Ahaetulla travancorica

The Travancore vine snake (Ahaetulla travancorica), is a species of tree snake endemic to the southern Western Ghats of India.[1][2][3]

Travancore vine snake
From Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu
Scientific classification
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

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. 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". Zootaxa. 4874 (1): 1–62. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4874.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
  2. Staff Reporter (2020-11-14). "New species of vine snakes discovered". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  3. "The discovery of five new species of vine snakes in India". phys.org. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
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