New Amphibian Species Gegeneophis Chandgadi Discovered in Western Ghats

#GS-3 #Environment #Biodiversity #Wildlife #Western Ghats #Zoological Survey of India #Gegeneophis chandgadi

Key takeaways

Scientists from ZSI discovered a new limbless caecilian amphibian species, Gegeneophis chandgadi, in Maharashtra's Western Ghats.
The species measures 105 mm to 185 mm in length and possesses 132 to 135 primary body rings across its trunk.
Genetic testing shows it has a 1.9-2.1% genetic divergence from an undescribed Amboli lineage and a 4% divergence from Gegeneophis mhadeiensis of Goa.
The species thrives underground in chemical-free rural agroecosystems and organic waste heaps in Kolhapur district.

Researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Savitribai Phule Pune University have discovered a new species of limbless amphibian.
The team identified this new caecilian species, named Gegeneophis chandgadi, inside organic leaf litter in Buzawade village in Maharashtra's Western Ghats.

This newly identified species is a limbless underground amphibian belonging to the family Grandisoniidae and genus Gegeneophis, commonly known as blind caecilians.
It has a slender, ringed, cylindrical body with no tail and belongs to the annulocylix caecilian group.
Scientists discovered this amphibian in Buzawade village of Chandgad taluka in Kolhapur district, located in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra.
The creature is highly burrowing and spends almost its entire life cycle buried underground.
It lives in rural farmlands and village backyards, thriving under decaying wood, compost, and moist bamboo leaves where people do not use synthetic chemical pesticides.

The species measures between 105 mm and 185 mm in length and features 132 to 135 primary body rings around its body, with secondary rings present only on the back half.
It features a dark brown back, a light pink head, and a see-through pink belly that reveals its internal organs.
To help it burrow, it has a wedge-shaped pointed head, tiny hidden eyes covered by skin or bone, and sensitive tentacles that make it look like an earthworm or blind snake.
DNA analysis confirms it is genetically related to an undescribed lineage from Amboli with 1.9-2.1% divergence and Gegeneophis mhadeiensis from Goa with 4% divergence.