The reptile world of the Indian North-east state, Arunachal Pradesh, has listed a new addition of species named ‘Crying Keelback’, is confirmed. The discovery is now the cause of much cheer in the oft-ignored field of herpetology in the Northeast. 
Guwahati-based reptile specialist Jayaditya Purkayastha was shown a photograph of a snake with a mark just below its eyes, some 7/8 years back. At that time he was in the outskirts of the Basar town located in today’s Lepa-Rada district of Arunachal Pradesh.
From the very first look of the species, Jayaditya was able to mark the difference and a month before, he had instructed the locals to photograph snakes of the area, if they spot any.
Jayaditya started his thorough study on the snake in the year 2017. The distinct feature that the snake bears is a special black spot below its eyes, which gives an impression that it is crying and so it is named ‘Crying Keelback’. The scientific name that has been conferred to the species is Hebius lacrima.
Among 3,709 species of snakes living on earth, 275 species are known from India. So far, 102 species of snakes are recorded from the northeast India alone. In accordance to the statistics, the findings of Jayaditya says, there are 44 species of the genus Hebius all over the world, out of which six species are from Northeast India.
Apart from the Crying Keelback’s distinctive mark under its eyes, one more characteristic makes it different from other species in the Habeas genus – its interrupted pale head stripe.
Jayaditya, the reptile expert said, “ Usually lizards and snakes occupy habitats where burn cultivation like jhum or slash is practised. When the area is burnt, these species come out. Many times, we do not even realise these species exist because they live in the bushes.” The species was rescued in a rice field along a hill slope: an area where jhum or shifting cultivation was cleared.
Jayaditya, who is the director of Guwahati-based NGO Help Earth, has been working in this field since 2006, and credited with the discovery of many new species of frogs and lizards. In this particular study, he worked with Patrick David of the Paris-based National Museum of Natural History, who is also a researcher of other species of snakes around the world that fall under the Hebius genus.
According to Jayaditya The Herpetology department of Northeast india needs a lot of funds and research than it currently has. Lack of funds, quite naturally, hampers the researches on the field.
Worth mentioning, North-East India is home to 110 species of snakes from a total of 3,709 species worldwide. Arunachal Pradesh alone accounts for 55 species.
