Vietnam: New fauna and floral species discovered in Lam Dong

VietNamNet Bridge 14 Jul 12;

Several new fauna and floral species have been discovered in the Bidoup Nui Ba National Park in the central highland province of Lam Dong in recent years.

Australian, American and Vietnamese scientists announced their discovery of a new vampire flying frog species - Rhacophorus vampyrus - in this national park on the Zootaxa scientific journal last year.

This unusual frog has adapted for life in trees, using webbed fingers and toes for moving from great heights and gliding, hence the ‘flying frog’ name. But it’s the strange black ‘fangs’ the species’ tadpoles display which have earned it a place in the vampire world.

The new species is known only to inhabit a high-elevation area of forest in southern Vietnam, breeding in holes in trees. In place of a normal set of mouthparts (usually similar to a beak), the tadpole of the Vampire Flying Frog has a pair of hard, black ‘fangs’ protruding from the underside of its mouth.

This is the 17th tree frog species discovered in Vietnam.

Recently, American, Australian and Vietnamese scientists found out a new species of toad in the Bidoup Nui Ba national park - Leptobrachium leucops.

This is a species of amphibian in the Megophryidae family. Leptobrachium leucops was found at the altitude of around 1500-1900 m above sea level.

Leptobrachium leucops is nocturnal, has a length of 4.5 cm and have partly white pupils, ridges on their skin and several stripes on their four limbs.

Most recently, a Vietnamese and a Chinese scientist discovered a new magnolia species in the Bidoup – Nui Ba national park.

Dr. Vu Quang Nam, a researcher from the Forestry University, found this magnolia species on Hon Giao Mount in the Bidoup – Nui Ba national park. The species, therefore, is named Magnolia bidoupensis Q.N. Vu.

Magnolia bidoupensis is morphologically close to M. odoratissima and M. albosericea, from which it differs chiefly by having a thickly leathery, broadly elliptic or ovate leaf blade with a broadly rounded base and an obtuse apex, smaller flowers, clavate stamens with an obtuse apex, and irregularly 3-winged ovules.

Magnolia bidoupensis grow in tropical evergreen forest, at the height of 1,650 to 1,910m over the sea.

The discovery was published on the Annales Botanici Fennici in Finland in December 2011.

Compiled by Na Son