BATON ROUGE — An LSU herpetologist named a newly discovered snake after a rock 'n' roll legend. 

Chris Austin, professor of biological sciences and Curator of Amphibians and Reptiles at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, has helped describe 53 new species of frogs, lizards and snakes, with about 30 potential new species awaiting description. 

His latest discovery, a reddish-brown snake named Lielaphis slashi or Slash's groundsnake after Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, was found during a nighttime expedition in New Guinea in 2006. 

The new species is about 28 inches long and is described as nonvenomous.

The name choice comes from Austin's former LSU postdoctoral researcher Dr. Sara Ruane, who grew up as a Guns N' Roses fan. Dr. Ruane proposed honoring Slash for his interests in reptiles and support for museums and zoos.