Snake species are available all styles and sizes, from monumental pythons to horned snakes slithering by way of the desert. In the snake world, it may be particularly tough to inform a brand new species from present ones – many members of the identical species can look bodily very totally different, with variations in colours alongside their our bodies. However, a brand new examine has recognized a brand new species of pit viper from Myanmar, and it’s each a brilliant inexperienced and darkish inexperienced stunner relying on which individual you catch a glimpse of.
The genus Trimeresurus consists of such snakes with a wide variety of variation in look, additionally referred to as morphology.
“Asian pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus are notoriously tough to inform aside, as a result of they run the gamut of morphological variation. Some teams include a number of species that look alike, whereas others could look very totally different however are literally the identical species,” stated Dr Chan Kin Onn, herpetologist and lead writer of the examine in a press release.
The mangrove pit viper could be a vary of colours however by no means inexperienced.
Both the north and south sides of Myanmar are home to a species of pit viper. In the north, the redtail pit viper (Trimeresurus erythrurus) is recognized by its inexperienced physique with few different markings. In the south, the mangrove pit viper (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus) happens in a variety of colours together with yellow, brown, and black – however isn’t inexperienced. The mangrove pit viper additionally has a extra blotchy sample on its physique.
Trimeresurus erythrurus is all the time inexperienced with no blotches.
Between these two populations is a 3rd snake species dwelling within the central space of Myanmar with an look of midway between the 2.
“This mysterious inhabitants in central Myanmar baffled us and we initially thought that it might be a hybrid inhabitants,” the researchers stated. The staff labored out in a unique paper that this third inhabitants was not a hybrid however a genetically totally different species.
This new species had some additional complicated traits simply to make issues extra fascinating. Certain populations had been darkish inexperienced with blotches, making it straightforward to inform aside from the mangrove viper and the redtail pit viper. Other members of the identical new species had been brilliant inexperienced inexperienced with no blotches and regarded almost precisely the identical because the redtail pit viper.
“This is an fascinating phenomenon, the place one species is concurrently related and totally different from its closest relative (the redtail pit viper). We suppose that sooner or later prior to now, the brand new species could have exchanged genes with the redtail pit viper from the north and the mangrove pit viper from the south,” stated Dr Chan.
This new centrally based mostly species has been named the Ayeyarwady pit-viper (Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis) after the most important river in Myanamar.
The paper is printed within the journal Zookeys.
