PHNOM PENH, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- A gibbon named for Luke Skywalker, a bat that looks like *NSYNC's Lance Bass, and a toad straight "from Middle Earth" are among the 157 newly discovered species in the Greater Mekong region in 2017, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) said in a statement on Wednesday.

"Three mammal, 23 fish, 14 amphibian, 26 reptile and 91 plant species discovered in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam in 2017 by scientists who ventured into the region's jungles, mountains, rivers and grasslands," the statement said.

"This brings the total count of new species discovered between 1997 and 2017 within the region to over 2,600," it said.

The statement said the 157 species found in 2017 mean that an average of three new species a week are discovered in the region.

Four of the new species discovered by scientists are a Skywalker Hoolock gibbon and a bat, whose hair bears a likeness to Lance Bass' iconic frosted tips of the band *NSYNC, both from Myanmar, a tiny toad with sharp horns native to Vietnam, and a bamboo species from Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains with unique bulb-like features at its base.

The Greater Mekong is one of the most biologically rich regions on Earth and is home to some of the most iconic species in the world.

The statement said deforestation, climate change, poaching and the illegal wildlife trade are still posing threats to the survival of those species in the region.

"There are many more species out there waiting to be discovered and tragically, many more that will be lost before that happens," said Stuart Chapman, WWF's Asia-Pacific regional director for Conservation Impact.

"There is blood, sweat and tears behind every new discovery," he said. "But it's a race against time to announce a new discovery so steps can be taken to protect it before it's too late."