New Coral Snake Species

About New coral snake species

• It has been named Sinomicrurus gorei after British Indian doctor Gore.
• The reptile is locally known as ‘Rulṭhihna’ due to its striking resemblance to a Mizo traditional amber necklace called ‘Ṭhihna’.
• There are a total of nine species of Sinomicrurus coral snakes that have been discovered worldwide, and out of these, only one species called Sinomicrurus macclellandi is found in Northeast India.
• It has unique patterns and different scales, hemipenis, DNA, and skull.
• Until this research, Sinomicrurus gorei was considered the same species as Sinomicrurus macclellandi due to their close resemblance.
• The new study also revealed that while Sinomicrurus macclellandi can lay 6-14 eggs at a time, Sinomicrurus gorei lays up to three eggs.
• In Mizoram, Sinomicrurus macclellandi is primarily found in hilly or elevated areas, while Sinomicrurus gorei is found in both low-lying and hilly areas.

Q1) What is Cytotoxins?

The Cytotoxins (CTXs) are an essential class of the non-enzymatic three-finger toxin family and are ubiquitously present in cobra venoms.

Source: Researchers from Mizoram University discover new coral snake species