‘Secretive’ mountain creature — with a ‘collar’ — discovered as new species. See it
As darkness fell across the mountains of Saudi Arabia, a “secretive” animal emerged from its hiding spot. Something about the scaly red animal caught the attention of visiting scientists.
It turned out to be a new species.
Researchers visited numerous sites in the Hejaz Mountains between 2017 and 2023 to survey wildlife, according to a study published May 30 in the peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
The reptiles they were searching for are “notoriously hard to detect due to their secretive behaviour and rarity,” the study said. But the systematic surveys paid off.
Researchers eventually captured six “secretive” snakes and photographed several more. They took a closer look at the scaly animals and realized they’d discovered a new species: Rhynchocalamus hejazicus, or the Hejaz black-collared snake.
Hejaz black-collared snakes are considered “small,” reaching about 16 inches in length, the study said. They have “narrow,” “shiny” heads with “small” eyes and round pupils. Their “slender” bodies are “deep reddish with a distinctive black collar.”
Photos show the color variation of Hejaz black-collared snakes. The reptiles range from orange-red to cherry red to pinkish. All have a thick black ring around their necks.
Researchers also found a “melanistic morph” of the new species whose body is entirely black, the study said. A photo shows the “exceptional finding.” The snake was found in a lava field, and its atypical coloring might serve an “antipredatory” and “cryptic” function.
Hejaz black-collared snakes are “rather secretive” so “little is known” about their lifestyles and behaviors, the study said. The snakes are “mainly nocturnal” and found in a variety of mountain habitats, often areas with “sandy and stony soils.”
Researchers said they named the new species after the Hejaz Mountains and Hejaz region where it was most commonly seen. This region includes Mecca and Medina, two of the most important Muslim holy sites.
So far, Hejaz black-collared snakes have been found in 14 locations in Saudi Arabia but are likely more widespread, the study said.
The new species was identified by its size, “unique” coloring and scale pattern, the study said. DNA analysis found the new species had at least 3% genetic divergence from other related snake species.
The research team included Fulvio Licata, Lukáš Pola, Jiří Šmíd, Adel Ibrahim, André Vicente Liz, Bárbara Santos, László Patkó, Ayman Abdulkareem, Duarte Gonçalves, Ahmed Mohajja AlShammari, Salem Busais, Damien Egan, Ricardo Ramalho, Josh Smithson and José Carlos Brito.
This story was originally published May 30, 2024 at 10:48 AM with the headline "‘Secretive’ mountain creature — with a ‘collar’ — discovered as new species. See it."
