Ahaetulla anomala

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Ahaetulla anomala
Ahaetulla anomala.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Subfamily: Ahaetuliinae
Genus: Ahaetulla
Species:
A. anomala
Binomial name
Ahaetulla anomala
(Annandale, 1906)

The variable colored vine snake (Ahaetulla anomala) is a species of opisthoglyphous (rear-fanged venomous) colubrid vine snake found in Bangladesh and India. It is the first reported sexually dichromatic snake from the Indian Subcontinent, and until 2017 was formerly regarded as a subspecies of the green vine snake, Ahaetulla nasuta. [2]

Contents

Taxonomy

This snake was first described by Thomas Nelson Annandale (the first director of the Zoological Survey of India) in 1906. It was later considered a subspecies of Ahaetulla nasuta in 1943. There has long been taxonomic confusion due to the sexually dimorphic coloring of species, with the green males resembling the long-nosed whip snake ( Ahaetulla nasuta ), while females are brown in color and physically resemble the brown-speckled whipsnake ( Ahaetulla pulverulenta ). To resolve this confusion, in 2017, a team of biologists conducted a molecular and morphological study of the snake, ultimately finding it to be a distinct species, closely related to its sister taxon Ahaetulla pulverulenta , [2] as shown in the cladogram below (with possible paraphyletic species noted): [3]

Ahaetuliinae
sharpnosed snakes
broadnosed snakes

The status of Ahaetulla anomala as a separate species is still in dispute, as a 2020 study found A. anomala to be possibly conspecific with Ahaetulla oxyrhyncha . [4]

Distribution

It is limited to India (Odisha, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar) and Bangladesh. [2]

Description

This species is sexually dichromatic, with the males being green, while females are brown in color. Sexual dichromatism is rare among snakes and is mostly only documented in some groups such as vipers ( Bothrops ), Comoran snakes ( Lycodryas ), and Malagasy leaf-nosed snakes ( Langaha madagascariensis ).

It has rear fangs typical of the Ahaetulla genus, and a long prominent appendage at the tip of its snout, covered by many small scales above, which is unique among related species. The holotype was 95.5 cm (37.6 in) long in total body length. [2]

Behavior

The snake is diurnal and arboreal, and mostly found on shrubs, trees, and bushes. It feeds primarily on lizards, and it is ovoviviparous. [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Ahaetulla nasuta</i> Species of venomous, snake

Ahaetulla nasuta, also known as Sri Lankan green vine snake and long-nosed whip snake, is a venomous, slender green tree snake endemic to Sri Lanka.

<i>Ahaetulla dispar</i> Species of reptile

Ahaetulla dispar, the Gunther's vine snake, is a species of tree snake endemic to the Western Ghats. It is primarily restricted to the Shola forests of the Southern Western Ghats where it is found often on high-elevation montane grasslands and the low shrub belts.

<i>Ahaetulla fronticincta</i> Species of snake

Ahaetulla fronticincta, commonly known as Günther's whipsnake, the Burmese vine snake or the river vine snake, is a species of fish-eating vine snake found in Southeast Asia.

<i>Ahaetulla prasina</i> Species of snake

Ahaetulla prasina is an arboreal, moderately venomous species of opisthoglyphous vine snake in the family Colubridae, found in Southern and Southeast Asia. Its common names include the Asian vine snake, Boie's whip snake, Gunther's whip snake, and the Oriental whip snake.

<i>Ahaetulla pulverulenta</i> Species of snake

Brown-speckled whipsnake or brown vine snake is a species of colubrid vine snake endemic to Sri Lanka.

<i>Ahaetulla</i> Genus of snakes

Ahaetulla, commonly referred to as Asian vine snakes or Asian whip snakes, is a genus of colubrid snakes distributed throughout tropical Asia. They are considered by some scientists to be mildly venomous and are what is commonly termed as 'rear-fanged' or more appropriately, opisthoglyphous, meaning their enlarged teeth or fangs, intended to aid in venom delivery, are located in the back of the upper jaw, instead of in the front as they are in vipers or cobras. As colubrids, Ahaetulla do not possess a true venom gland or a sophisticated venom delivery system. The Duvernoy's gland of this genus, homologous to the venom gland of true venomous snakes, produces a secretion which, though not well studied, is considered not to be medically significant to humans.

