Meet the Indian Pit Viper Named After Salazar Slytherin: Trimeresurus Salazar

Trimeresurus Salazar, an Indian pit viper species named after the literary character Salazar Slytherin, was uncovered by scientists in 2020.

New Species: Trimeresurus Salazar

The charismatic venomous pit vipers belonging to the genus Trimeresurus have morphologically and ecologically diverse species. They can be found throughout East and Southeast Asia. There are at least 48 known nominate species, at least 15 of which are found in India. Northeastern India is home to seven of the species known to exist in India.

Since many species of pit vipers have cryptic morphology that makes it difficult to tell them apart in the wild, the diversity of pit vipers is probably underestimated. Multiple lines of evidence are essential for the definition of cryptic species, including morphology in addition to DNA and ecological information.

Salazar Slytherin

A species of green pit viper, Trimeresurus Salazar, with distinctive stripes and coloration patterns, was found close to Pakke Tiger Reserve during an expedition to India's Arunachal Pradesh, a region of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.

The snake is so named in honor of Salazar Slytherin, a fictitious character created by J.K. Rowling, who is one of the wizard founders of one of the houses at the magical boarding school Hogwarts. Slytherin happens to be a parselmouth, one who can speak the language of snakes. It is fitting that the insignia of the Hogwarts house named after him is designed with a snake in colors of green and silver.

In the book series, Slytherin preferred students who were crafty, ambitious, resourceful, and-controversially-descended from solely magical lineages, or "pure-blooded."

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Advances in Biodiversity

Dr. Zeeshan A. Mirza, the lead researcher of the study from India's National Centre for Biological Science in Bangalore, stated that future-focused surveys carried out throughout northeastern India will help keep track of biodiversity, which is threatened by numerous urban growth and development activities such as agriculture, road widening, and hydro-electric projects.

The eastern Himalayan biodiversity hotspot at the foot of Arunachal Pradesh is under severe threat from human activity, and Salazar's pit viper is the second new pit viper to be found there.

The finding was made for several reasons, including the fact that the biodiversity of the area has not been well documented and that pit vipers' similar appearances can cause species diversity to be missed.

Salazar's pit viper is not the only species whose name was inspired by the enormously well-liked children's novels. A spider identified in 2016 was given the name Eriovixia gryffindori because it resembles a wizard hat, and a wasp described in 2014 was given the name Ampulex dementor after the unsettling, soul-eating enforcement officers of Azkaban, the wizard prison.

Even though they sound amusing, these names have a serious purpose. The researchers contend that the Arunachal Pradesh hotspot desperately requires positive attention, which might be attractive with a creative name.