Phnom penh: Fauna and Flora, together with a team of international researchers and the Ministry of Environment, has announced the discovery of three new millipede species for the world in the karst landscapes of Battambang and Kampot, Cambodia.
According to Agence Kampuchea Presse, the three newly discovered millipede species include Orthomorpha efefai, named in honor of Fauna and Flora for their commitment to biodiversity conservation, Orthomorpha tergoaurantia, named for its striking orange-colored back, and Orthomorpha battambangiensis, named after Battambang Province where it was discovered. The first and third species were found in Battambang, while the second was found in Kampot.
Two of these species were identified through extensive fieldwork conducted in 2024 in the karst areas of Banan district, Battambang province. These discoveries bring the total number of Orthomorpha species documented in Cambodia from three to six, significantly expanding the known diversity of the genus Orthomorpha in the country. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal ZooKeys, mark a major milestone in the study of Cambodia and Southeast Asian biodiversity.
The research was carried out by an international team of scientists from the Ministry of Environment (Cambodia); Fauna and Flora; Maejo University, Chulalongkorn University, Mahidol University, and Khon Kaen University; and the Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences. The discovery of these new species highlights the importance of protecting Cambodia’s karst landscapes, which serve as vital habitats for biodiversity and may offer opportunities for discovering more species new to science. However, these landscapes face threats from mining, agricultural expansion, and unsustainable development.
Protecting these areas is essential not only for biodiversity conservation but also for preserving critical ecosystems and cultural heritage. The research was funded by European Union (EU) support through the Bcoming project.