A new species of lizard, with the tail longer than the body, was discovered by biologists and park rangers from the Otishi National Park, located in the Peruvian region of Cuzco, published this Monday by the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (Sernanp). .
The new species was named «Proctoporus titans» (Reptilia, Gymnophthalmidae) and its greatest diversity is found in the Andean foothills, and it is also characteristic for presenting a tail longer than the body.
The Sernanp explained that its registration was carried out in a radius of 1.5 kilometers in the high Andean zone of the southern sector of the park, above 3,200 meters of altitude, and that the identification was made based on the morphological and molecular characteristics.
Biologists Edgar Lehr, Juan C. Cusi, Maura Fernández, Ricardo J. Vera and Alessandro Catenazzi, with the support of park ranger Marco Antonio Mayta, made the discovery as part of the research study «Species diversity and conservation status of the amphibians and reptiles of the Otishi National Park», located in the Vilcabamba mountain range and which has completed 20 years of conservation.
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This investigation began between May 17 and 29 of last year in one of the highest areas of the protected natural area, which can only be accessed by helicopter because it is inaccessible by land.
The Cuzco region, located in the southeast of Peru, presents areas of mountains and jungle in its territory, which gives it a great diversity of flora and fauna and is accessible in its national parks and Inca archaeological centers such as Machu Picchu, the main destination of the country.