Prelims – Current events of National and International Importance |Bio-diversity.
Why in News?
Recently, Mizoram university and Guwahati based biodiversity conservation group, Help Earth, have recorded a new species of rain snake.
Scientific name – Smithophis leptofasciatus.
Genus – It is the third species in the genus, Smithophis to have been recorded from the northeastern State
Nomenclature – Leptofasciatus is a Greek and Latin hybrid, meaning ‘narrow-banded’, refers the snake’s distinctive dorsal markings.
Another name – Ruahrul in Mizoram.
Family – Natricidae.
Size – Small sized snake, reach up to 32 cm.
Morphology – Predominantly shiny dark or black, interspersed with distinct, narrow, creamish-white or yellowish-lime transverse bands, each covering only one or two dorsal scales.
Habitat –Semi-aquatic, close to small streams under leaf litter, and beneath rocks or decaying logs.
Distribution – Tropical wet montane and tropical semi-evergreen forests at elevations ranging from approximately 900–1,200 m in Mizoram, India. Endemic to tropical forest in Mizoram.
Behavioural traits - It is nocturnal and most commonly spotted during the monsoon season.
Reproduction - A gravid female observed in captivity laid 6 eggs, providing rare reproductive data.
Significance - The new species reinforces Mizoram’s importance as a biodiversity hotspot.
