A new snake species with a long-snout named ‘Ahaetulla longirostri’ (long snouted vine snake) has been discovered in Valmiki Tiger Reserve (VTR), Bihar and Meghalaya.
Research details:
i.The discovery was made by the research team which includes Zeeshan Mirza, Soham Pattekar, Sourabh Verma, Bryan Stuart, Jayaditya Purkayastha, Pratyush Mohapatra and Harshil Patel.
ii.In 2021, they discovered a dead 4 feet(ft)- long snake in Bihar. After the Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test and detailed analysis, it was confirmed as a new species.
iii.The detailed research findings were published in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity.
About Long-snouted vine snakes:
i.Long-snouted vine snakes are medium sized which reach up to 4 feet (ft) in length.
ii.The name is derived from Latin words longus and rostrum which mean long and snout respectively.
ii.It has triangular heads tapering into very long snouts taking up roughly 18% of their head length.
iii.They are bright green or orange brown in colour and typically have orange bellies.
iv.They inhabit both forested areas and human-dominated environments, such as towns and cities.
India’s Second Largest Butterfly Species ‘Southern Birdwing’ Found in Tamil Nadu
Southern Birdwing butterfly(Troides minos), India’s second largest butterfly species, has been found on the satellite campus of The American College in Madurai district of Tamil Nadu (TN).
About Southern Birdwing butterfly:
i.Southern Birdwing butterfly is also called the ‘Sahyadri Birdwing’.
ii.It is exceptionally large in size, with a wingspan of 190 millimeter(mm).
iii.The male species of Southern Birdwing butterfly would be smaller than the female species.
- Males Southern Birdwing butterflies have black wings with greenish-blue markings, while females have a more extensive pattern with cream-coloured markings.
iv.It is listed as Least Concern on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
v.The Southern Bird Wing has been officially designated as the ‘State butterfly’ of Karnataka in 2016.
vi.It was exclusively found in the Western Ghats until 2014, with this discovery it is now found in Eastern Ghats (Azahagar hills).
Note: The first largest butterfly species found in India is Golden Birdwing, which has a wingspan of 194mm.
Researchers Discovered New Myristica Swamp Forest in Maharashtra
A group of researchers from Dodamarg have discovered a new Myristica swamp forest in Kumbral, Maharashtra.
Research team:
Pravin Desai, Vishal Sadekar, and Shital Desai have discovered this forest and their findings have been published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
About Myristica Swamp Forest:
i.Myristica Swamp are rare, freshwater swamp forests, which belong to the family ‘Myristicaceae’.
- They are like mangroves but mangroves thrive in saline water, whereas Myristica requires fresh water.
ii.This swamp forest is part of a sacred grove that the local community has protected for centuries in honour of Lord Shiva known as Bhalandeshwar.
iii.The sacred grove is spread across 8,200 square meter(sqm) in which 39 species of plant have been documented. The dominant presence in the swamp forest of 70 individuals belongs to the Myristica magnifica.
iv.They are relic tropical ecosystems, which are spread across the Western Ghats.
v.The forest features the endangered Myristica magnifica, is only the second of its kind in Maharashtra, with the first located in Hewale-Bambarde, Sindhudurg district.
Recent Related News:
Researchers have discovered 6 new species of bent-toed gecko, a type of small lizard, in Northeastern India. Out of this 6 new species, 2 each from Arunachal Pradesh (AR) and Nagaland and one each from Manipur and Mizoram.
- The 6 new species are: Namdapha bent-toed gecko; Siang–valley bent-toed gecko; Kiphire benttoed gecko; Barail Hill bent-toed gecko; Ngengpui bent-toed gecko; and Manipur benttoed gecko.
About Bihar:
Chief Minister (CM) – Nitish Kumar
Governor – Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar
Airports – Gaya International Airport, Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Airport
Festivals – Bishari Puja, Pitrapaksha Mela
About Tamil Nadu (TN):
Chief Minister (CM) – Muthuvel Karunanidhi Stalin
Governor – Ravindra Narayana Ravi
Wildlife Sanctuaries – Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary,
Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary
Zoological parks – Arignar anna zoological park, Amirthi zoological park
