Herpetologists from Fauna & Flora International (FFI) and Zoological Research Museum Alexander Koenig in Germany have described a new species of wolf snake from the Cardamom Mountains of southwest Cambodia.
Lycodon zoosvictoriae. Image credit: Neang Thy / Fauna & Flora International.
Wolf snakes are members of the genus Lycodon in the snake family Colubridae. These snakes get their name as they have large teeth in both jaws.
The newly discovered species has been named Lycodon zoosvictoriae. The specific epithet honors Zoos Victoria (Parkville, Australia), recognizing the support this zoo-based conservation organization provided FFI’s studies in the Cardamom Mountains over the last few years.
“Naming this species in honor of Zoos Victoria will ensure a memorable and historical record of the support they’ve given FFI, both in discoveries and conservation of the Cardamoms,” said Dr Neang Thy of FFI, the first author of a paper published in the journal Zootaxa (abstract in .pdf).
“We are delighted to have a species named after us, and humbled to have our support for FFI’s Cambodian program acknowledged in this way,” added Dr Chris Banks, Conservation Partnerships Manager at Zoos Victoria.
Lycodon zoosvictoriae appears to be a cryptic, arboreal and probably terrestrial snake. It likely benefits by its dull pale brown coloration which may act as camouflage from predation on similarly colored tree bark which are largely covered with moss.
It distinctly differs from all other species of Lycodon in Southeast Asia by a combination of its morphometric characters and unique coloration.
The discovery of Lycodon zoosvictoriae raises the total number of Lycodon currently recognized to 48 species and the number described in the last two decades to 15 species.
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Neang Thy et al. 2014. A new species of wolf snake (Colubridae: Lycodon Fitzinger, 1826) from Phnom Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary, Cardamom Mountains, southwest Cambodia. Zootaxa, vol. 3814, no. 1; doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.3814.1.3
