As many as 99 new species have been found in Vietnam, according to a World Wildlife Fund report. The report titled “Nature’s Mysterious Mekong” launched on World Environment Day last week showed a total of 367 new species had been discovered in the Greater Mekong in 2012 and 2013. The region spans Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and China's south-western Yunnan province, Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported. Among the species newly identified by scientists are 290 plants, 24 fish types, 21 amphibians, 28 reptiles, one bird and three mammals. “The discoveries affirm the Greater Mekong as one of the world’s richest and most biodiverse regions,” said Thomas Gray, manager of WWF-Greater Mekong’s Species Program. In Vietnam, scientists recently found Helens Flying Frog (Rhacophorus helenae) -- a huge, green flying frog discovered less than 100 km from Ho Chi Minh City. The frog can reach up to 10 cm in length and belongs to a family of frog species that boast an ability to glide. To date, the frog has only been located in two patches of lowland forest surrounded by agricultural land in central Binh Thuan province and southern Dong Nai province. Among the 28 new reptiles named in the report, the white-head Burmese viper (Azemi ops kharini), a primitive viper species, was found in northern Vinh Phuc province. The venomous species is thought to be a primitive viper species due to it possessing an elliptically shaped, flattened head, smooth dorsal scales, folding front fangs, no heat-sensing pits and a coiled venom gland duct. Scientists also identified the hunch-bat of Vietnam, Hipposideros griffin 248 m above sea level in Cat Ba Island’s Cat Ba National Park in northern region of Vietnam, as well as in Chu Mom Ray National Park located on the mainland. The bat was first seen in 2008 on the island, but it was not until after researchers caught some of the bats that it was confirmed as a previously unknown species. Griffins leaf-nosed bat is recognized by its grotesque, fleshy nose that assists in echolocation, the sonar-like ability bats use to help them navigate. A new penis head fish (Phallostethus cuulong) is certainly among the more bizarre discoveries to surface in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta region of Vietnam. The fish is a newcomer to the Phallostethidae family of fish, whose thin, nearly transparent bodies are characterized by the unusual placement of their sexual organs on their heads. Unlike most fish, fertilization takes place inside the female body. The discoveries place Vietnam as the country with the third highest number of new species in the Greater Mekong after Thailand with 117 species and China 116. (Vietnam News June 9)
