Gegeneophis valmiki

Gegeneophis valmiki is a newly described blind caecilian announced in early 2026, found on the Valmiki Plateau in Satara district, Maharashtra, in the northern Western Ghats. It was first collected in 2017 and is named after the Maharshi Valmiki Mandir near the discovery site. The work was led by the Zoological Survey of India with researchers from Savitribai Phule Pune University, Balasaheb Desai College and the Mhadei Research Centre. It is the first new species of its genus found in over a decade. (news reports on the 2026 description).

Caecilians are limbless, worm-like amphibians that live underground with their eyes hidden beneath bone. They burrow through soil, which helps aerate it, and feed on soil invertebrates. (news reports on the 2026 description).