operation,' researchers said. The second new species, Phyllidia ovata, was named for its egg-like appearance. The animal is white along its mantle, or the fringe, and black down the center, photos show. But down the center of the animal are 'large white conical' protrusions with bright yellow tips, giving the illusion of a bright white outside and yellowy interior, according to the study. Researchers said photos of the species have been posted online in various formats and on different platforms, but they were either incorrectly identified or not identified at all. Now, because genetic testing confirmed the unique species, photos can be properly attributed, including an image recorded of P. ovata more than 20 years ago, according to the study. Both animals come from a region called the 'Coral Triangle,' a span of ocean between Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Timor Leste, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The zone includes about 2.2 million square miles of sea with some of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, according to NOAA. Some evidence suggests this is where coral reefs originated before spreading to the rest of the world's tropical regions. Bunaken Island is off the northern tip of North Sulawesi in north-central Indonesia. The research team includes Heike Wägele, Lina Marie Raubold, Adelfia Papu, Nani Undap and Nathalie Yonow.