A new species of pit-viper was discovered in 2019 and named after the State in which it was found. Identify the State from among the following :
- A.Kerala
- B.Arunachal Pradesh
- C.Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- D.Assam
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, Arunachal Pradesh. The species was named Trimeresurus arunachalensis, the Arunachal pit viper, after the state where it was found.
Pit vipers are venomous snakes with a heat-sensing pit between each eye and nostril, which lets them detect warm-blooded prey in the dark. The new species was described by Indian researchers in 2019 from the forests of Arunachal Pradesh, which lie in the Eastern Himalaya, part of one of the biodiversity hotspots that cover India. The find showed how much of the wildlife of the north-eastern hills is still unrecorded.
Option A is wrong because Kerala, in the Western Ghats, has its own pit vipers such as the Malabar pit viper, but the 2019 species was not named after it. Option C is wrong because the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a Union Territory, not a State, and the Andaman pit viper was described long ago. Option D is wrong because no new pit viper of 2019 bears the name of Assam.
Exam tip: Trimeresurus arunachalensis, 2019: a pit viper named after Arunachal Pradesh in the Eastern Himalaya.
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