The cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador are home to some of the most diverse and fascinating wildlife on the planet.
Among them are the eyelash vipers, a group of venomous snakes that are known for their striking colors and patterns, as well as their distinctive eyelash-like scales above their eyes.
These vipers have long been considered a single highly variable species, with more than 20 different color morphs ranging from bright yellow to dark green.
However, a recent study by a team of scientists from the Khamai Foundation has revealed that there are actually five distinct species of eyelash vipers, each with its own unique genetic and morphological characteristics.
A Serendipitous Encounter
ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images
The story of this discovery began with a serendipitous encounter in 2014, when one of the scientists, Dr. Omar Torres-Carvajal, was bitten by an eyelash viper while conducting fieldwork in Ecuador.
The bite was not life-threatening, but it sparked his curiosity about the identity and diversity of these snakes. He decided to collect tissue samples from various eyelash vipers across Colombia and Ecuador, and analyze their DNA using molecular techniques.
Dr. Torres-Carvajal also examined their morphology, such as scale counts, color patterns, and body size, using photographs and museum specimens.
What he found was astonishing: the eyelash vipers he sampled belonged to five different evolutionary lineages, each of which diverged from a common ancestor more than 10 million years ago.
These lineages corresponded to five distinct geographic regions, separated by major rivers, mountains, and valleys. Furthermore, each lineage had its own distinctive color patterns and morphological features, such as the shape and size of the head and the eyelashes.
Dr. Torres-Carvajal and his colleagues concluded that these lineages represented five new species of eyelash vipers, which they named and described in a paper published in the journal Evolutionary Systematics.
The discovery of these new species challenges the previous classification of eyelash vipers, which was based on superficial similarities and assumed a high degree of variation within a single species.
The new study shows that the variation in color and pattern is not random, but rather reflects the evolutionary history and adaptation of each species to its specific habitat and environment.
For example, some species have more cryptic colors that blend in with the vegetation, while others have more conspicuous colors that warn potential predators of their venom.
Some species have larger heads and longer fangs that allow them to prey on larger animals, while others have smaller heads and shorter fangs that are more suitable for smaller prey.
The new study also highlights the importance of using multiple sources of evidence, such as DNA, morphology, and geography, to delimit and identify species, especially in groups that are highly variable and poorly studied.
The authors hope that their work will inspire further research and conservation efforts on the eyelash vipers and other reptiles and amphibians that inhabit the cloud forests of Colombia and Ecuador, which are among the most threatened ecosystems in the world due to deforestation, climate change, and human activities.
