While most kukri snakes are dull-coloured, this one is dark red with black and white rings.
The reptile was discovered by Cambodian national Neang Thy, American scientist Dr Lee Grismer and Fauna & Flora International's Senior Conservation Biologist Dr Jenny Daltry.
"Cambodian science was smashed under the Pol Pot regime, and only now are we picking up the pieces. It gave me a great sense of pride to both discover and describe this species, and to name it in honour of my country," Neang Thy said while explaining why he named the species in this way.
The reptile has been named the Cambodian Kukri, or Oligodon kampucheaensis, Fauna & Flora International (FFI) said in a statement.
Kukri snakes are so named because their curved rear teeth are similar in shape to the Nepalese knife known as a kukri.
They are forest species, and in keeping with their known ecology, this one was found in the rainforests of the Cardamom Mountains in the south-west of the country.
The area is under threat from habitat loss and land conversion even though it is a part of Cambodia's protected areas system.