A New Species of Snake Recently Recognized by Scientists, Found Only on a Small Island in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam.
Vietnamese and Russian scientists, including Master Nguyen Van Tan (Duy Tan University, Da Nang), Nikolay A. Poyarkov, and Andrey M. Bragin (both from Moscow State University, Russia), have discovered and described a new species of snake found on Hon Tre, a small island in Khanh Hoa Province.
The newly discovered snake species has been named Colubroelaps adleri, which in Vietnamese is referred to as “Adler Water Snake.” This name honors the contributions of Professor Kraig Adler from Cornell University (USA) for his dedication and contributions to the study of amphibians and reptiles worldwide, particularly in Asia, including Vietnam.
Close-up of the head, body, belly, and tail of the Adler Water Snake (Photo: Herpetozoa).
The Adler Water Snake belongs to the genus Colubroelaps, family Colubridae. Previously, Colubroelaps was a monotypic genus, with only one representative, Colubroelaps nguyenvansangi (commonly known as Nguyen Van Sang Water Snake). This species was named in honor of Dr. Nguyen Van Sang (Institute of Ecology and Biological Resources) for his contributions to the study of reptiles and amphibians in Vietnam.
The newly discovered Adler Water Snake exhibits distinct characteristics compared to the Nguyen Van Sang Water Snake, including a smaller size, shorter tail, and differences in the number of dorsal, ventral, and tail scales on its body.
The Adler Water Snake has a light brown dorsal color, with narrow, broken black stripes running along its back, dark gray sides, and a uniformly cloudy white belly. Its head is black with light brown scales on the snout, nose, pre-frontal scales, scales in front of the eyes, and cheek scales adorned with dark brown spots.
The Adler Water Snake belongs to the colubrid family and is non-venomous.
Comparison of differences between the Adler Water Snake (top) and Nguyen Van Sang Water Snake (bottom) (Photo: Herpetozoa).
Scientists believe that the Adler Water Snake is endemic, existing only on Hon Tre Island in Khanh Hoa Province, at an altitude of 30 meters above sea level.
Due to the rarity of the Adler Water Snake, with only one specimen collected for research, and the threats posed by tourism development on Hon Tre Island, scientists propose categorizing this snake species as “Endangered” according to the criteria of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Information about the Adler Water Snake has been published in Herpetozoa, a scientific journal specializing in reptiles and amphibians. This journal focuses on publishing research, articles, and reports related to the biology, taxonomy, ecology, and conservation status of reptile and amphibian species worldwide.
