An international team of herpetologists, led by Dr R. Alexander Pyron of the George Washington University, has described a new species of fishing snake from a cloud forest in south-western Ecuador.
Synophis zaheri. Image credit: Pyron R.A. et al.
The newfound species, named Synophis zaheri, is a small-sized, non-venomous snake with a slender body and head distinct from neck.
“The species is named after the preeminent Brazilian herpetologist Hussam El-Dine Zaher, for his innumerable contributions to South American herpetology and snake systematics,” Dr Pyron and his colleagues explained in a paper that was published last week in the journal ZooKeys.
Synophis zaheri measures only 14 inches (36 cm) in length. Its eyes are large and bulbous, making up for more than a third of its head.
“Being black in color, it is hard to tell the pupil and the iris apart,” the scientists said.
“While the upper part of the body is grayish-brown with an iridescent sheen, the abdominal side stands out with its yellowish-white coloration.”
Dr Pyron and co-authors collected only two specimens of Synophis zaheri.
“Both specimens were active by night in primary evergreen foothill forest, with canopy cover between 70 and 100 percent,” they said.
The holotype specimen was found on the ground, whereas the paratype was found 20 inches (50 cm) above the ground in a bush.
“Neither were found close to water, but were active after a rainy day.”
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Pyron R.A. et al. 2015. Systematics of Nothopsini (Serpentes, Dipsadidae), with a new species of Synophis from the Pacific Andean slopes of southwestern Ecuador. ZooKeys 541: 109-147; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.541.6058
