New amphibian species discovered in Western Ghats
Times of India | 14 September 2026The new species, Gegeneophis chandgadi, is a caecilian — an amphibian that spends most of its life underground and can be mistaken for an earthworm or small snake. It was discovered near Buzawade village in Chandgad taluka of Kolhapur district and named after Chandgadi, the local Marathi dialect spoken in the region.
The species has been formally described in the Records of the Zoological Survey of India. Scientists found the specimens during field surveys in Aug 2025, with the type locality recorded in the immediate vicinity of Buzawade village.
The discovery was made by researchers from the Zoological Survey of India’s Western Regional Centre in Pune, Yashwantrao Chavan Mahavidyalaya, Halkarni, Savitribai Phule Pune University and the Mhadei Research Centre in Goa.
Researchers said local knowledge also helped them locate the elusive underground amphibian. They chose the name chandgadi as a tribute to the linguistic and cultural identity of the region.
What makes the discovery significant is its habitat. The animal was found not deep inside a protected forest but in a landscape comprising homes, farms and other human-modified areas. Scientists said the finding highlights how biodiversity can survive beneath the soil even outside formally protected habitats.
Establishing G. chandgadi as a separate species involved detailed examination of its physical characteristics and molecular analysis, including mitochondrial DNA. The approach is particularly important for caecilians, as closely related species can look remarkably similar.
The discovery also reinforces the conservation importance of the Western Ghats, a global biodiversity hotspot with high amphibian endemism. India has 41 recognised caecilian species, while the addition of G. chandgadi takes the number of known species in the genus Gegeneophis to 12, according to accounts of the discovery.
