Abstract:
Papuan white snake (Micropechis ikaheka) is endemic to New Guinea (the region of the Papua and Papua New
Guinea). Internal histology of skin layer and the microtopography structure on the surface scales of M. ikaheka
were the aims of the study. This study also related to zoogeographical of the snake in Papua. Geographical skin
color variation of M. ikaheka can be described in three groups, i.e. brown, yellow and black group. The three
groups of the snake have specific zoogeography in the mainland of Papua and satellite islands to Papua New
Guinea. Paraffin method used in this work showed approximately five layers i.e. oberhautchen, the beta (β)-layer,
the mesos layer, the alpha (α)-layer, and the dermis in the snake skin. Although the paraffin method cannot
explain the arrangement of pigment cells, however, the dark color on the dermis might contain melanophores
that might cause dark color of the snake body. Overlapping scales formed the hinge region were flexible to assist
the snakes when they moved across substrate. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the oberhautchen of all of
M. ikaheka revealed no microornamentation. However, dorsal and ventral scales showed many follicles on the
entire surface of the boundary scales
