Ahaetulla travancorica

Travancore vine snake
From Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Subfamily:	Ahaetuliinae
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. Mallik, Ashok Kumar; Srikanthan, Achyuthan N.; Pal, Saunak P.; D'souza, Princia Margaret; Shanker, Kartik; Ganesh, Sumaithangi Rajagopalan (6 November 2020). "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. PMID   33311335. S2CID   228823754.
2. Staff Reporter (14 November 2020). "New species of vine snakes discovered". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 26 November 2020.
3. "The discovery of five new species of vine snakes in India". phys.org. Retrieved 26 November 2020.