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| Hard to miss the bright red ruby eyes of the world's newest pitviper: Cryptelytrops rubeus. Photo: Peter Paul van Dijk. |
March 30, 2011
Jeremy Hance
mongabay.com
Researchers have discovered two new species of pitviper in Southeast Asia. After collecting snakes throughout the Asian tropics—Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia—researchers were able to parse out a more complex set of species than had been recognized. One of the new vipers has been dubbed Cryptelytrops rubeus for its ruby-colored eyes.
Over 12 years of work researchers conducted genetic tests, looked at physical differences, and then geographical separations of various viper populations that were all considered big-eyed pitviper (Cryptelytrops macrops). Out of the various population two new distinct species have been described: Cryptelytrops rubeus and Cryptelytrops cardamomensis.
"They are genetically distinct at mitochondrial and multiple nuclear genetic markers, and are geographically separated, occupying different mountainous areas […] There are some superficial differences involving the color of the eye, the presence and width of lateral stripes on the head and body and so on, but they are quite subtle," co-author Anita Malhotra, a molecular ecologist at Bangor University, explained to mongabay.com.
Although little more is known about the behavior or status of the species in the wild, Malhotra says it is possible they are threatened.
"Depending on the species, the main threats are habitat destruction, and over-collecting (the vast majority of the latter is for traditional medicinal use, in some cases also for other purposes such as leather and the captive trade)," she told mongabay.com
Each of these pitviper species are poisonous and dangerous, although a bite is not usually fatal to humans.
The paper will appear in Zootaxa.
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CITATION: Malhotra, A., R. S. Thorpe, Mrinalini and B. L. Stuart. 2011. Two new species of pitviper of the genus Cryptelytrops Cope 1860 (Squamata: Viperidae: Crotalinae) from Southeast Asia. Zootaxa 2757: 1–23.
14 comments:
all those snakes are fresh food .In Pol pot regime I ate everything that move.
ME, TOO!
me too!
exept, Pol pot, Eing Sary, Hun Sen, Kaing Guek Eiv etc...
zoogoligist and biologist should come study the animals in cambodia. i've seen so many weird animals in cambodia. even fish species are weird. i bet if they do research in cambodia, they will find lots of new animal species there, really!
i don't like snakes at all, ok!
Real animals in Cambodia are becoming extinct due the deforestation.
But the most vicious of all animal called Hoon Zen
Red Eye Monster of a snake
how about some monkeys with no tail
This snake has a Communist ideology because it shows it in its eyes, red.
me too!
exept, Pol pot, Eing Sary, Hun Sen, Kaing Guek Eiv etc...
6:31 AM
That"s funy!!!!
Has anyone ever seen a two straight forward horned lizard?
I saw it in the Cardamom Mountain under during the Khmer Rouge Regime.
If you have any information about this lizard,please contact me at koumheuy@yahoo.com
Thanks,
Vietnam is a snake.She killed or bit million Khmer people in Pol Pot regime and 1979 up to now,she till bites Khmer people.Even Hun Sen and CPP members are snakes too.
Can Khmer people stop Hun Sen,the CPP members,and Vietnam biting ?
The pictures mean a thousand words or
a thousand ideas.
talk about strange site in cambodia, my mom told me that she saw a giant chili tree in the forest of cambodia during the KR era. she couldn't believe her eyes. the tree bore a lot of chili and looked the height of a mango tree. it's in the areas of battambang province somewhere in the deep forest near the village of bavel, battambang province, you know!
some people sited on the kulen mountain just outside of siem reap as well. now if that's not unique and strange to have a giant chili tree, then what is! you know, chili pepper tree is usually small and doen't grow like a big tree like that, really, but in cambodia's forest you will find them. same with giant durian tree in the forest of cambodia, you know! cambodia is so bless with rich and abundance natural resources, etc, you know! please help to protect and conserve cambodia rare site, species, etc, etc... god bless cambodia.
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