New species of non-venomous snake discovered in Mizoram

Aizawl: Researchers have discovered a rare new non-venomous species of snake in Mizoram named Stoliczkia vanhnuailianai, local name – “Rulphusin” – meaning ‘snake with small scales’.

Officials said it is identified as a member of the genus Stoliczkia by distinct scale arrangements on the posterior of the head, and by scales on the body being separated by scaleless skin, and it differs from the two known congeners in body and head scalation.

This is only the third specimen of Stoliczkia collected from India, and the sixth reported specimen for the genus. A revised key to the identification of the species of Stoliczkia is provided. The snake is about 50 cm in length.