Kolkata, Dec. 5 -- In a remarkable discovery that bridges colonial-era natural history with modern biodiversity research, scientists at the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata, have confirmed the presence of the Yunnan Keelback (Fowlea yunnanensis) within India's administrative boundaries for the first time.
During a recent examination of historical collections, researchers from the Reptilia Section of ZSI's Sumidh Ray, Anirban Das, and Dr Pratyush Mohapatra, identified one of the original specimens collected by renowned 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 Indian museum, which were...