Mekong region sees 224 new species, despite 'intense threat': report

A Megophrys frigida, or Mount Ky Quan San Horned Frog, is pictured at the Bat Xat Nature Reserve, in Mount Ky Quan San, Lao Cai, Vietnam, September 10, 2017. Photo handed out via Reuters

A devil-horned newt, drought-resilient bamboo and a monkey named after a volcano were among 224 new species discovered in the Greater Mekong region in 2020.

The discoveries listed in a report Wednesday by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) include a new rock gecko found in Thailand, a mulberry tree species in Vietnam, and a big-headed frog in Vietnam and Cambodia that is already threatened by deforestation.

The 224 discoveries underlined the rich biodiversity of the Mekong region, which encompasses Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam, and was testament to the resilience of nature in surviving in fragmented and degraded natural habitats, WWF said.

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