Nature’s most seductive live eaters include five new species that have previously been misclassified
A group of scientists led by researchers from the Khamai Foundation discovered five dazzling new species of eyelash vipers in the jungles and cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador. This revolutionary discovery was made official in a study published in the open access journal Evolutionary Systematics.
Before this research, the fascinating new vipers, now among the most alluring of all time, were misclassified as part of a single, highly variable species that ranged from Mexico to northwestern Peru. The decade-long study began with an unexpected incident in which one of the authors was bitten by one of these previously unknown species.
Eyelash vipers have one distinctive feature: a row of thorn-shaped scales above their eyes. These “eyelashes” give snakes an impressive and fierce appearance, although the true purpose of this feature is unknown. What is certain is that some population groups have longer and more stylized eyelashes than others. Fluctuations in the condition of the eyelashes led researchers to hypothesize that there are species yet to be discovered.
Eyelash vipers are also known for another characteristic: they are polychromatic. In the same jungle area, there may be individuals of the turquoise, moss, or gold morphs, all of the same species, although they have a completely different outfit. “There are no two individuals with the same coloration, not even those belonging to the same litter (yes, they give birth to live offspring),” explains Alejandro Arteaga, who led the study.
In some species there is a “Christmas” morph, a ghost morph, and even a purple morph, and sometimes the different varieties coexist and reproduce with each other. The reason for these incredible color variations is still unknown, but it likely allows copperheads to occupy a wide range of ambush sites, from moss-covered branches to bright yellow heliconias.
Where do these new vipers live?
Three of the five new species are endemic to Colombia’s Eastern Cordillera, where they live in cloud forests and coffee plantations. One of them, La Pestañita de Rahim, is notable for being set in the remote and pristine tropical jungle of Chocó, on the border between Colombia and Ecuador, an area considered “complex to visit” due to the presence of drug cartels. The Hussain’s hummingbird is found in the forests of southwestern Ecuador and far northwestern Peru. Researchers emphasize the importance of conservation and research in the Andean Mountains and its valleys due to its biogeographical importance and yet-to-be-discovered megadiversity.
Are these vipers poisonous?
Although they are poisonous snakes, their danger is not comparable to that of other famous species such as the black mamba or the king cobra. “The venom of some (perhaps all?) of the new viper species is significantly less lethal and hemorrhagic than that of the typical Central American pit viper,” says Lucas Bustamante, co-author of the study. Lucas was bitten on the finger by Rahim’s eyelash viper while taking photos of it during a research expedition in 2013. “I experienced intermittent local pain, dizziness and swelling, but recovered shortly after receiving three doses of antivenin in less than two hours after the bite without leaving a scar,” says Bustamante.
To what extent are these new species of vipers threatened?
One of the study’s key conclusions is that four of the species in the group are at high risk of extinction. Their range is extremely limited and between 50 and 80% of their habitat has already been destroyed. Therefore, rapid intervention is urgently needed to save the remaining habitat.
REFERENCE
Systematic review of the eyelash palm pit viper Bothriechis schlegelii (Serpentes, Viperidae) with the description of five new species and the reassessment of three