Lycodon sidiki is the seventh species endemic to the Sunda Shelf.
Researchers have discovered a new species of wolfsnake in Takengon, in the Northern Sumatra province of Aceh in Indonesia.
The snake, Lycodon sidiki, is a non-venomous Colubrid (Squamata Colubridae) and employs mimicry to resemble that of venomous banded kraits of the region. It was named after Irvan Sidik, an Indonesian herpetologist. It comes from an area in Indonesia that has a very high rate of deforestation, Mongabay reports.
“This snake is non-venomous, but it mimics the characters and behaviors of venomous species as its survival technique,” Amir Hamidy, a herpetologist from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI) who was involved in the research said in a statement.
Lycodon sidiki is the seventh species endemic to the4 Sunda Shelf, which comprises most of Southeast Asia. It can be found in the forested highlands of Takengon. It is noted for the lack of scales in front of its eyes, a banded abdomen, and rough back scales from raised ridges. It is black in coloration with white bands that have black features within the bands.
