Basudev Tripathy

A new species of annulocylix caecilian is described from the genus Gegeneophis based on distinct genetic and morphological features. The species is having both primary and secondary annuli, wherein secondary annuli are concentrated at the posterior half of the body. Molecular analysis reveals that the new species is sister to an unknown lineage from Amboli and Gegeneophis mhadeiensis from the near proximity phylogenetically. Molecular phylogeny suggests the possibility of four other new lineages from the northern Western Ghats. The findings are discussed in the light of cryptic diversity of these limbless amphibians and the need for systematic studies to describe them.

A new species of Leptopoma L. Pfeiffer, 1847, L. subbaraoi Tripathy, Sajan & Thakur n. sp. is described herein from the Great Nicobar Island of India. This is the fourth species of the genus described from India and the second species from the Great Nicobar Island. This new species of land snail is described using integrated taxonomy by coupling the morphological and anatomical features and molecular phylogeny. This snail is easily distinguished by its size, thickness and translucent shell, unique spiral cords at the protoconch and long cylindrical bursa copulatrix. The maximum likelihood and bayesian-based phylogeny shows that L. subbaraoi n. sp. is genetically closest to L. perlucida (Grateloup, 1840) and well-differentiated from the other species of the genus Leptopoma based on the inter-specific pair-wise genetic distance ranging from 0.039 to 0.187.

In a developing country like India, the expansion of road networks and improved connectivity play a critical role in enhancing the quality of life and driving economic growth. However, in biodiversity-rich landscapes, roads and associated vehicular traffic can pose significant threats to wildlife. For cold-blooded animals such as reptiles, road surfaces often act as thermal attractants due to their warmth, making them preferred basking sites. This behaviour increases the risk of mortality from vehicle collisions, effectively turning roads into death traps for many species. During faunistic surveys in the central Western Ghats, we opportunistically recorded a roadkill of two reptile species. One specimen was identified as Calliophis bibroni (Bibron’s Coral Snake), a rare member of the family Elapidae in India. To confirm its identity, we generated mitochondrial 16S rRNA sequence data, which is particularly valuable for identifying roadkill specimens that are damaged or decomposed. Such genetic data provide a reliable tool for future identification of similar samples. Coral snakes are poorly studied in India, with limited knowledge available on their biology, including dietary habits. From the roadkill specimen, we constructed a single-gene phylogeny to determine the phylogenetic placement of C. bibroni from the Western Ghats within the broader Elapidae framework. Our results underscore the need for more extensive sampling of Calliophis populations across India to resolve their generic status and clarify evolutionary relationships within the global Elapidae tree.

Lobothorax bharat sp. nov., is described based on specimens collected in 2023 from Trichiurus lepturus Linnaeus, 1758, at the Bahabalpur and Gopalpur fish landing centres of Odisha coast, India. Lobothorax bharat sp. nov. can be identified by the sub-truncate rostrum; the anterolateral processes of pereonite 1 which are 0.45 times the cephalon length, do not extend beyond the anterior margin of cephalon; a distinct depression in the middle of pereonite 1; article 3 of maxilliped palp with three recurved robust setae; the pereopod 2 is larger than the first and the pereopod 3 being the smallest; the third pereopod is about 0.94 times that of the second and 0.97 times that of the first pereopod. Lobothorax bharat sp. nov. is further differentiated from the congeneric species L. typus in the nucleotide composition of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (mtCOI) gene by 2.5–2.6% Kimura-2-Parameter (K2P) distance (having a base pair difference of 16–17) and belongs to a separate cluster in the Maximum Likelihood tree analysis obtained through the best-fit model.

, during a faunal survey in the southern Western Ghats, we encountered a near-fresh roadkilled Bibron's Coralsnake (Calliophis bibroni) on the Mananthavady-Mysore highway at the Tholpetty Range of the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Kerala, India (11.8701, 76.0727; elev. 740 m asl). Bibron's Coralsnake, an exceedingly rare snake known only from a few specimens, is endemic to the Western Ghats (Shankar and Ganesh 2009; Deepak et al. 2010). We found a recently ingested Brahminy Blindsnake (Indotyphlops braminus) (~16 cm total length) in the coralsnake (Fig. 1). These parthenogenetic blindsnakes are the smallest species of snake in India and among the most common snakes found in the region (Palot and Srivalsan 2017). Both predator and prey species are nocturnal and very difficult to find during the day. Like most coralsnakes, Bibron's Coralsnake is ophiophagus and is known to feed on smaller snakes, especially uropeltids (Whitaker and Captain 2004). This is the first record of a typhlopid snake in the diet of Bibron's Coralsnake.

A new species of head-shield sea slug, Melanochlamys bengalensis, is described from the northern part of the eastern coast of India using both external and internal morphological characters. Its novel status is supported by a molecular analysis. The maximum likelihood (ML) genetic tree (COI gene sequence) indicates that the new species represents a distinct clade compared to the other species of the genus Melanochlamys. The K2P distance of the new species is 16.2–23.7%, which is considerably more than the other congeners. This species was collected from the intertidal zone of the sandy beaches of Bakkhali, Tajpur, New Digha, Udaipur, Talsari, Chandipur and Kanika Island. Additionally, the list of valid species and distribution of all members of the genus Melanochlamys is presented herein.