downtoearth.org.in
New legless amphibian species discovered in village backyard in Western Ghats
Unlike many newly discovered species found in remote wilderness, scientists have described a new legless amphibian from backyard leaf litter beneath wooden piles in a village in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra. The species, named Gegeneophis chandgadi, is a caecilian — a group of elusive, limbless amphibians that spend much of their lives underground. It was found in a rural landscape during the monsoon in August 2025. The findings were published by the Zoological Survey of India. Members of the genus Gegeneophis, commonly known as blind caecilians, spend almost their entire lives underground. The species has been named Chandgadi after the Chandgadi dialect of Marathi, which is spoken predominantly in and around the Chandgad region. The amphibian was discovered in the backyard of lead author Sahil Shikalgar, a resident of Buzawade village in Chandgad taluka of Kolhapur district, beneath decaying logs, organic waste and bamboo leaf litter. Local residents said the limbless creatures are often unearthed during routine garden work and mistaken for large earthworms. Villagers also said free-ranging domestic chickens regularly scratch up the soil and feed on young caecilians. Scientists said the species appears capable of persisting in human-modified agroecosystems, provided rich organic matter remains available and heavy...
