''Leiolepis ngovantrii'' ( Vietnamese: ''Nhông cát trinh sản'', meaning " parthenogenic sand iguana") is a species of

lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most oceanic island chains. The group is paraphyletic since it excludes the snakes and Amphisbaenia alt ...

that is all-female, reproducing clonally. (''Leiolepis ngovantrii'', new species). The species is named after Vietnamese herpetologist Ngo Van Tri (born 1969) of the

Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology ( vi, Viện Hàn lâm Khoa học và Công nghệ Việt Nam) is the largest and most prominent research institute in Vietnam. It was founded on 20 May 1975 as the Vietnam Academy of Science, and ren ...

, and is believed to be related to two other Vietnamese lizard species, '' Leiolepis guttata'' and ''

Leiolepis guentherpetersi ''Leiolepis guentherpetersi'', Peters's butterfly lizard, is a species of agamid lizard. It is found in Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast ...

''."Scientists discover unknown lizard species at lunch buffet" (CNN, November 10, 2010)
This species is one of four unisexual Leiolepis agamospecies. However, the genus Leiolepis has five different bisexual species. This unisexuality is possibly due to mutation and

hybridization Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to: *Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid *Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals *Nu ...

Description

''L. ngovantrii'' in the type series measure in snout–vent length. The lizard's back is covered with brown spots with pairs of yellow stripes running along her sides. Her coloring provides adequate camouflage in coastal sandy soil, as well as the mangrove forests during the dry season when grasses and leaves turn pale yellow.Bí ẩn loài nhông cát trinh sản
. (in Vietnamese).

Scientific discovery

Though the lizard has been long known to and enjoyed by locals in Vietnam's Mekong River Delta, scientists described the species in 2010 after seeing them sold and eaten in many remote Vietnamese village restaurants in

Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu province Bà Rịa–Vũng Tàu ) is a province of Vietnam. It is located on the coast of the country's Southeast region. It also includes the Côn Đảo islands, located some distance off Vietnam's southeastern coast. From 1954 to 1975, under South Vi ...

, South Vietnam.

References

Leiolepis Reptiles of Vietnam Endemic fauna of Vietnam Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu province Reptiles described in 2010 Taxa named by Jesse L. Grismer Taxa named by Larry Lee Grismer 2010 in Vietnam {{agamidae-stub