Identification Characteristics:
- Large size. SVL: 84.6 – 93.0 mm.
- Slender body, legs and digits not overly long.
- Tail longer than the body.
- Dorsal coloration ranges from pale yellow to pale brown with 4-6 irregular, dark brown bands between the forelimbs and hindlimbs.
- A narrow U-shaped band extends from behind the neck, through the ears, to the posterior edge of the eyes.
- Tail with 8-11 dark transverse bands; the inter-band spaces are equal to or greater than the width of the bands.
- Preserved specimens exhibit a pale beige to brown coloration.
- Two pairs of enlarged postmental scales; the second pair is approximately half the size of the first pair.
- Rounded snout, bordered by the prenasal, rostral, first supralabial scales, and 3 (sometimes 4) small postnasal scales.
- 20-24 rows of large, slightly rounded, weakly keeled dorsal tubercles.
- 33-39 ventral scales between the folds on the flanks.
- 173-198 ventral scales from the postmental scales to the vent.
- Males possess 5-8 precloacal pores arranged in an inverted V-shaped band, 8-10 enlarged femoral scales on each side, and occasionally a few femoral pores on the femoral scales near the knee.
- Subcaudal scales are uniform, granular, and larger than the lateral scales.
Biology and Ecology:
- Nocturnal species, typically found on rocks near streams and on large trees in evergreen forests at elevations of 200 to 1,300 m.
- Only active at night.
- Diet consists of insects found in the local environment.
- Lays two eggs in crevices, under bark, or in rock crevices at the beginning of the rainy season each year.
- The species is named in honor of Professor Dr. Thomas Ziegler of the University of Frankfurt, Germany.
Distribution:
- Endemic to Vietnam, newly discovered in the Krongbong waterfall area within the Chư Yang Sin National Park, Đắk Lắk Province.