New worm-eating snake from Mizoram named after local herpetologist

Guwahati: The forests of Mizoram and Myanmar have revealed a new snake species that spends its life underground and feeds on worms. The species, Trachischium lalremsangai, was described this month in Herpetozoa, the international journal of the Austrian Herpetological Society.

It is named after Mizoram herpetologist Lalremsanga, recognizing his contributions to reptile research in the region. The discovery was made by a four-member team: Virender K. Bhardwaj, Amit K. Bal, and Chhangte L. Tluanga from Mizoram University, and Zeeshan A. Mirza from Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Biology.

One of the two specimens studied was collected in adjoining Myanmar in 2007. Trachischium lalremsangai belongs to a group of slender, burrowing snakes known for their secretive habits. The find highlights the rich but still underexplored biodiversity of Northeast India’s jungles and underlines the importance of cross-border collaboration in wildlife research.

Researchers said the naming honors local expertise and will help draw attention to conservation needs in the Indo-Myanmar biodiversity hotspot.