A beautiful non-venomous snake, hitherto unknown to science, was found in Paraguay
The new Phalotris snake is especially attractive and is distinguished from other related species in its genus by its red head in combination with a yellow collar, black lateral band, and orange ventral scales with irregular black spots.
Described by researchers from the Paraguayan NGO to the earth with the collaboration of Guyra Paraguay it’s him Paraguay Biological Research Institute.
It belongs to the genus Phalotris, which has 15 semi-subterranean species distributed in the central region of South America. This group of snakes stands out for its striking coloring with designs in red, black and yellow.
Beautiful image of the snake Phalotris Shawnella. Credit: Jean Paul Brouard
They work for conservation in the hope that their children can inherit a better world.
Jean-Paul Brouard, one of the researchers involved, found an individual of the new species by chance while digging a hole at Rancho Laguna Blanca in 2014. Along with his colleagues Paul Smith and Pier Cacciali, described the discovery in the open access scientific journal Zoosystematics and Evolution. The authors named it Phalotris shawnella, in honor of two children -Shawn Ariel Smith Fernández and Ella Bethany Atkinson- who were born in the same year as the Para La Tierra Foundation (2008). They inspired the founders of the NGO to work for the conservation of Paraguayan fauna, with the hope that their children could inherit a better world.
The new Phalotris snake is especially attractive and is distinguished from other related species in its genus by its red head in combination with a yellow collar, black lateral band, and orange ventral scales with irregular black spots. Only three individuals are known, it is endemic to the savannah forests of the department of San Pedro in eastern Paraguay. Its known distribution consists of two points with sandy soils in this department -Colonia Volendam and Laguna Blanca- that are 90 km apart.
A kind of extreme rarity
The extreme rarity of this species led the authors to consider it “Endangered”, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) conservation categorieswhich means that it is in imminent danger of extinction in the absence of measures for its protection.
This species is only found in the famous tourist destination of Laguna Blanca, an area declared an Important Area for the Conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles.
“This demonstrates once again the need to protect the natural environment in this region of Paraguay”, comment the authors. “La Laguna Blanca was designated as a Nature Reserve for a period of 5 years but currently has no protection. The preservation of this site should be considered a national conservation priority.”