<i>Chrysopelea taprobanica</i> Species of snake

Chrysopelea taprobanica, the Sri Lankan flying snake or Indian flying snake, is a species of gliding colubrid snake distributed in India and Sri Lanka. It can glide, as with all species of its genus Chrysopelea, by stretching the body into a flattened strip using its ribs. The snake is known as "dangara dandaa - දඟරදන්ඩා" in Sinhala, due to its folding postures.

<i>Ahaetulla mycterizans</i> Species of snake

Ahaetulla mycterizans, the Malayan green whipsnake or Malayan vine snake, is a slender arboreal colubrid vine snake found in Southeast Asia.

<i>Ahaetulla fasciolata</i> Species of snake

The speckle-headed whipsnake is a species of colubrid vine snake found in Southeast Asia.

<i>Dryophiops</i> Genus of snakes

Dryophiops is a genus of whip snakes of the family Colubridae, containing two species. They are arboreal tree snakes, found in forests in Southeast Asia.

<i>Dryophiops rubescens</i> Species of snake

Dryophiops rubescens, commonly known as the red whip snake, is a species of snake in the colubrid family from Southeast Asia.

<i>Proahaetulla</i> Genus of snakes

Proahaetulla is a monotypic genus of vine snake in the family Colubridae. It contains only one species, the keeled vine snake, which is endemic to the Western Ghats of India. Its natural habitat is montane rainforests of southern Western Ghats.

<i>Ahaetulla borealis</i> Species of tree snake

The northern Western Ghats vine snake is a species of tree snake endemic to the northern Western Ghats of India.

<i>Ahaetulla farnsworthi</i> Species of tree snake

Farnsworth's vine snake is a species of tree snake endemic to the central Western Ghats of India.

<i>Ahaetulla malabarica</i> Species of tree snake

The Malabar vine snake, is a species of tree snake endemic to the southern portion of the central Western Ghats of India.

<i>Ahaetulla isabellina</i> Species of snake

Ahaetulla isabellina, also known as Wall's vine snake, is a species of tree snake endemic to the southern Western Ghats of India.

<i>Ahaetulla travancorica</i> Species of Reptilia

The Travancore vine snake, is a species of tree snake endemic to the southern Western Ghats of India.

<i>Ahaetulla oxyrhyncha</i> Species of snake

The Indian vine snake or long-nosed vine snake is a species of diurnal, mildly venomous, arboreal snake distributed in the lowlands of peninsular India.Often mistakenly believed to peck out peoples' eyes, this misconception has led to widespread wanton killing of this species.

<i>Ahaetulla sahyadrensis</i> Species of snake

Ahaetulla sahyadrensis is a species of tree snake endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is also reported from Bangladesh.

<i>Dendrelaphis subocularis</i> Species of snake

Dendrelaphis subocularis, commonly known as the mountain bronzeback or Burmese bronzeback, is a species of snake in the family Colubridae from Southeast Asia.

References

  1. Mohapatra, P.; Khan, M.M.H. (2021). "Ahaetulla anomala". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2021: e.T115604283A115604285. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T115604283A115604285.en . Retrieved 23 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mohapatra, Pratyush; K Dutta, Sushil; Kar, Niladri Bhusan; Das, Abhijit; Murthy, BHCK; Deepak, V (2017-05-01). "Ahaetulla nasuta anomala (Annandale, 1906) (Squamata: Colubridae), resurrected as a valid species with marked sexual dichromatism". Zootaxa. 4263 (2): 318–332. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4263.2.6. PMID   28609871. S2CID   41105263.
  3. Mallik, Ashok Kumar; Achyuthan, N. Srikanthan; Ganesh, Sumaithangi R.; Pal, Saunak P.; Vijayakumar, S. P.; Shanker, Kartik (27 July 2019). "Discovery of a deeply divergent new lineage of vine snake (Colubridae: Ahaetuliinae: Proahaetulla gen. nov.) from the southern Western Ghats of Peninsular India with a revised key for Ahaetuliinae". PLOS ONE . 14 (7): e0218851. Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1418851M. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0218851 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   6636718 . PMID   31314800.
  4. 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): zootaxa.4874.1.1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4874.1.1. ISSN   1175-5334. PMID   33311335. S2CID   228823754.