A team of scientists from Mizoram, collaborating with researchers from Russia, Germany, and Vietnam, has identified a new species of reed snake, named Calamaria mizoramensis, correcting a prior taxonomic misidentification and adding a new species to India’s reptile fauna. This discovery was reported in the scientific journal Zootaxa, based on extensive morphological examinations and DNA analysis. The specimens were first collected in 2008 but were misclassified as a widespread Southeast Asian species. The study reveals that the Mizoram population constitutes a unique evolutionary lineage with over 15 percent genetic divergence from its closest relatives.
The snake has been confirmed only in Mizoram, but its presence in neighboring regions like Manipur, Nagaland, and Assam is still a possibility. It inhabits humid, forested hill regions at elevations of 670 to 1,295 meters and is non-venomous, nocturnal, and semi-fossorial, with sightings near human habitation, including the Mizoram University campus. The researchers provisionally classified Calamaria mizoramensis as ‘Least Concern’ according to the IUCN criteria. The study also includes an updated checklist of Mizoram’s herpetofauna with 169 documented species, emphasizing the need for ongoing biological surveys and taxonomic research in Northeast India.
