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A group of Vietnamese and foreign biology researchers working in the Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province, have discovered a new species of gecko.
Biologists working for the park, Cologne Zoo in Germany and the Saint Petersburg Wild Zoology Institute in Russia found the gecko in its natural habitat of the park’s limestone mountains and named it Phong Nha-Ke Bang.
They also identified 130 new varieties of fish and reptiles, including 10 endemic species, following several months of research. Professor Nguyen Thai Tu, director of the Truong Son Mountain Range’s Bio-diversity Centre, recently discovered the ton fish (Cyprinus quidatensis) in Phong Nha-Ke Bang.
Their research confirmed that the park has the highest natural bio-diversity of the country’s national parks and reserves.
The Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park is a World Heritage site covering 85,000ha in the central province of Quang Binh. It includes Asia’s oldest limestone mountain range and long underground rivers to provide rich and varied environments that contribute to the area’s bio-diversity.
While leading ichthyologists think that most freshwater fish in the world originated in Southeast Asia, Tu has proven that the Cyprinus fish was bred in Viet Nam.
Tu also found seven kinds of fish of the family Cyprinini, including the ton, and black and red carp in the park.
VNS - (16/12/2004)
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