WWF Greater Mekong Report puts a spotlight on a new species of agamid lizard described in Evolutionary Systematics

A colour-changing agamid lizard from Myanmar is among the highlights of the recent WWF Greater Mekong Report for new species described in 2021 and 2022 from Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Viet Nam. 

Ptyctolaemus chindwinensis might be quite familiar to readers of Evolutionary Systematics, as its description was published in the journal in 2021.

In the Foreword to the report, Prof. Dr. Truong Q. Nguyen, Vice Director of the Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources, Viet Nam Academy of Science and Technology, talks about the importance of research in the region:

The Greater Mekong region is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot - also known as the Indo-Burma hotspot. The region exhibits a diversity of natural habitats with a wide range of elevations and complex landforms, resulting in an extremely high level of biological diversity, with scientists discovering numerous new species every year.

An acute problem, however, are the anthropogenic pressures exerted on the biodiversity of the region. Prof. Nguyen concludes:

Using the critical evidence base that is laid by scientists, we all need to urgently invest time and resources into the best ways to conserve the known and yet unknown species.

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Photo caption: Close up view of Ptyctolaemus chindwinensis sp. nov. in life. https://doi.org/10.3897/evolsyst.5.75305

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