The researchers recommend the snake be called the Dak Krong mud snake, with the Vietnamese name is recommended to be “Rắn bồng đắk krông."
Researchers have discovered a new species of mud snake of the genus Myrrophis. The addition of Myrrophis dakkrongensis is the third such species in the Myrrophis genus. It joins Myrrophis bennettii and Myrrophis chinensis. They are in the family Homalopsidae. The new species is named after the Dak Kong River System in which the snake was found.
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The researchers recommend the snake be called the Dak Krong mud snake. The Vietnamese name is recommended to be “Rắn bồng đắk krông.” It is currently known only to exist in the Dak Glong District, in Vietnam’s Dak Nong Province. The researchers do believe Myrrophis dakkrongensis may occur in other areas within the Dak Kong basin.
The adult male had a snout to vent length (SVL) of 372 mm with a 70 mm tail for a total length of 442 mm. The female was slightly larger, measuring 388 mm SVL with a 64 mm tail length for a total length of 452 mm.
Paratypes of Myrrophis dakkrongensis sp. nov. and habitats of the new species. A Paratype ITBCZ 6694; B, C paratype ITBCZ 6700 and its hemipenes; D rubber plantation where the holotype was collected; E wetland in forest where paratype ITBCZ 6700 was collected
The researchers collected three specimens during a field herping expedition August 1-13, 2018. The snakes were collected in Quang Son Commune, Dak Glong District, Dak Nong Province, Vietnam. The method of collection was by hand and via fishing net. The snakes were morphologically different to that of M. chinensis and M. bennettii. An analysis of the snake DNA determined that the three specimens were of a new species.
Where to Read the Data
The researchers describing Myrrophis dakkrongensis include Sang Ngoc Nguyen, Manh Van Le, Amy Lathrop, Thi-Dieu-Hien Vo, Robert W. Murphy, and Jing Che. The complete paper, “A new species of mud snake (Squamata: Homalopsidae: Myrrophis) from southern Vietnam” can be read on the Vertebrate Zoology website. https://vertebrate-zoology.arphahub.com/article/116992/list/9/
