They find a new species of snake in Paraguay and warn that it could already be in danger of extinction

An article recently published in the prestigious scientific journal Zoosystematics and Evolution revealed the discovery of the new species of snake that was found in Paraguay, specifically in the Department of San Pedro. The authors of the publication are Paul Smith, Jean-Paul Brouard and Pier Cacciali, who named the new reptile Phalotris shawnella. Having been detected in only two places, which are highly threatened by humans, they assured that this new species of snake would already be “in danger” of extinction.

The group of scientists discovered the snake as part of a project carried out by the Para la Tierra Foundation, with the collaboration of Guyra Paraguay and the Institute for Biological Research of Paraguay, which consisted of a sampling work in San Pedro for five years.

So far, only three specimens of the same species have been identified in the world. Two appeared in Laguna Blanca and the third was found 90 kilometers west, in the Volendam colony, in the second department of the country.

Paul Smith, zoologist at the Para La Tierra Foundation and Proni researcher at the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), told Paraguayan newspaper Última Hora that the first appearance was by digging a well in Laguna Blanca. “We instantly recognized it as something different and went to look for more, because to describe a species you need more than one copy and verify that what you have is not a mutant or something like that,” he explained.

The specialist explained that reptiles of the genus Phalotris have in common that they live underground and have a particular combination of red, black and yellow colors. “What makes this one different is a combination of things. (...) The red head with a yellow collar, a black side stripe and spots on the belly, which make the species unique,” he said.

The vertebrate length is 45 centimeters, which the researcher described as medium to small. That new species continue to be found in 2022, for the author demonstrates how little knowledge there is about wildlife worldwide and in Paraguay, particularly.

The authors consider Phalotris shawnella to be an extremely rare species, so they consider it in their scientific article to be in imminent danger of extinction. “We know almost nothing about their ecology, we only have two observations that we made during their period of captivity and that's because they are phosphors. We spent five years in Laguna Blanca, every day, and we only found two. It is a rare species and very difficult to observe and study,” he added.

According to the scientist, there are 15 species of Phalotris in the world, of which seven exist in the country. “In Paraguay, especially, there is a great diversity of this genus of snakes. So, Paraguay is an important territory for the conservation of this little-known group,” he added.

Of the seven species that the country hosts, three of them were only found in Paraguay, Smith said. Two with habitat in the Department of San Pedro and one in the Chaco. The expert considers that Laguna Blanca is a special area that shares characteristics with central Brazil and because it lacks environmental protection, it requires that it be declared a conservation area by the Government to protect these species.

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