• ¨   Acanthosaura syrax, also known as the Syrax Mountain Horned Dragon, is a newly described lizard species discovered in Mae Wong National Park, Thailand.

    ¨     The species was formally described and published on 2 August 2026 in the taxonomy journal ZooKeys.

    ¨     It belongs to the genus Acanthosaura, which includes Mountain Horned Dragons.

    ¨     Thai researchers Poramad Trivalairat and Krittiya Trivalairat collected the first three specimens on 23 April 2025 from a high-altitude forest area of Mae Wong National Park.

    ¨     They collected five additional specimens in May 2025, bringing the total number of specimens used in the species description to eight.

    ¨     Acanthosaura syrax is the 23rd recognised species of the genus Acanthosaura.

    ¨     The genus belongs to the family Agamidae, which includes many arboreal and semi-arboreal lizards found across South and Southeast Asia.

    ¨     DNA analysis of the ND2 and COI genes confirmed A. syrax as a distinct evolutionary lineage.

    ¨     The species showed a genetic distance of 14%–28% from its closest relatives.

    ¨     Key identification features include the smallest neck and dorsal crest scales recorded in the genus and the absence of a black eye patch.

    ¨     The lizard has a yellowish-green body colour and relatively large egg clutches.

    ¨     The species has a restricted distribution in a narrow, high-altitude forest region of northern Thailand.

    ¨     According to the study, its habitat occurs at elevations of above 1,300 metres.

    ¨     The name ‘syrax’ is derived from Syrax, the yellow dragon featured in the television series House of the Dragon.

    ¨     The name was chosen because of the lizard’s colour pattern, small size and reproductive characteristics.