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Stoliczkia Vanhnuailianai

A new species of snake has been discovered in the eastern province of Mizoram, India.

A group of researchers from Mizoram University have found this snake in a dry area of ​​the Tuinghaleng river bed in Mizoram. Detailed studies have shown that the snake is a new species of the Stolizkia genus and is nonvenomous. The research team belongs to Mizoram University and the research team included Samuel Lalronunga, K Lalmangaiha, Abhijit Das, V Deepak, Isaac Josangliana, Esther Lalmingliani and David J Gower. The snake was named Stolizkia vannueliana in honor of Vannueliana, a famous Mizo warrior. Vanuiliana was a powerful chieftain of Lushai Hills (now Mizoram) in the mid-1800s. He led several successful campaigns against rival chiefs of the region.

These snakes are about 50 cm in length, non-venomous, with a dark brown shade above, and bright yellow lines across its dorsal scale.

Its head scales are uniformly dark brown, but have bright pink sutures.

"Since some members of the family Xenodermidae exhibit fluorescence under ultraviolet light, we tested this species under UV light, but it did not exhibit any significant signs of fluorescence. We don't know whether the pink color did so until now. has played an important role,”- emphasized by lead author Samuel Lalronunga, Systematics and Toxicology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Mizoram University.

The findings were published Wednesday July 6 in Zootaxa – a peer reviewed scientific mega journal for animal taxonomists.