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In Photos: Bizarre New Species Discoveries Include 'Klingon Newt'
Gekko bonkowskii
Hiding among the remote, eroded mountain landscapes of Laos, Gekko bonkowskii, a pale-blue-spotted gecko, awaited discovery. The gecko family is extremely diverse, and highly sophisticated DNA analysis was required before researchers could determine that G. bonkowskii was a new species.
Purple mouse-eared flower
Flowering on the peak of Mt. Victoria, this tiny purple bloom with petals resembling mouse ears was last collected in 1956, and no botanist had surveyed the region since, until 2015.
Beautiful home
Small populations of Impatiens kingdon-wardii were discovered in 2015 in southwest Myanmar atop Mount Victoria. The scientists who discovered the species assigned it the preliminary status of "Vulnerable" according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Criteria.
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