The plethora of biodiversity in northern Vietnam’s limestone mountains called Karst Formations houses some of the most unique creatures of wildlife. A recent report has described the presence of a rare species of snake in the region.
Research published in the journal Copeia on Monday by researchers from Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and the Institute for Ecology and Biological Resources at the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology described the new species of snake that they discovered in the Ha Giang province.
The research says that the species is part of a rare genus of burrowing snakes that grew from the evolutionary tree earlier than most other groups. Their early evolution explains why they look and behave unlike many of their counterparts and could help scientists derive new information about snake evolution.
The researchers have named the newly-discovered species Achalinus zugorum, honouring the Smithsonian’s retired curator of reptiles and amphibians, George Zug, and his wife, Patricia Zug.
Not much is known about this snake’s ecology, behaviour, diet or preferred micro-habitat, though it is presumably a semi-fossorial species that was drawn out by recent heavy rainfall prior to collection, the study mentions.
The rare snake has a blackish and dark purple dorsum, along with a dark brown underside and strong iridescence colours throughout its body. The Achalinus zugorum has small scales that line its entire body and its skin is exposed between the scales rather than being completely covered like other snake species.
Excited to see the first paper out from our work in northern Vietnam. “Discovery of a New Species of Enigmatic Odd-Scaled Snake (Serpentes: Xenodermidae: Achalinus) from Ha Giang Province, Vietnam"published in @IchsAndHerps , supported by @NMNH @UncAvl. https://t.co/KyQdIow9MB pic.twitter.com/Eh2ZKasfCl— Ari Miller (@AryehHMiller) December 7, 2020
The karst forests were surveyed in 2019 by an international team of researchers to learn more about northern Vietnam’s species diversity. The project supports the broader mission of the Global Genome Biodiversity Network: to sequence the DNA of as many species as possible within the next few years.
It is a mammoth task that depends on local fieldwork and collaborations across organizations. Smithsonian Magazine quotes lead author Aryeh Miller, a research fellow at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History and a graduate student at Washington University in St Louis, saying that when we see these species details come out and they seem like a very small piece of the puzzle. However, according to Miller, when everyone is working on these smaller projects, it facilitates big, macro-evolutionary studies about the evolution of life.
The karst region of Vietnam is already rich with life and the lush green forests that cover them create habitats that support extreme biodiversity. Many of the species are endemic to the area, which means they only exist there.
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