Taxonomic Status of the Neotropical Caecilian Genera Brasilotyphlus Taylor, 1968, Microcaecilia Taylor, 1968 and Parvicaecilia Taylor, 1968 (amphibia: Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae)

A New Species of Skin-Feeding Caecilian and the First Report of Reproductive Mode in Microcaecilia (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae)

A new species of siphonopid caecilian, Microcaecilia dermatophagasp. nov., is described based on nine specimens from French Guiana. The new species is the first new caecilian to be described from French Guiana for more than 150 years. It differs from all other Microcaecilia in having fewer secondary annular grooves and/or in lacking a transverse groove on the dorsum of the first collar. Observa...

First Description of a Clutch and Nest Site for the Genus Caecilia (Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae)

Caecilians are tropical, limbless, primarily fossorial amphibians (Duellman and Trueb 1986). Although they may be fairly abundant in certain areas (Péfaur et al. 1987), their subterranean habits make them difficult to find and as a result, life histories are unknown for most of the 167 described species (for examples of studies that have documented caecilian life histories, see Gans 1961; Parke...

The effects of rest in bed and of exercise on cardiovascular function.

A mark–recapture study of the caecilian amphibian Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) in southern India

The potentially important ecology of subterranean predators of soil ecosystem engineers is poorly understood. This is especially true of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) for which there are virtually no quantitative data. Results of the first field trials of permanent marking in caecilians are presented. A preliminary assessment is made of the efficacy of mark–recapture studies for estimating...

Phylogenetic relationships of African caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona): insights from mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences

—Africa (excluding the Seychelles) has a diverse caecilian fauna, including the endemic family Scolecomorphidae and six endemic genera of the more cosmopolitan Caeciliidae. Previous molecular phylogenetic studies have not included any caecilians from the African mainland. Partial 12S and 16S mitochondrial gene sequences were obtained for two species of the endemic African Scolecomorphidae and f...