| Summary: | <i>Hebius beddomei</i> (Günther, 1864) is an endemic natricine colubrid snake species from the biodiverse Western Ghats, India. A recent molecular phylogeny provided evidence for the paraphyly of the genus <i>Hebius</i>, with <i>Hebius beddomei</i> recovered as sister to a clade containing <i>Fowlea</i> and <i>Atretium</i>. Freshly collected specimens and existing museum material allowed us to elucidate the generic status of the species and identify two distinct populations, one of which is described as a new species. A new genus, <i>Sahyadriophis</i> gen. nov., is proposed to accommodate <i>Sahyadriophis beddomei</i> gen. et. comb. nov., and <i>Sahyadriophis uttaraghati</i> gen. et. sp. nov. is described as a new species from the northern part of the range. The discovery of a new Oligocene divergent lineage, <i>Sahyadriophis</i> gen. nov., highlights the role of the Western Ghats as a source of relic lineages.
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