Mizoram: Species of non-venomous snake discovered in state; to be named after Mizo warrior

A rare new non-venomous species of snake was discovered by researchers in Mizoram named Stoliczkia vanhnuailianai, local name – “Rulphusin” – meaning ‘snake with small scales’. The researchers named it Stoliczkia vanhnuailianai in honor of Vanhnuailiana, a famous Mizo warrior.

The snake was found in the Phulpui area of Mizoram during an expedition by a research team consisting of Samuel Lalronunga, K Lalhmangaiha, Isaac Zosangliana, Esther Lalhmingliani, David J Gower, Abhijit Das, and V Deepak.

This is only the third specimen of Stoliczkia collected from India, and the sixth reported specimen for the genus. The snake is about 50 cm in length