Posts tagged liophidium.
The holotype specimen of Liophidium pattoni. Yes, it really is pink in life! Usually the color red fades the fastest in preserved specimens, yet this species has retained its pink lines and tail while the yellow belly has completely faded away. No one knows whether the pink is due to a pigment or the structure of the scale and the way it reflects light.
Photo from Vieites et al. (2010)
Vieites, D.R., Ratsoavina, F.M., Randrianiaina, R.D., Nagy, Z.T., Glaw, F. & Vences, M. 2010. A rhapsody of colours from Madagascar: discovery of a remarkable new snake of the genus Liophidium and its phylogenetic relationships. Salamandra 46: 1–10.
Liophidium pattoni from Miinala (2011).
Miinala, M. 2011. New location record for the recently described Liophidium pattoni (Vieites, Ratsoavina, Randrianiaina, Nagy, Glaw & Vences, 2010). Herpetology Notes 4:181.
IUCN [info]