Monday, September 4 2006 12:47 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Singapore: New animal species have been found in Southeast Asia's hilly limestone area during a graduate student's expeditions to Malaysia and Indonesia, the National University of Singapore said today (Sept 4, 2006). The discoveries by Reuben Clements consist of 20 species of invertebrates, mostly snails, which have been buried in the limestone called karst. The 27-year-old Clements, pursuing his master's degree in conservation biology, has made nine expeditions, each to different hills, the Straits Times reported. Peter Ng, director of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, said the new species were unearthed in karsts, previously visited by other scientists. "They must have missed it," Ng was quoted as saying. Formed millions of years ago by calcium-producing marine coral, limestone karsts are huge formations covering 400,000 square km of land in Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. Clements said the formations became the "perfect places" for unique species to develop and evolve. However, he warned that the biological treasure is under threat. Karst is often where the Chinese delicacy, birds' nest, is harvested, he told the newspaper. As the main component for cement, limestone is also being rapidly mined for the booming demand for building materials in Southeast Asia. Losing the plant and animal species native to these rock areas would be a terrible waste, he said. More studies are needed to determine how quickly the karsts are being destroyed, Clements added.