New snake species discovered in west China's bio-diverse region

CHENGDU -- Chinese scientists discovered a new species of snakes in the West China Rain Zone, situated primarily in Southwest China's Sichuan province, and named them western China mountain snakes, the Chengdu Management Branch of the Giant Panda National Park said on Thursday.

Relevant findings were published in the international, peer-reviewed journal Zoosystematics and Evolution in September.

Between 2020 and 2025, researchers with the Chengdu Institute of Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qinghai University, among other institutes, found a number of non-venomous snakes measuring about 80 centimeters in length in the Giant Panda National Park's segment in Chengdu, capital city of Sichuan, and in lush forests on Mount Emei.

By comparing specimens and genetic sequences of these snakes with those of the known species Plagiopholis styani, the other member of the genus Plagiopholis, it was confirmed that these snakes belong to a distinct species, the first new species of the genus Plagiopholis identified in nearly a century.

The western China mountain snake, Plagiopholis pluvialis, exhibits typical diurnal behavior, primarily feeding on earthworms and slugs. Their necks feature a unique inverted V-shaped pattern.

The West China Rain Zone receives an average annual precipitation of 2,000 millimeters, making it one of the most biologically diverse regions in China. Researchers believe that the discovery of the new species confirmed the scientific value of this zone as a "hotspot" for biological evolution. It also highlighted the important role of the Giant Panda National Park in biodiversity conservation.