A team of scientists has described a new strikingly-colored species in the snake genus Geophis from the mountains of the Sierra Zongolica in west-central Veracruz and the Sierra de Quimixtlán in central-east Puebla, Mexico.
Geophis lorancai, adult male. Image credit: Miguel Ángel de la Torre Loranca.
Geophis is a genus of colubrid snakes in the subfamily Xenodontinae, commonly referred to as earth snakes.
With 49 recognized species, it is one of the most diverse genera of snakes in the Western Hemisphere.
Its geographic range extends from southwestern Chihuahua and southern Tamaulipas, Mexico, south and east through central and southern Mexico (except for the Yucatán Peninsula) and Central America to northern and western Colombia.
These burrowing snakes are seldom encountered and, consequently, have been poorly studied.
Furthermore, several species have restricted distribution, making them particularly vulnerable to extinction.
The description of the new species of Geophis, named G. lorancai, was published in the journal ZooKeys.
According to the authors, this species belongs to the G. dubius group.
“Most of these snakes have notably small geographic ranges and sometimes are only found in one type of vegetation,” they said.
“This makes them particularly vulnerable to the destruction of their habitat. It is important to know them before it gets too late.”
Genetic data and careful anatomical examination have been vital to understand the real diversity within the G. dubius group.
“These snakes are remarkably similar to each other and it has been only through molecular analyses and rigorous specimen examination that we have come close to understand how diverse they are,” the scientists said.
The region in which the species is found has not been thoroughly explored yet. Therefore, it seems likely that it could yield future discoveries.
Additionally, the work made by the team suggests the existence of other undescribed species of Geophis.
“Our analyses suggest that this group is more diverse than previously thought,” the authors said.
“They have proven to be an exciting model to understand the patterns of biological richness in the Mexican mountains.”
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Canseco-Márquez L. et al. 2016. A new species of earth snake (Dipsadidae, Geophis) from Mexico. ZooKeys 610: 131-145; doi: 10.3897/zookeys.610.8605
