Have been found New species of snakes In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which bridged the regional gap between two other species of the same genus. Rhynchocalamus hegazicus Her family stood out from the rest because of her Strange coloring. This was a discovery published It was detailed by an international team of scientists from the Center for Research on Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO), Portugal, and Charles University, Czech Republic.
Organisms of the genus Rhynchocalamus live in the Mediterranean regions of the Levant and the coasts of the countries of Yemen and Oman, which means that distance Among the habitats of sister species R. Dayani and R. Arabicus Very large. Thanks for discovering Rhynchocalamus hegazicus This gap could have been bridgedBecause it lives in much of that area it was previously thought that no snakes of that taxonomic class were ever found.
It lives in mountainous areas with high humidity and low temperatures, with sandy soil and stones covered by plants.
His own color was largely responsible for his discovery. “It’s a little snake Black neck and reddish colorThis is what distinguishes it from its closest relatives,” commented the experts in A condition Where they deliver results. Members of the same species have also been found with A Uniform black colour.
According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) standards, It is not an endangered or threatened species. This is partly due to its presence in environments that have been affected by human activity and have been able to evolve naturally.
A larger number of studies are still needed to determine their history and behavior, although their presence has been observed as well Most active at night than it was during the day.
The main characteristic that has determined its classification is its colouring, but it is also made Genetic studies Which included molecular analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear genes, as detailed in the study. The results revealed that the new species is related to its fellow members of the same genus, R. dayanae and R. arabicus, although experts explain that more research is needed to determine the relationships in depth. The samples were collected in the area surrounding the ancient city of AlUla in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
new species name, Rhynchocalamus hegazicuscomes from Hejaz Mountains. It was in this mountain range that covers a large part of the Arabian Peninsula that they were spotted The largest number of individuals belong to this type. Moreover, in the homonymous region there are great cities Religious connotation For Muslims: Mecca and Medina. The suffix “-icus” was added to that word, which comes from the Latin, meaning “belonging to.” Therefore, the name of these snakes means “Belongs to Hijaz”.
This discipline is responsible for Classification of different types of animals In their species, families and kingdoms, among other categories. In this way, it is possible to better understand not only the present, but also the past of wildlife and the path it took to get where it is today.
Because the classification process requires a High level of accuracyDoing so may take a long time. As a result, today there are a large number of species remain hidden Or without proper description. Also impressive is that some animals are smaller, reside in remote or little-explored areas, or have behaviors that keep them out of human awareness. This allows it to be there “taxonomic gaps”as described by the experts who conducted the study, includes different levels of classification between reserved species and other more visible species.
The same thing happened with species of the genus Rhynchocalamus, and with many other snake species due to their secretive behaviours. Continuing sampling and classification can lead to a better understanding of the topic Biodiversity What exists in the world, its characteristics, history, interaction with other animals, and the role it plays in ecosystems.
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