Two species of lizard previously unknown to science have been uncovered in a remote part of far north Queensland.

Dr Conrad Hoskin, a researcher at James Cook university, found the two species after landing by helicopter in a largely inaccessible area of rainforest on top of the Melville range, about 170km north of Cooktown.

The species have been named as the Cape Melville rainbow skink and the Cape Melville bar-lipped skink. The scientific names of the species – Carlia wundalthini and Glaphyromorphus othelarrni – were chosen by local Aboriginal leaders in a nod to previous traditional owners of the land.

Hoskin said the discoveries were “very exciting” and added to three other species he uncovered during a series of trips to Cape Melville last year: a leaf-tailed gecko, a boulder frog and a golden lizard.

“In each of those cases, as soon as I saw them I knew they were new species,” he told Guardian Australia.

The Cape Melville bar-lipped skink. Photograph: Conrad Hoskin

“I was walking around on my first day there and saw a lizard and thought ‘wow, that’s something different’. And then that night I saw something moving in some mulch by a boulder, I pulled it out and it was another new kind of lizard.”

The rainbow skink is only about 10cm long, with shimmering scales. It is very fast and active during the day, eating small insects. Meanwhile, the bar-lipped skink is slightly larger, about 20cm long, and lives a more subdued life, emerging mostly at dusk.

Hoskin’s discovery of five new species in total adds to a further three species found at Cape Melville in the past few decades. The entire global populations of these eight endemic species live within the rainforest plateau and lowland area of Cape Melville.

The species were discovered in a 25 sq km area of Cape Melville. Photograph: Conrad Hoskin

The raft of recent discoveries has been spurred by scientists’ desire to document unknown fauna and flora in the face of growing threats.

A recent expedition under the Bush Blitz program, which has uncovered more than 700 new species in total, found dozens of new creatures in Carnarvon, central Queensland.

Hoskin said: “There is a push by the government as well as universities and museums to look for new species in the field.”

A leaf-tailed gecko. Photograph: Conrad Hoskin

“The more areas that are disturbed, the more prospect there is of losing species. We could lose things we don’t even know about, so we need to know what’s there.

“Even in places that are well explored, you can still find new species. There’s a lot more to find, such as lizards and frogs and even mammals when you think of micro bats and rats. There’s always lots to see and do out there.”

Four other recent discoveries

The black-tailed antechinus is thought to be found in high altitude, wet areas in the Springbrook national park. Photograph: Gary Cranitch/Queensland Museum

Black-tailed antechinus

A new species of mouse-like marsupial was identified this year. The black-tailed antechinus has a shaggy, hairy body with an orange-coloured bottom.

Scientists have discovered that male carnivorous antechinus often die from stress after overly vigorous mating sessions. Most take part in “frenzied” copulation and then die at the age of about 11 months, before the young are born.

Dendrogramma enigmatica. Photograph: PLOS ONE

Unknown mushroom creatures

Two species found in the Bass strait were found not to be part of any of the known branches of living things on Earth when analysed by scientists this year.

Called Dendrogramma, the mushroom-shaped creatures are made of an outer skin and inner stomach, complete with a thick jelly-like substance. Caught between 400m and 1,000m beneath the surface of the sea, the creatures could redefine the known web of flora and fauna.

Humpback dolphin

Debate has raged among dolphin experts about how many sub-species of humpback dolphin exist.

It was widely thought there was little evidence that more than two species existed, until scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society settled the argument last year.

Analysis of DNA found there were, in fact, four species of humpback dolphin, with one of these species living off the coast of northern Australia. The subset of dolphins, which have been hiding in plain sight, have yet to get their own name.

An example of the Keesingia gigas jellyfish. Photograph: John Totterdell/MIRG Australia

Keesingia gigas

Two new Irukandji jellyfish were recently discovered by Lisa-ann Gershwin, the director of Marine Stinger Advisory Services, off Western Australia’s north-west coast.

Keesingia gigas is particularly interesting because it appears not to have tentacles. It is also much larger than other Irukandji: it is about the size of someone’s arm whereas its relatives are normally the size of a fingernail.

It is probably best to steer clear if you see one – the species can cause Irukandji syndrome, which involves pain, nausea, vomiting and in extreme cases, stroke and heart failure.