ZSL’s Lead Herpetology Keeper, Daniel Kane, and EDGE Hero, Luan Thanh Nguyen, clarify how trying to find amphibians dwelling within the mountains of northern Vietnam led to the sudden discovery of an uncommon snake.
Hoang Lien Range, northwest Vietnam. Several days into the 6 day expedition, we made our means by way of humid, lush forests as much as our area camp at 2800 m above sea degree. We had been in these cloud-cloaked mountains accumulating information on threatened frog species on Mount Fansipan – the nation’s tallest mountain – and investigating the prevalence of disease-causing amphibian chytrid fungi, as a part of our wider work defending a number of the world’s most original and irreplicable species by way of our EDGE of Existence Programme.
Returning to camp shortly after noon after accumulating provides, two porters from the native H’mong neighborhood – Chang A Sung and Pao A Vang – got here throughout a small, metallic purple snake. With an orange neck and a pale line alongside its higher jaw, the preliminary cautious examination confirmed that this particular person didn’t match the outline for any at present described species of snake. This grabbed our consideration, however too early for us to get excited concerning the discovery simply but.
How to establish a brand new species
The pleasure got here later. After returning to Hanoi and sharing information of this discovering with the remainder of the worldwide workforce, Luan emailed images and measurements of the snake to our London-based workforce so {that a} extra detailed comparability with different comparable snake species may very well be undertaken. This revealed that this ‘new’ snake doubtless belonged to a captivating group of snakes referred to as keelbacks – typically medium-sized, semi-aquatic, snakes discovered throughout South, East, and South East Asia. Many, if not all, keelback snakes produce venom and intriguingly some are additionally toxic, storing toxins from toads and firefly larvae in glands of their necks. Although typically innocent to people, this distinctive function helps them each defend themselves and hunt their prey.
This was not the one factor that the evaluation revealed. The variety of scales in key areas of this snake – together with its physique color and the place the place it was discovered – didn’t match effectively with any description or images of different keelback species that we had been capable of finding. It was beginning to appear to be we might have one thing particular.
We couldn’t rejoice simply but. There might be a variety of variation within the look of various people with the identical species. We could also be most aware of this with species like people and dogs, however the identical is simply as true for snakes – so seems alone should not at all times sufficient to verify {that a} specific particular person represents a species beforehand unknown to science.
Through DNA evaluation we had been capable of generate a ‘tree’ displaying this snakes’ place relative to that of its closest family. This confirmed that the snake does belong to the keelbacks (genus Rhabdophis), and it did certainly sit adjoining to all different described species. The DNA that we analysed is as a lot as 4% completely different from its subsequent closest relative – that’s about as completely different as we’re from gorillas.
Finally, after utilizing the morphology of the snake along side its genetics – each of which confirmed clear variations from different species – we might confidently state this ‘new’ snake had certainly not but been described by science.
This put us in an thrilling place – we now needed to title this species. It didn’t take us lengthy to achieve an settlement. This snake shares the Hoang Lien Mountains with the H’mong individuals, and all through the years we’ve labored within the area, the contribution of porters from the native H’mong neighborhood – reminiscent of Chang A Sung and Pao A Vang – has been invaluable to the success of those expeditions. This species – the thirty fourth keelback snake recognized to science – is due to this fact named the H’mong keelback snake (Rhabdophis hmongorum) of their honour.
Conservation in Vietnam
We have been working with companions within the Hoang Lien Range since 2015, resulting in many necessary discoveries, lots of which have been revealed in peer-reviewed analysis articles. The new snake represents the primary reptile species described by our workforce, and the primary new species of reptile found from the vary in over a decade.
It’s an thrilling discovery – and having a transparent delineation of species is paramount for serving to decide conservation priorities, however there’s nonetheless a lot for us to study concerning the H’mong keelback snake.
During our search by way of genetic databases, we discovered a single file of a snake specimen from China which was a near-identical match to the H’mong keelback. However, the scientists who submitted the sequence from the Chinese specimen had not named it nor offered any additional information. This exhibits that the species appears to be dwelling throughout each side of the border – however till additional fieldwork occurs, we have now no extra information on the species’ distribution or on any variation throughout the species. It is simply by way of extra analysis that we are able to build up a stronger thought of the place the species is discovered, what threats it faces and what conservation measures are wanted to guard it.
From our earlier work conserving and describing amphibians in these mountains – and the relative lack of examine thus far on reptiles – it appears doubtless that there are extra species ready to be described and assessed for conservation necessities. This supplies an incredible incentive for us to maintain returning to those mountains so we are able to proceed efforts to raised perceive the reptiles and amphibians dwelling in northwest Vietnam, and what we are able to do to guard them.
Partner organisations:
- Asian Turtle Program of Indo-Myanmar Conservation
- Hoang Lien National Park
- Australian Museum
Funders:
This work was generously supported by The IUCN SSC Asian Species Action Partnership (ASAP) and a ZSL EDGE Hero award, and partly supported by the Asian Turtle Program of Indo-Myanmar Conservation.
