Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) Discovers New Caecilian Species Gegeneophis valmiki in Maharashtra

Key facts

• A multi-institutional research team led by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) has discovered a rare subterranean amphibian species named Gegeneophis valmiki.
• The discovery was made in the northern Western Ghats on the Valmiki Plateau in the Satara district of Maharashtra.
• The species belongs to the genus Gegeneophis, commonly known as blind caecilians, which live underground and have eyes hidden beneath bone.
• The findings were published in the international journal Phyllomedusa based on specimens first collected in 2017 by K P Dinesh, a senior scientist at the ZSI.
• The species is named after the Maharshi Valmiki Mandir located near the discovery site.
• ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee stated that 41 per cent of amphibians globally are currently threatened with extinction.