Mizoram professor, research scholar among herpetologists who discovers new species of snake

In a ground-breaking cooperation, a team of herpetologists, including a professor and a research scholar from Mizoram University, have uncovered a new species of snake within the Rakhine Yoma Elephant Wildlife Sanctuary in Rakhine, Myanmar. 

HT Lalremsanga, professor of Zoology at Mizoram University and Lalbiakzuala, a research scholar also from Mizoram University along with Vietnamese herpetologist Tan Van Nguyen and German herpetologist Gernot Vogel made the discovery from an extensive study investigating the taxonomic status of the Herpetoreas xenura species complex, using both morphological and molecular data gathered from Mizoram, Bangladesh, and Myanmar. 

The newly discovered snake is named Herpetoreas Davidi- after the famous French taxonomist Patrick David. This was published in the scientific research journal- European Journal of Taxonomy volume 932 on May 4, 2024.

Professor HT Lalremsanga said, “The new snake that we discovered is a rare variety; and as far as we can trace, it is a non-venomous snake measuring upto 1 feet, 9 to 11 inches long in length.”

“It feeds on frogs and its habitat is the low lying swamps with high humidity,” he added.

Who is taxonomist?

A taxonomist is a biologist who classifies organisms into categories. A plant taxonomist would research the origins and relationships between different types of roses, while an insect taxonomist might focus on the relationships between different species of beetles.

Who is herpetologist?

A herpetologist is a biologist who studies reptiles and amphibians including salamanders and frogs. Many herpetologists focus on conservation of these species. Others use them to evaluate the overall environmental characteristics of a certain location.

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