Ahaetulla farnsworthi

Farnsworth's vine snake
In Agumbe, Karnataka
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Colubridae
Genus:	Ahaetulla
Species:	A. farnsworthi
Binomial name
Ahaetulla farnsworthi Mallik, Srikanthan, Pal, Princia D'Souza, Shanker, and Ganesh, 2020

Farnsworth's vine snake (Ahaetulla farnsworthi) is a species of tree snake endemic to the central Western Ghats of India.^[1][2][3]

Taxonomy

It was formerly considered conspecific with A. nasuta, which is now considered to only be endemic to Sri Lanka. A 2020 study found A. nasuta to be a species complex of A. nasuta sensu stricto as well as A. borealis, A. farnsworthi, A. isabellina, and A. malabarica.^[1] The species is named after the character Professor Farnsworth from the American animated television series Futurama, as a reference to the character's efforts in resurrecting barking snakes from extinction.^[1]

Geographic range

This species is endemic to the state of Karnataka, where it is distributed from Coorg to the Agumbe-Kodachadri range. It may be sympatric with A. malabarica in Coorg, but is largely separated from the species by rivers. Near the northern edge of its range it is flanked by A. borealis, from which it is likely separated by the Sharavathi River basin.^[1]

Habitat

The species is found in mid-elevation tropical rainforests in the Western Ghats from 500 to 850 msl.^[1]

References