During WAR’s survey in the forest of Ba To District, QuangNgai Province in May and June 2012, a new forest skink species of the genus Sphenomorphus was described. The species is named as Shea Forest Skink (English), Thằn lằn phê-nô shea(Vietnamese), and Sphenomorphussheai Nguyen (Latin name). The species was named after an Australian scientist, PhD. Glenn Shea who has great contributions to skink researches in Asia Pacific.
This species is known only from QuangNgai Province. With the description of Bato Forest Skink, a total of 12 species of Sphenomorphus are currently known in Vietnam.The species was discovered by Nguyen Quang Truong, a biologist from the Institute of Ecologial and Biological Resouces (IEEBR), and WAR’s experts. The survey site is located in a transitional area between the Kon Tum Plateau and the lowlands. The sample was collected during the day among leaf litter on the ground of secondary forest on hill slopes.
The new species was announced on Zootaxa Magazine, New Zealand (Issue 3734, November 2013). Please contact WAR for this article.