Scientist discovered 5 new species of Vine Snakes in India
India, Nov 14: Vine snakes are one of the most common species of snakes found across all regions in India, whether wet with greenery or dry. A team of researchers from the Center for Ecological Sciences (CES) of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) led by Ashok Kumar Mallik discovered that the common green vine snake (Ahaetulla nasuta) was a complex of several species. The team found 4 small-bodied and short-nosed species in the rainforests of Western Ghats rainforest and few larger species across the lowlands and drier parts which were quite distinct in size and shape.
The new species discovered by the team are:
- The Northern Western Ghats vine snake (Ahaetulla borealis)
- Farnsworth’s vine snake (Ahaetulla farnsworthi)
- Malabar vine snake (Ahaetulla malabarica), and
- Wall’s vine snake (Ahaetulla isabellina).
The team carried out extensive field visits across India to collect the data on different structures of vine snakes, their tissue samples and specimen to understand the patterns of their distribution and diversification.
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