A team of scientists has discovered a new species of dwarf boa in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It is considered a ‘relic’ in the animal world because it has the remains of a basin.
Tropidophis cacuangoae was named ‘in honor of Ecuadorian activist Dolores Cacuango’, who was a pioneer in the fight for indigenous rights and founded the first bilingual schools, the environment ministry said on Wednesday.
Measuring up to 20 centimeters in length and displaying colors and patterns very similar to those of a classic boa, the two specimens of Tropidophis cacuangoae studied were found in the Colonso Chalupas National Reserve, in the province of Napo (center- east), and in the private reserve Sumak Kawsay, in the neighboring province of Pastaza (east).
These snakes “are a relic of time, they are such ancient animals that obviously finding or crossing one of these animals is a privilege,” Ecuadorian researcher Mario Yanez, from the National Institute of Biodiversity, told AFP. (Inabio).
endemic species
The new species has a ‘vestigial pelvis, characteristic of primitive snakes, which is evidence of the reduction of limbs in scaly reptiles millions of years ago, following the climatic pressures of the Quaternary era,’ Yanez explained. .
This four-year research was also led by Mauricio Ortega (Ecuador), Alexander Bentley (USA), Claudia Koch (Germany) and Omar Entiauspe Neto (Brazil). The results were published at the end of December in the ‘European Journal of Taxonomy’. According to the Ministry of the Environment, this discovery brings to six the number of species of the genus Tropidophis, which is found only in South America.
‘The identification of this new species is one more argument to maintain and increase the protected areas in Ecuador,’ pleaded Mr. Yanez. The dwarf boa is considered endemic to Ecuador and its habitat is hill forests, in rainy, humid and foggy areas.
/ATS