Researchers discover new species of wolf snake in Cambodia, name it after an Australian zoo

A new species of wolf snake has been discovered in the forests of the Cardamom Mountains of southeast Cambodia. The species is described in the current issue of the journal Zootaxa.

Lycodon zoosvictoriae is named after Zoos Victoria, a conservation group based in Parkville, Australia that has provided support to Fauna & Flora International (FFI), whose researchers — along with herpetologists from Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig in Germany — made the discovery.

Lycodon zoosvictoriae is a cryptic species that is thought to be both arboreal and terrestrial. Like other wolf snakes, the species is characterized by long, large teeth in the front of their mouth. Lycodon zoosvictoriae measures only 40 cm (16 inches) and likely hunts small lizards and frogs.

The authors, led by Neang Thy of FFI, say the species is likely endemic to the Cardamoms, a range that rises to more than 1,500 meters and houses some of the highest levels of biodiversity in the Indo-China region, which has suffered from large-scale forest loss.

Source: Here