A team of scientists led by
Museum researchers have identified and named a new species of viper, Bitis
harenna, that lives in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park.
These snakes are mostly black
with narrow pale markings, and they are thought to grow to about a metre in
length.
All other species of Bitis
have potent venom, making it likely that this newly discovered species is
capable of giving a lethal bite to their prey or in defence.
A single sighting
Museum zoologist Dr David Gower,
who led the study, says: 'As far as we know, biologists have only once seen
this snake in the wild.
'It is not yet clear whether
the species is extremely rare, or is simply secretive and rarely encountered.
The only photos were taken as it was disappearing into the undergrowth - at the
time, the team that chanced upon it didn’t realise it was such an important
sighting.'
The study involved researchers
from the UK, Germany and USA. They have previously worked closely with
Ethiopian colleagues, logging hundreds of hours of fieldwork studying the
reptiles and amphibians of the Bale Mountains.
Despite the many hours the
team have spent searching the area, both at night and during the day, the new
species is known only from a single museum specimen, which was collected in the
late 1960s.
Until the latest research,
this specimen was thought to be an unusually patterned example of Bitis
parviocula, a similar Ethiopian viper.
The sighting of the snake in
the wild, in 2013, prompted the team of scientists to re-examine the historical
museum specimen.
Micro-CT scanning carried out
in the Museum’s Imaging and
Analysis Centre revealed details of the skull
that enabled the team to confirm the viper as a separate species.
It is distinguished by its
unique colour patterns, the structure of its skull, and differences in its head
proportions and number of scales.
A
threatened habitat
The new species is named Bitis
harenna after the Harenna Forest, the part of the Bale Mountains National
Park where it was observed.
Harenna Forest, the part of the Bale Mountains National
Park
This globally important
National Park is a biodiversity hotspot, home to many species that are found
nowhere else on the planet. It is also known as the last remaining stronghold
of the Ethiopian wolf.
Sadly, the habitats of the
Harenna Forest and other parts of the Bale Mountains National Park are under
threat from cattle grazing and deforestation, with serious repercussions for
the wildlife living there.
In another recent study,
also led by Museum researchers, four frog groups unique to the region were
discovered to have plummeted in number.
Dr Gower says, 'The discovery
of the new viper further highlights the importance of protecting the natural
environment in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains.'
Unlike the elusive new
species, Bitis parviocula is traded as a pet in Europe and
North America. But it is also still poorly understood, with only three museum
specimens known worldwide.
Dr Gower concludes: 'Much more
research is needed to locate populations of Bitis harenna and
to learn about the biology of these two viper species`.
