Mhadei's bio-diversityyields another find

KERI: A new species of limbless yellow-striped caecilian has been discovered in Chorla, a village situated on the borders of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka inside the Mhadei region.
The new species 'Ichthyophis Davidi' is one of the largest known yellow-striped caecilian from the western ghats and is named in honor of David Gower, department of zoology, Natural History Museum, London, in recognition of his contributions to Indian caecilian studies.The common name suggested for the species is 'Chorla giant-striped Ichthyophis'.
The discovery is a joint effort by researchers Gopalakrishna Bhatta of the department of biology, BASE Educational Services Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru; K P Dinesh and C Radhakrishnan of western ghats regional centre, Calicut; P Prashanth of Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, Agumbe; and Nirmal Kulkarni of Mhadei Research Centre, Chorla Ghat.
Kulkarni, a herpetologist, said, "This yellow-striped limbless amphibian is grouped in the genus Ichthyophis (meaning 'fish like') of the Ichthyophiidae family. The members of the genus Ichthyophis include both striped and non-striped caecilians in the western ghats. They are nocturnal and found in forests and plantations."
The western ghats, which finds mention among global biodiversity hot spots, supports 25 species of legless amphibians.
"Habitat destruction by human interference and chemical fertilizers used in plantations limits distribution of these amphibians. Conserving forest patches near plantations and use of organic manure in such plantations are best means to protect these caecilians," Kulkarni said.