PIB/BS News Agency Kolkata, January 16, 2026: A team of Indian scientists has discovered a rare, subterranean amphibian species in the northern Western Ghats. The new species, named Gegeneophis valmiki, marks the first discovery within its genus in over a decade, shedding light on a group of animals often referred to as the "hidden amphibians."
The Discovery and Etymology
The species was first collected in 2017 by Dr. K.P. Dinesh, Senior Scientist at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), on the Valmiki Plateau in the Satara district of Maharashtra. The name Gegeneophis valmiki honors the historic Maharshi Valmiki Mandir located near the discovery site.
The findings, published in the international journal Phyllomedusa, are the result of a collaborative effort between the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Savitribai Phule Pune University, Balasaheb Desai College, and the Mhadei Research Centre.
A Master of Disguise
Caecilians are limbless, worm-like amphibians that live deep within soil and organic matter. Unlike frogs, they do not produce vocal calls, making their discovery exceptionally rare and often accidental.
“Identifying members of the genus Gegeneophis in the field is incredibly difficult,” says Dr. Dinesh. “Commonly known as blind caecilians, their eyes are concealed beneath their bony skull. They look and move so much like earthworms that confirming their status as a new species required years of rigorous morphological and genetic analysis.”
Biodiversity by the Numbers
While the Western Ghats are a global biodiversity hotspot, caecilians remain a tiny and elusive fraction of known life:
Global: Only 231 of the world’s 8,983 amphibian species are caecilians.
India: 42 species of caecilians are documented out of 457 amphibians.
Western Ghats: Home to 26 endemic species, with 11 belonging to the Gegeneophis group.
Interestingly, while overall amphibian diversity is typically higher in the southern Western Ghats, the northern region—where this discovery was made—shows a unique concentration of Gegeneophis species.
Ecological and Conservation Importance
Beyond their rarity, caecilians play a vital role in the environment:
Agriculture: Their burrowing aerates soil and improves structure, while their diet of soil invertebrates maintains ecosystem balance.
Food Web: They serve as a critical food source for birds, reptiles, and small mammals.
Evolutionary Link: They represent a crucial transitional phase in vertebrate evolution between aquatic and terrestrial life.
Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI, warned of the urgency of such work: “With 41% of the world’s amphibians threatened with extinction, documenting these species is a race against time. We must identify them to prevent 'silent extinctions'—where a species vanishes before we even know it exists.”
Looking Forward
Conservationist Nirmal U. Kulkarni emphasised that this discovery is just the beginning. Phylogenetic studies suggest several more species remain hidden in the northern Western Ghats. Formal scientific validation is the first step toward bringing these "hidden" amphibians into the conservation mainstream and protecting their fragile habitats. Editing by Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency.