Aizawl: A group of scientists from Mizoram, along with researchers from Russia, Germany and Vietnam, have identified a new species of reed snake from the state, correcting a long-standing misidentification and adding a previously unknown species to India’s reptile fauna.
Prof. H.T. Lalremsanga, a professor in the Zoology Department of Mizoram University who led the research team, said the team named the newly identified reed snake species Calamaria mizoramensis after the state where they discovered it.
He said the researchers published the findings on Monday in the international scientific megajournal Zootaxa after conducting detailed morphological examinations and DNA analysis.
Lalremsanga said researchers first collected the species in Mizoram in 2008, but earlier studies had treated the specimens as part of a widespread Southeast Asian species.
The new study establishes that the population represents a distinct evolutionary lineage unique to Mizoram, he said.
The research team analysed specimens collected over more than a decade from forested areas in and around Aizawl, Reiek, Sihphir and Sawlêng, as well as parts of Mamit and Kolasib districts.
According to Lalremsanga, genetic comparisons show that the Mizoram reed snake differs by over 15 per cent from its closest known relatives, a level of divergence considered sufficient to recognise a new species.
The species has so far been confirmed only from Mizoram, although its presence in neighbouring regions cannot be ruled out, he said.
He said the genus Calamaria comprises 69 recognised species globally, most of them small, secretive and poorly studied. The newly identified Mizoram species is non-venomous and poses no threat to humans.
“Its occurrence in other parts of India remains unverified, but it is likely to be present in adjoining states such as Manipur, Nagaland and Assam. A possible extension into the Chittagong region of Bangladesh also requires further confirmation,” the authors said in Zootaxa.
Researchers describe the species as nocturnal and semi-fossorial, inhabiting humid, forested hill environments. They have recorded it at elevations ranging from 670 to 1,295 metres above sea level, including areas close to human settlements such as the Mizoram University campus.
Based on available data, the researchers have tentatively assessed the species as ‘Least Concern’ under the IUCN Red List criteria, citing its presence across multiple localities and the absence of major identified anthropogenic threats.
In addition to describing the new species, the study presents an updated checklist of Mizoram’s herpetofauna, documenting 169 species — including 52 amphibians and 117 reptiles — underscoring the state’s rich amphibian and reptile diversity.
The researchers said the discovery underlines the need for continued biological surveys in Northeast India, particularly in forested hill regions where many species remain poorly documented.