An orchid species named Phyllagathis Melastomataceae is seen in an hand out photo taken in Vietnam's central Thua Thien Hue province on March 26, 2005. Scientists found 11 new species of animals and plants in central Vietnam's "Green Corridor", the latest discovery in an area rich with wildlife that could easily be endangered by economic development, WWF International said. Photo taken on March 26, 2005. (Xinhua Photo)

    GENEVA, Sept. 26 (Xinhua) -- Scientists have discovered 11 new species of animals and plants in a remote area in central Vietnam, conservation group World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said on Wednesday.

    The species were found in the Thua Thien Hue Province - a region known as the Green Corridor.

    They include two butterflies and a snake, as well as five orchids and three other plants, all of which are exclusive to tropical forests in Vietnam's Annamites Mountain Range, said the Swiss-based organization in a press release.

    "You only discover so many new species in very special places, and the Green Corridor is one of them," said Chris Dickinson, WWF's chief technical adviser in the area.

    "Several large mammal species were discovered in the 1990s in the same forests, which means that these latest discoveries could be just the tip of the iceberg," he added.

    The new snake species, called the white-lipped keel back, tends to live by streams where it catches frogs and other small animals. It has a beautiful yellow-white stripe that sweeps along its head and red dots cover its body. It can reach about 80 cm in length.

    The butterfly species is the eighth discovered in the province since 1996. One is a skipper - a butterfly with quick, darting flight habits - from the genus Zela, another is a new genus in the subfamily of Satyrinae.

    Three of the newly discovered orchid species are entirely leafless, which is rare for orchids. They contain no chlorophyll and live on decaying matter, like many fungal species.

    According to the WWF, all these species are at risk from illegal logging, hunting, unsustainable extraction of natural resources and conflicting development interests.

    However, the Thua Thien Hue Province authorities - in particular the Forest Protection Department - have committed themselves to conserving and sustainably managing these valuable forests.