In a dense forest of the Pakke Tiger Reserve, which is located in north-east state of Arunachal Pradesh, a researcher’s team has discovered a new venomous snake species.
New Snake Species Found In Arunachal Pradesh By Researchers
This newly discovered bright green snake is named Trimeresurus Salazar, after the fictional character of Salazar Slytherin from J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books. The meaning of the name is Salazar’s pit viper.
This amazing green color snake has been discovered in the course of a herpetological expedition which was held in the Arunachal Pradesh that is popularly well-known for its Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
The Bombay Natural History Society and National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru started this expedition in the Arunachal Pradesh with the help of a group of researchers who later found out this new species.
The researchers in a new paper which is published in life science journal Zoosystematics and Evolution talks and elaborate on the snake named after Salazar Slytherin and worte down that “The particular epithet is a noun in apposition for J.K. Rowling’s fictional Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry’s co-founder, named Salazar Slytherin,”
This new species, however, belongs to the group of green pit vipers which is from which it varies from its closely related species in terms of a rusty red or orange lateral stripe that they have along their head as well as in their entire body. In the meantime, while comparing the DNA sequences along with the skull morphology of closely related species, it then mainly highlights the clearness of the new species.
The researchers also stated that they have not only discovered this species from the forests of Arunachal Pradesh but have also documented more species in the area, which is possible to yield new species even further more. Right now, the work is underway to describe them, as per to the researchers.
After Trachischium apteii, Salazar’s pit viper is considered to be the second species of snake that has been discovered in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh. As another species has been discovered in the state of biodiversity in the Himalayan forests, researchers are now reflecting and focusing more on the underexplored area of this state’s forests.
On the other hand, this popular name may possibly generate ample amount of attention that is required towards the biodiversity hotspot which is right now under threat because of the further planned developmental activities in the region.
However, this is not the first time that J.K. Rowling’s fictional world Harry Potter books character is being honoured by giving out such names to the species as in the year 2017, a beady eye crab was named Harryplax severus as well as another new species of wasp was also named Lusius malfoyi.
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