New species of amphibian discovered

MUMBAI: Scientists from the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), in collaboration with researchers from Natural History Museum, London, have discovered a new species of caecilian (legless amphibian) from the Western Ghats.
The species—Gegeneophis pareshi—was discovered from a mixed small plantation garden by Varad Giri, David Gower, Kshamata Gaikwad and Mark Wilkinson.It is the 23rd caecilian species to be discovered in the Western Ghats. The findings have been published in the latest edition of the scientific journal Zootaxa.
“The species is commonly found in human-modified habitats and can be identified by lack of scales, distinct colour pattern and its bullet shaped head,” said Giri, curator at the BNHS, who co-authored the journal article on the new species. “The species was first spotted in 2009 by a BNHS survey team in southern Goa, after which we visited the site and studied it for the next three years,” he added.
Scientists said G. pareshi is a burrowing amphibian and its diet consists mainly of earthworms and dead insects. In fact, caecilians are the least understood of the three kinds of amphibians—the first two being frogs and salamanders. Caecilians are legless burrowers, chiefly characterized by rings around their body.
The scientists have named the species after a range forest officer, Paresh Porab, for his efforts in conservation of wildlife in the Goa region. “This is just a small way to recognize his good work,” said Giri.
The research, funded by Ruffords Small Grants and the Ministry of Environment and Forests, was part of the scientific collaboration between BNHS and the Natural History Museum. The two organizations have been working together on amphibians for several years now. Till about a decade ago, there were no reports of caecilians from areas in the Western Ghats region like southern Goa. Since 2003, seven new species of caecilians have been discovered from the Western Ghats. “We need to carry out more surveys to identify more new species,” said Giri.