Scientists have identified five cryptic species of the venomous viper genus Bothriechis living in the jungles and cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador.
Eyelash vipers stand out due to a distinctive feature: a set of enlarged spine-like scales positioned atop their eyes.
These lashes bestow upon the snakes a formidable and fierce appearance, yet the true purpose of this feature remains unknown.
What is definite, however, is that certain populations exhibit longer, and more stylized eyelashes compared to others.
The variations in the condition of the eyelashes led researchers to hypothesize the existence of undiscovered species.
Eyelash vipers are also famous for another feature: they are polychromatic. The same patch of rainforest may contain individuals of the turquoise morph, the moss morph, or the gold morph, all belonging to the same species despite having entirely different attire.
“No two individuals have the same coloration, even those belonging to the same litter (they give birth to live young),” said Alejandro Arteaga, a researcher with Khamai Foundation and Tropical Herping S.A.
“For some of the species, there is a ‘Christmas’ morph, a ghost morph, and even a purple morph, with the different varieties sometimes coexisting and breeding with one another.”
“The reason behind these incredible color variations is still unknown, but probably enables the vipers to occupy a wide range of ambush perches, from mossy branches to bright yellow heliconias.”
The newly-identified species of eyelash vipers are Bothriechis rasikusumorum, Bothriechis klebbai, Bothriechis khwargi, Bothriechis rahimi, and Bothriechis hussaini.
The first three species are endemic to the eastern Cordillera of Colombia, where they occupy cloud forests and coffee plantations.
Bothriechis rahimi stands out for occurring in the remote and pristine Chocó rainforest at the border between Colombia and Ecuador.
Bothriechis hussaini occurs in the forests of southwestern Ecuador…
Read the full article here