Close-up of a new snake species found only in Vietnam
A new species of rat snake has been recognized as endemic to Vietnam, so far recorded nowhere else in the world.
Rat snakes, also known by the Vietnamese name rắn ráo (scientific name Ptyas), are a genus in the family Colubridae. Snakes in this genus are generally large and are found only in Asia.
For more than 100 years, no new species had been described in the genus, and scientists recognized 13 species within it.
Recently, scientists from Vietnam and several other countries carefully examined and analyzed specimens of the green rat snake (scientific name Ptyas nigromarginata) from the summit of Bạch Mã Mountain, in Bạch Mã National Park in central Vietnam, in the former Thừa Thiên-Huế province (now Huế city).
An individual of the Bạch Mã green rat snake (Photo: Hoàng Như Phương).
Based on distinct biological traits such as the number of dorsal, ventral and labial scales, as well as differences revealed by DNA analysis, the scientists concluded that this is an entirely new species, biologically and genetically distinct from the green rat snake. The new species has been named the Bạch Mã green rat snake (scientific name Ptyas bachmaensis).
Besides the summit of Bạch Mã Mountain, the scientists said the Bạch Mã green rat snake has also been recorded in the former Kon Plông district of the former Kon Tum province (now part of Quảng Ngãi province) in Vietnam's Central Highlands.
The Bạch Mã green rat snake is a large species: males can reach 2.4 m in length, while females are typically only about 1.6 m long. Its brown head is clearly distinct from the neck. The snake has large eyes with round pupils.
The Bạch Mã green rat snake has a brown head, a green body and a long, slender black tail (Photo: Sang N. Nguyen, Nikolai L. Orlov).
The snake stands out for its deep green body, keeled scales along the spine, and a long, slender, pointed black tail. Its belly is pale yellow or white, with some scales along the flanks edged in black.
Like other members of the rat snake genus, the Bạch Mã green rat snake is non-venomous.
With the recognition of the Bạch Mã green rat snake as a new species, Vietnam is now home to two green rat snakes: the green rat snake (Ptyas nigromarginata), found in the north, and the Bạch Mã green rat snake, which ranges from Huế south to the former Kon Tum province.
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