Guwahati: In a remarkable discovery that bridges colonial-era natural history with modern biodiversity science, researchers at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, have confirmed the presence of the Yunnan Keelback (Fowlea yunnanensis) within India’s boundaries for the first time—thanks to a combination of overlooked museum specimens and a 19th-century expedition.
The breakthrough, published in Zootaxa, began inside ZSI’s own Reptilia Section, where scientists Sumidh Ray, Anirban Das and Dr. Pratyush P. Mohapatra re-examined a set of unidentified snakes preserved for decades.
Seven specimens collected on 22 December 1982 from Gibbon’s Land in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh—catalogued collectively as ZSI-R-24039—were found to match all diagnostic features of F. yunnanensis.
This provides the first verified record of the species from India, extending its known range far beyond China’s Yunnan Province.
But the story goes deeper into history.
While checking ZSI’s older collections, the researchers also rediscovered one of the original specimens collected by Scottish naturalist Dr. John Anderson during the 1868 Yunnan Expedition. Anderson had described the variety “yunanensis” in 1879 based on three specimens deposited in the Asiatic Society of Bengal’s museum (later transferred to the ZSI) under voucher numbers ZSI-R-4191, 4192 and 4196.
The team has now designated one of these—ZSI-R-4192—as the lectotype, ending longstanding confusion surrounding the species, which has historically been shuffled through various genera including Atretium and Helicops.
This designation stabilises the taxonomy of F. yunnanensis after more than a century of uncertainty.
A distribution map included in the study shows a striking range expansion: from the snake’s known Chinese localities in Longchuan and Yingjiang counties to a remote part of Namdapha, hinting at a likely but poorly documented transboundary distribution extending into Myanmar.
Researchers caution, however, that comprehensive surveys are needed to formally confirm its presence there.
The Yunnan Keelback inhabits wetlands, paddy fields, ponds and river valleys between 800–1500 metres and preys mainly on frogs, fishes and rodents. Its discovery in India highlights the species’ ecological adaptability—and the gaps that still persist in regional reptile surveys.
Dr. Mohapatra, officer-in-charge of ZSI’s Reptilia Section, emphasised the broader lesson: “This discovery shows how historical specimens and modern taxonomic insights can fundamentally reshape our understanding of South and Southeast Asian biodiversity.”
The genus Fowlea is already considered taxonomically complex, and researchers believe further surprises may await as new field surveys and genetic analyses are undertaken.
With this confirmation—one part colonial history, one part modern science—Fowlea yunnanensis now officially joins India’s herpetofauna, a species that sat unrecognised on a museum shelf for 40 years and in archival records for more than 150.
Also Read: Why tea plantation owners want Assam to rethink land patta for workers
You just read a story that took days to report. Help us keep our reporters on the ground in the Northeast.
Ad-free reading, support and keep important stories alive
Support once (any amount)
Scan to pay via UPI