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New species of grass snake named
Grass snakes are protected in Europe and classed as threatened or highly threatened in some countries.
Natrix helvetica was misclassified as a subspecies

International scientists have revealed that the barred grass snake, previously thought to be a subspecies, is in fact a distinct species.

The newly-identified species, Natrix helvetica, is widely distributed throughout Great Britain, Switzerland, Italy and France, and also occurs in the western part of Germany.

Scientists led by the Senckenberg Research Institute in Germany studied over 1,600 grass snakes, many of which were museum specimens. The team worked in two areas where different genetic lineages come into contact; one in the Rhine region and the other extending from central Germany down to the southern Balkans. Such areas allow scientists to observe hybridisation and speciation.

The two contact zones in this study represent different stages of speciation, according to Science Daily. In the eastern zone there is a compete mixing of the genetic lineages involved over hundreds of kilometres. In the Rhine region, the hybrid zone is smaller (less than 50km wide) and the admixture is limited and unidirectional - barred grass snakes mainly cross-breed with eastern grass snakes, but rarely vice-versa.

“This indicates the presence of reproductive barriers,” explained Uwe Fritz, director of the Senckenberg collections. These occur during speciation to prevent mismatched pairings among different species. Together with the narrow hybrid zone, this suggests the barred grass snake is a distinct species.

The findings could have implications for conservation. Grass snakes are protected in Europe and classed as threatened or highly threatened in some countries.

Professor Fritz told Science Daily: “We now have to play close attention to which species of grass snake is involved in each case, in order to be able to assess whether one of them may be more threatened than previously thought.”

The full study has been published in Scientific Reports: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-07847-9

Image by Bernard DUPONT CC BY-SA 2.0
 

 

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Defra shares new Sanitary and Phytosanitary guidance

News Story 1
 Defra has published guidance for the vet sector ahead of a proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.

The agreement, which will change the movement and trade of animals and related products, could see reductions in checks, paperwork and certification. As well as describing regulatory developments, the advice highlights the importance of animal ID, registration and traceability in disease control and other compliance arrangements.

The guidance can be found here. More detail is expected as negotiations progress. 

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News Shorts
New form for online veterinary medicines retailers

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has produced a new online form for retailers wishing to sell veterinary medicines on the internet.

The form replace the previous Word version and is part of the VMD's ongoing commitment to digitise its processes. Anyone retailing prescription medicines online, including POM-V, POM-VPS and NFA-VPS categories, is lawfully required to register with the VMD before trading.

The change only applies to new applicants. Retailers already listed on the VMD's Register of Online Retailers or registered under the Accredited Internet Retailer Scheme (AIRS) do not need to do anything.