Young desert creature — slightly iridescent — found in Somaliland. It’s a new species
At first glance, the young creature caught in a desert of eastern Africa might not have looked like much. But the slightly iridescent animal turned out to be a new species.
Jakob Hallermann and Oliver Hawlitschek decided to try to sort out a “common” yet often misidentified group of snakes known as African House snakes, they wrote in a study published Jan. 13 in the peer-reviewed journal Zootaxa.
In hopes of identifying overlooked species, researchers collected DNA samples from museums in several countries and from newly caught snakes, the study said. Soon, they noticed an anomaly in their data: a snake from Somaliland was genetically distinct.
Researchers realized they’d discovered a new species: Boaedon subniger.
The new species of African house snake is known from only one specimen, a roughly 10-inch long juvenile snake caught “in high-altitude semiarid” part of Somaliland, the study said. It has a “cylindrical” body, “short” tail and pale stomach.
A photo shows the dark-colored new species and the slight sheen to its scales. Researchers said they named the new species after the Latin word for “blackish” or “somewhat dark” because of its coloring.
Little is known about the lifestyle of Boaedon subniger. So far, the new species has only been found in northern Somaliland, a region of northwestern Somalia bordering Djibouti, Ethiopia and the Indian Ocean.
The new species was identified by its DNA, coloring, scale pattern and other subtle physical features.
The team also discovered a second new species of house snake in Ethiopia.
This story was originally published January 16, 2025 at 8:18 AM with the headline "Young desert creature — slightly iridescent — found in Somaliland. It’s a new species."
