Non-venomous snake species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh

A 48mm long non-venomous snake species has been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh. Herpetologists Jayaditya Purkayastha of Help Earth, Guwahati and Patrick David of Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris - who discovered the species - have named it Crying Keelback ( Hebius lacrima). The findings have been published in 'Zootaxa', a peer-reviewed journal for animal taxonomy. The snake inhabits 'jhum' (shifting) cultivation areas in the Basar area of West Siang district. Purkayastha said 'lacrima' in Latin means crying - the black spots below the snake's eyes taken as an allusion for crying. "I found the snake in Basar in 2010-11," he said.