The Ayeyarwady pit viper, a new species discovered in Myanmar by Dr. Chan Kin Onn, shows the intricacies of species distinction in pit vipers. At one extreme, several species can look alike even though they are various species– these are known as puzzling species. We think that at some point in the past, the new types may have exchanged genes with the redtail pit viper from the mangrove and the north pit viper from the south,” says Dr Chan.The brand-new species is called the Ayeyarwady pit viper (Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis) in referral to the Ayeyarwady River, which is the biggest and one of the most crucial rivers in Myanmar.
The Ayeyarwady pit viper, a new species found in Myanmar by Dr. Chan Kin Onn, illustrates the intricacies of types differentiation in pit vipers. At one extreme, several types can look alike even though they are various species– these are understood as puzzling types. We believe that at some point in the past, the new types may have exchanged genes with the redtail pit viper from the north and the mangrove pit viper from the south,” says Dr Chan.The brand-new types is called the Ayeyarwady pit viper (Trimeresurus ayeyarwadyensis) in referral to the Ayeyarwady River, which is the biggest and one of the most essential rivers in Myanmar. These rivers and their associated basins likewise mark the westernmost and easternmost circulation borders of the Ayeyarwady pit viper.References: “A new types of pit-viper from the Ayeyarwady and Yangon areas in Myanmar (Viperidae, Trimeresurus)” by Kin Onn Chan, Shahrul Anuar, Ananthanarayanan Sankar, Ingg Thong Law, Ing Sind Law, Rasu Shivaram, Ching Christian, Daniel G. Mulcahy and Anita Malhotra, 13 December 2023, ZooKeys.DOI: 10.3897/ zookeys.1186.110422″ The Artefactual Branch Effect and Phylogenetic Conflict: Species Delimitation with Gene Flow in Mangrove Pit Vipers (Trimeresurus purpureomaculatus-erythrurus Complex)” by Kin Onn Chan, Daniel G Mulcahy and Shahrul Anuar, 21 July 2023, Systematic Biology.DOI: 10.1093/ sysbio/syad043.