A team of researchers have identified a new species of snake in southern and western India. The new species has named Romulus’ krait (Bungarus romulusi) after the ‘snake man of India’, Romulus Whittaker.
- The species has so far remained undetected because of its similarity in appearance to the common krait (B. caeruleus) and only a careful genetic analysis revealed that the two were distinct species.
- When the researchers compared certain gene sequences of the common krait (Maharashtra), the Romulus’ krait (Karnataka) and the Sind krait (Pakistan), they found that there were significant differences.
(Source: The Hindu)
