New species of legless amphibian discovered from Maharashrtra
Researchers have identified a new species of legless amphibian, Gegeneophis chandgadi, in the Kolhapur region of Maharashtra, India. The discovery highlights the existence of subterranean biodiversity in human-inhabited and agricultural landscapes.
Why it matters
It underscores the importance of local ecological knowledge and suggests that critical biodiversity can thrive outside of strictly protected forest areas.
Scientists have discovered a new species of subterranean, legless amphibian — commonly known as a caecilian from Maharashtra.
The species named G egeneophis chandgadi h as been discovered by a multi-institutional team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), WRC Pune, Yashwantrao Chavan Mahavidyalaya (Halkarni), Savitribai Phule Pune University, and the Mhadei Research Centre (Goa).
The details of the discovery have been published in a paper titled ‘Exploring cryptic diversity in Gegeneophis Peters (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Grandisoniidae) with a novel species from the northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, India’.
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