Biology:Ahaetulla travancorica
| Travancore vine snake | |
|---|---|
| |
| From Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Ahaetulla |
| Species: | A. travancorica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Ahaetulla travancorica Mallik, Srikanthan, Pal, Princia D'Souza, Shanker & Ganesh, 2020
| |
The Travancore vine snake (Ahaetulla travancorica), is a species of tree snake endemic to the southern Western Ghats of India .[1][2][3]
Taxonomy
It was formerly considered conspecific with A. dispar (which is now considered to have a more northerly distribution in the Western Ghats), but a 2020 study found it to represent a new species.[1]
Geographic range
This species is endemic to the Agasthyamalai Hills of the southern Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The specimen that the species was described from originates from a single locality in Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary. The Shencottah Gap north of the Agasthyamalais separates it from its closest relative, A. dispar.[1]
Habitat
This species is found in high-elevation shola forests in the Western Ghats above 1000 msl.[1]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mallik, Ashok Kumar; Srikanthan, Achyuthan N.; Pal, Saunak P.; D’souza, Princia Margaret; Shanker, Kartik; Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan (2020-11-06). "Disentangling vines: a study of morphological crypsis and genetic divergence in vine snakes (Squamata: Colubridae: Ahaetulla) with the description of five new species from Peninsular India" (in en). Zootaxa 4874 (1): zootaxa.4874.1.1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4874.1.1. PMID 33311335. https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4874.1.1.
- ↑ Staff Reporter (2020-11-14). "New species of vine snakes discovered" (in en-IN). The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/new-species-of-vine-snakes-discovered/article33097126.ece.
- ↑ "The discovery of five new species of vine snakes in India" (in en). https://phys.org/news/2020-11-discovery-species-vine-snakes-india.html.
Wikidata ☰ Q102109390 entry
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