A team of scientists from Mizoram, in collaboration with researchers from Russia, Germany and Vietnam, has identified a new species of reed snake from the state, correcting a long-standing taxonomic misidentification and adding a previously unknown species to India`s reptile fauna. The new species has been named Calamaria Mizoramensis, after the state where it was discovered, said HT Lalremsanga, a professor at the Mizoram University`s Zoology Department and the lead of the research team.

The findings were published in the international scientific journal Zootaxa on Monday, based on detailed morphological examinations and DNA analysis, he said. According to Lalremsanga, specimens of the snake were first collected in Mizoram in 2008, but were earlier considered part of a widely distributed Southeast Asian species.