Updated Dec 30, 2020 | 13:54 IST The three snakes are now the only new members of the new genus called Levitonius, and new species called Levitonius mirus. Jeff Weinell | Photo Credit: Twitter A new species of snakes, believed to be endemic in the Philippines, was discovered by a team of scientists as part of a new genus. Jeff Weinell, a graduate research assistant at the University of Kansas' Biodiversity Institute, claimed that the Waray Dwarf Burrowing Snake has characteristics that are different to its previous classification. Weinell, while studying three snake specimens preserved in the institute's biodiversity collection, realised that reptiles belonged to a new species, reported CNN.