Description

Why In News?

A new species of underground, worm-eating snake, Trachischium lalremsangai, has been discovered in Mizoram and Myanmar.

About Trachischium lalremsangai

Scientists discover a new species of underground snake in the dense forests of Mizoram and Myanmar, they named the snake after Professor Hmar Tlawmte Lalremsanga, a herpetologist at Mizoram University.

The species belongs to the genus Trachischium, which scientists commonly refer to as slender snakes or worm-eating snakes.

It falls under the family Colubridae and subfamily Natricinae.

Species of this genus generally inhabit the mountain regions of northeast India, the Himalayas, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, and Nepal.

Key Features

The snake leads an underground (fossorial) lifestyle.
It is a non-venomous snake.
It features a brown body with a distinct light-brown belly and a white-speckled underside.
It possesses exactly two scales behind the eye.
It exhibits smooth iridescent scales.
Consistent with its genus, it has a head that does not look distinct from the neck, and it features small eyes with vertically subelliptic pupils.

About Murlen National Park

Location: Champhai district, Mizoram, near the Indo-Myanmar border.
Terrain: Situated within the Mizo Hills, a part of the Patkai range.
Elevation: Varies from 400 metres to 1,900 metres above sea level.

Climate & Eco-System

Weather: Subtropical climate with heavy monsoons (May–September) and mild winters (November–February).
Forests: Home to six distinct forest types, including tropical semi-evergreen, bamboo, and cliff vegetation.
Density: The canopy is so thick that sunlight barely penetrates, earning it the nickname "land of no return."

Flora & Plant Life

Orchids: Supports incredible biodiversity with more than 150 unique orchid varieties.
Medicinal: Harbours 35 distinct species of plants used for traditional and medicinal purposes.
Trees: Characterized by vast expanses of rhododendrons, bamboo brakes, and rare flowering trees.

Fauna & Wildlife

Mammals: Hosts 15 mammal species, including Bengal tigers, leopards, and Himalayan black bears.
Primates: Serves as a crucial habitat for the endangered hoolock gibbon.
Birds: 150+ bird species, featuring the kalij pheasant and Mrs. Hume’s pheasant (Mizoram's state bird).

Source: THEHINDU

Attempt Daily Quiz

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Consider the following statements about the recently discovered Trachischium lalremsangai:

It is a highly venomous arboreal snake discovered in the Western Ghats.
It belongs to a genus of slender, worm-eating snakes found in Northeast India and the Himalayas.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

A) 1 only

B) 2 only

C) Both 1 and 2

D) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: B

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: Trachischium lalremsangai is a harmless, non-venomous, burrowing snake (fossorial) rather than an arboreal, highly venomous species. It was recently discovered in Mizoram (Murlen National Park, near the Indo-Myanmar border), not the Western Ghats.

Statement 2 is correct: The snake belongs to the genus Trachischium, which is a group of slender, "worm-eating" snakes (Natricinae family) known to inhabit Northeast India and the Himalayas.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

It is a newly discovered species of underground, slender, worm-eating snake belonging to the family Colubridae.

It was found during an expedition in Murlen National Park near the Mizoram-Myanmar border, with a second specimen identified from Chin State, Myanmar.

It is a non-venomous, fossorial (underground) snake that primarily survives by eating worms.