HEBIUS TERRAKARENORUM 2022

May Also Occur In Myanmar

Found in the northern part of the Tenasserim mountain range along the border with Myanmar, this slender, semiaquatic snake reaches a length of 650mm. Although largely brown with a pale pinkish venter (belly), the colouration varies signifcantly between diferent specimens, which is unusual in snake species in the region.

Its discovery was unconventional, since it wasn’t based on a living specimen but on roadkill and photos. Researchers examined more than 70 specimens of Hebius species found dead on roads in northern Thailand between 2010 and 2020, supplemented by a dozen photos of living specimens that were not collected. Hebius species are often misidentifed because of both similarities between species and diferences within them.

While most of the specimens could be assigned to one of fve Hebius species (out of the eight known in Thailand), around 20 could not. Close analysis of the snakes’ markings and anatomy revealed them to belong to a previously unrecorded species.

Nearly all the specimens of this species were found close to fast-fowing mountain streams in the provinces of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Tak and Kanchanaburi. One of the authors later captured and handled a living specimen which, like other Hebius species, was docile and did not strike or bite.

The Dawna–Tenasserim landscape in northwest Thailand and Myanmar is a rich area for scientifc discovery, containing large areas of pristine forest that have been little explored. Snake fauna in particular remains understudied, with discoveries like this one promising more to come.

Hauser, S., Smits, T. and David, P. (2022). On the distribution of the species of the genus Hebius Thompson, 1913 (Squamata: Natricidae) in northern Thailand, including the description of a new species and a discussion on snake diversity of this region. Zootaxa 5116(1): 1-39. doi. org/10.11646/zootaxa.5116.1.1