A team of scientists from India has discovered a new species of the viper genus Trimeresurus that lives in the western lowlands of the state of Arunachal Pradesh. They have named it the salazar viper ( Trimeresurus salazar ) in honor of Salazar Slytherin , the co-founder and fictional wizard of the Hogwarts School of the writer JK Rowling who was able to speak to snakes through the Parseltongue.
It is a curious green viper that can be found in the eastern parts of the Himalayas at an elevation of around 170 meters. A single reddish orange stripe running from the bottom of the eye to the back of the head in males distinguishes this species from other known green vipers and has now been described in the journal Zoosystematics and Evolution.
More Harry Potter characters
The green snake is not the first organism named after a character in the Harry Potter saga: Lusius malfoyi, for example, is a New Zealand insect named for the “redeemed” antagonist Lucius Malfoy; the Ampulex dementor, is a species of cockroach wasp native to Thailand; Eriovixia Gryffindori , is a small hat-shaped spider named after Godric Gryffindor, another Hogwarts co-founder; Aname aragog and Lycosa aragogi , are two species of spiders named after Hagrid’s giant pet spider. There’s also Harryplax severus, a native Guam crab, named for Harry Potter and Severus Snape.
These names aren’t just for fun (although they are pretty funny). A catchy name can generate positive attention for these species and their environment.
“Future dedicated surveys conducted in Northeast India will help document biodiversity, which is threatened by numerous development activities including road expansion, agriculture, and hydroelectric projects,” the authors wrote.
Referencia: Zeeshan A. Mirza et al, A new species of green pit vipers of the genus Trimeresurus Lacépède, 1804 (Reptilia, Serpentes, Viperidae) from western Arunachal Pradesh, India, Zoosystematics and Evolution (2020). DOI: 10.3897/zse.96.48431
