Calamaria mizoramensis — Scientists discover new species of snake from Mizoram

A team of scientists from Mizoram, working with researchers from Russia, Germany, and Vietnam, has identified a new species of reed snake, correcting a long-standing taxonomic misidentification.

The new species has been named Calamaria Mizoramensis, after the state. The discovery has corrected a longstanding misidentification and expanded India’s known reptile diversity. According to HT Lalremsanga, a professor at the Mizoram University’s Zoology Department and the research lead, specimens were first collected in 2008 but were previously considered part of a widely distributed Southeast Asian species.

Key Details of Calamaria mizoramensis

• Discovery & Taxonomy: Identified by researchers, including Professor H.T. Lalremsanga of Mizoram University, and published on January 5, 2026.
• Physical Features: Small with a dark brown to blackish body, faint stripes, and a yellow underside.
• Habitat: Primarily found in forested areas of Mizoram (Aizawl, Reiek, Sihphir, Sawleng, Mamit, and Kolasib), usually in leaf litter or underground.
• Behavior: Nocturnal and semi-fossorial (lives partially underground).
• Significance: It was previously misidentified until genetic analysis proved it to be a distinct evolutionary lineage.