[B]SUVA, Fiji [\/B](Fiji Times\/PIR)\u2014A new species of Pacific Iguana has been discovered in the Fijian archipelago by a team comprising of Australian and U.S. researchers.<\/p>\n
According to a report by ABC News, the team has shown that there are three living species of Brachylophus iguanas, not two as indicated in current taxonomy.<\/p>\n
The new species is named Brachylophus bulabula, after the Fijian word for \u2018hello.\u2019<\/p>\n
In the reptile world, the Fijian iguanas are iconic, said lead author Associate Professor Scott Keogh, of the Australian National University\u2019s School of Botany and Zoology. To discover a new species of them is very exciting, he added.<\/p>\n
The new species was uncovered after analysis of the mitochondrial DNA of 61 iguanas from 13 islands.<\/p>\n
The study shows the B. bulabula iguana is genetically and physically different from the two other species.<\/p>\n
According to reports, this species has a different colored nose, is intermediate in size, has a slightly different pattern on its body and is found only in the central region of Fiji.<\/p>\n
As part of the research, the team also evaluated competing arguments about how the iguana arrived in the Pacific.<\/p>\n
Professor Keogh said that the Pacific iguanas of the Fijian and Tongan archipelagos are a bio-geographic enigma because their closest relatives are found only in the Americas.<\/p>\n
He said the genetic analysis adds weight to the theory the iguanas floated on some kind of raft to the Fijian islands somewhere between 13 to 14 million years ago.<\/p>\n
The analysis also shows that with only one exception, every island for which there were samples was represented by at least one distinct iguana lineage.<\/p>\n
Mr. Keogh said that their work is particularly important in helping the Fijian Government find ways to protect the reptile.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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