Farnsworth's vine snake
In Agumbe, Karnataka
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Order: Squamata
Suborder: Serpentes
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Ahaetulla
Species:
A. farnsworthi
Binomial name
Ahaetulla farnsworthi
Mallik, Srikanthan, Pal, Princia D'Souza, Shanker, and Ganesh, 2020

Farnsworth's vine snake (Ahaetulla farnsworthi) is a species of tree snake endemic to the central Western Ghats of India.[1][2][3]

Taxonomy

It was formerly considered conspecific with A. nasuta, which is now considered to only be endemic to Sri Lanka. A 2020 study found A. nasuta to be a species complex of A. nasuta sensu stricto as well as A. borealis, A. farnsworthi, A. isabellina, and A. malabarica.[1] The species is named after the character Professor Farnsworth from the American animated television series Futurama, as a reference to the character's efforts in resurrecting barking snakes from extinction.[1]

Geographic range

This species is endemic to the state of Karnataka, where it is distributed from Coorg to the Agumbe-Kodachadri range. It may be sympatric with A. malabarica in Coorg, but is largely separated from the species by rivers. Near the northern edge of its range it is flanked by A. borealis, from which it is likely separated by the Sharavathi River basin.[1]

Habitat

The species is found in mid-elevation tropical rainforests in the Western Ghats from 500 to 850 msl.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 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): zootaxa.4874.1.1. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4874.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334. 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.
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