A team of Potterhead naturalists....

Zeeshan Mirza is waiting for a reply from JK Rowling the British author behind the iconic Harry Potter series Their communication concerns a pit viper and its fitting that the Bengalurubased researcher from the National Centre for Biological Sciences is a selfconfessed Potterhead He was the introvert kid who found a sanctuary in Potters world which makes the tribute to Salazar Slytherin specialDeep in the evergreen forests of Pakke Tiger Reserve Arunachal Pradesh a new venomous species of the pit viper was discovered by Mirza friend and coteam leader Harshal Bhosale along with Pushkar Phansalkar Mandar Sawant Gaurang Gowande and Harshil Patel A paper to document this discovery was published last week in the international science journal Zoosystematics and EvolutionCommonly referred to as Salazars pit viper Trimeresurus Salazar two species of this specimen were found on field during our expedition in these forests last year from June to August recalls Mirza Bhosale from the Bombay Natural History Society had first photographed this species and showed it to Mirza the duos association goes back a decade In 201112 I had spotted this species on a visit but wasnt sure since its characteristics didnt match with other pit vipers morphologically So we decided on the expedition Permissions were sought from the Arunachal Pradesh forest department in 2017 and by 2019 we were on our way recalls Bhosale adding that the team came together organically and was backed and funded by Shripad Halbe of the Mumbaibased Brihad Bharatiya Samaj and the Singinawa Conservation FoundationThe length of the species is 3641 cm Found in lower elevations it is unique in bearing a rusty red or orange line along the face running throughout the body in malesArunachal has a rich complex ecosystem It is home to the eastern Himalayas the Brahmaputra and the Arakkan range with elevations that begin at 150m and rise to 7000m shares Bhosale as he breaks into a chuckle while recalling that locals called the team foolish to arrive in the monsoon which has an extended run here This species bears similarity with the White lipped pit viper Trimeresurus albolabris which is widely spotted in the forests of South Asia so people including early British naturalists who came here in the 1880s assumed it was that In those days not all data was documented colonists would rarely collect the specimens personally and so its possible that by the time the species and information reached them it would have been in preserved form reasons Mirza about its falling off the radarArtists impression of the House of Slytherin crest from the Harry Potter series by JK RowlingOn their fifth night in Pakke they started early at 630 pm and spotted their first snake by 8 pm However when they approached it it dropped off Bhosales snake hook stick and disappeared in the undergrowth much to the teams dismay By the sixth night they spotted two species coiled on shrubs along the road I began DNA testing of the collected samples On our return I travelled to the Natural History Museums in London Paris and Copenhagen to compare DNA sequences of closely related species where it emerged that this was indeed a new species shares Mirza It turns out not just Mirza but the entire team barring Bhosale are Potterheads So when it came to naming the species after the pureblood cunning wizard Salazar Slytherin the decision was unanimousHarshil Patel and Gaurang GowandeWhat is a matter of concern for the team however is the proposed 49km SeijosaBalukpong Road that will cut through this forestland Since it will reduce distances only by 10 km is it really worth it asks Mirza adding that while they believe infrastructure and development is important in the state it needs to be done in an informed manner Its a wellknown fact that a lot of snakes die in road accidents and this particular species moves slowly The construction of about 60 dams are also in the pipeline which if built will cause irreparable loss to flora and fauna in the state Bittu Sahgal foundereditor of Sanctuary Asia while congratulating the team for discovering this exquisite reptile is upset about the infrastructure development at the cost of the environment There are so many hidden jewels in the wildernesses that we are so casually sacrificing for shortterm profit The Pakke Tiger Reserve wilderness is under attack from contractors and their cohorts who figuratively think nothing of burning down an ancient library without knowing of the treasures lie withinThe researcher duo is hopeful that this discovery will create awareness As scientists its our job to share this information with conservationists and activists and also with those responsible for infrastructure plans believes MirzaThe government needs inventive thinkersThe discovery of new species of snakes in India has reached a new high these past few years with at least 35 new species having been described since Ashok Captain and I came out with the book Snakes of Indiamdashthe Field Guide in 2004 We are hoping to come out with an updated edition with photographs of all the Indian snakes It took us 10 years to complete the first so dont hold your breath The new green pit viper found and described by Zeeshan Mirza and colleagues is an exciting addition to the herpetofauna of wonderful Arunachal PradeshRegarding the 49km SeijosaBalukpong Road it should be evident to us that all Roads cutting through our limited Protected Areas should not happen When you see the state of some of the roads in the North East of India which collapse every monsoon you wonder why some original thinking is not being done In other mountainous parts of the world where there are similar problems the solutions include cable cars The Government of India urgently needs to collaborate with some inventive thinkers and doers instead of continuing with mindless construction and repair of mountain roads Or they should Google whats going on elsewherePadma Shri Romulus Whitaker an NYCborn Indian herpetologist wildlife conservationist and founder of the Madras Snake Park and the Andaman and Nicobar Environment TrustCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news