VietNamNet Bridge - At the Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh Province, in central Vietnam, scientists on January 20 announced the discovery of a new species of Ceylon caecilian (Ichthyophis glutinosus).

The species was found in the forest near Cha Lo hamlet in Hoa Son commune, Minh Hoa district. Its scientific name is Ichthyophis chaloensis sp.nov.

The new species was first spotted during a 2011 field trip by local experts in a forest in the park.

Ichthyophis is a genus of caecilians (limbless amphibians, sometimes called the Asian caecilians) found in Southeast Asia, the southern Philippines, and the western Indo-Australian Archipelago.

The newly found Ichthyophis species brings the number of amphibian species in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park to 51.

Lao Dong