Remarkable New Species Discovered in India in 2025

Context: In December 2025, scientists in India announced several significant new species discoveries, spanning from the high-altitude Eastern Himalayas to the rainforests of the Western Ghats.

About Remarkable New Species Discovered in India in 2025:

Bridgeoporus kanadii (A “Colossal” Fungi)

• What it is?
  • A “colossal” new species of macro fungi characterized by thick, leathery, and massive fruiting bodies.
• Found in: The West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh, specifically growing on old-growth Abies (fir) trees.
• Features: It is remarkably sturdy and large; the lead researcher noted it was strong enough for a person to sit on while remaining firmly attached to the tree.

Rhinophis siruvaniensis (Siruvani Shieldtail Snake)

• What it is?
  • A new species of non-venomous, burrowing shieldtail snake belonging to the Uropeltidae family.
• Found in: The Siruvani Hills of the Western Ghats in the Palakkad district of Kerala.
• Features: It is a fossorial (burrowing) snake with a specialized tail shield used for digging and defense in high-rainfall rainforest habitats.

Neelus sikkimensis (High-Altitude Springtail)

• What it is?
  • A tiny, wingless arthropod known as a “springtail” (Collembola), marking the first record of the genus Neelus in India.
• Found in: The high-altitude, cold-desert soils of Sikkim in the Eastern Himalayas.
• Features: Like other springtails, it possesses a “furcula,” a tail-like jumping organ that allows it to spring away from predators.
• Significance: Identified by ZSI scientists, this discovery expands the global count of known Neelus species to just eight.

Parasynnemellisia khasiana (Bamboo Forest Fungus)

• What it is? A completely new genus and species of fungus that did not fit into any existing biological classification.
• Found in: The dense, humid bamboo forests around Mawsynram in the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya.
• Features: It is uniquely adapted to one of the wettest environments on Earth and grows specifically in association with bamboo ecosystems.

Dolomedes indicus (The Indian Fishing Spider)

• What it is?
  • The first confirmed instance of a “fishing spider” discovered in India.
• Found in: Streams and rainforests of Wayanad and Lakkidi in Kerala’s Western Ghats.
• Features: These spiders are semi-aquatic and capable of “skating” on water surfaces to hunt small fish and aquatic insects.

Ophiorrhiza mizoramensis (Mizoram Coffee-Family Plant)

• What it is?
  • A new species of flowering shrub belonging to the Rubiaceae (coffee) family.
• Found in: Murlen National Park, Mizoram, near the Indo-Myanmar border.
• Features: It grows up to one meter high and produces striking dark purplish-pink tubular flowers with uniquely structured stigma lobes.
• Significance: Provisionally assessed as “Critically Endangered,” with fewer than 200 mature individuals found in the wild.