While doing field research during a 2003 trip to Malaysia, biology professor Chris Austin rolled over a log and uncovered an undiscovered species of lizard.
“It’s as simple as it sounds,” Austin said. “Most kids who are interested in [snakes and lizards] go in their backyard and flip over rocks and flip over logs. That’s how professional biologists do it as well.”
The lizard, cousin to a Philippine skink, is a small reptile with dark, shiny scales.
The lizard’s scientific name has not been released and will premiere in a scholarly article by Austin and his Malaysian colleague Indraneil Das. The article is scheduled to appear in the internationally distributed Journal of Herpetology, a quarterly publication by the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.
“The Journal of Herpetology is basically the publication of the [Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles] and its main goal is to provide an outlet for rigorous scholarly work on amphibians and reptiles,” said Geoffrey Smith, Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles member and editor of the Journal.
The process of confirming the discovery was more laborious than simply turning over a log. Austin and Das spent the past three years examining other specimens from around the world to certify their find’s originality. Austin’s familiarity with the subject was an important part of the process.
“Since I’ve been working in Southeast Asia for the past 18 years or so, I’ve spent a lot of time working with specimens in the field and in other museums,” Austin said. “That experience is really, really helpful.”
Austin also said the task was simplified by tools available at the University. The LSU Museum of Natural Science, where Austin serves as assistant curator of herpetology, is located in Foster Hall and houses over 3 million animal specimens. The museum also features one of the world’s largest collections of frozen tissues and a molecular genetics laboratory.
Fred Sheldon, director of LSU Museum of Natural Science, said the interaction between these resources is important to modern taxonomy, which is the classification of organisms.
Sheldon said traditional classification methods involve comparing physical characteristics of individual specimens. Though still a valid approach, specimen comparisons are now complemented by comparisons of molecular genetics including DNA.
“We’re finally able to figure out how animals are related to each other,” Sheldon said. “Now, from genetic comparisons, we know.”
Austin said the resources used to make such comparisons are invaluable to scientists identifying new species from old. He also said the identification of new species is a critical step in the process to conserve the world’s biodiversity.
“We can’t conserve what we don’t know we have,” Austin said. “It is imperative that we know what species exist in order to preserve them for future generations.”
—–Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]