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Caecilians
Caecilians (; ) are a group of limbless, vermiform or serpentine amphibians. They mostly live hidden in the ground and in stream substrates, making them the least familiar order of amphibians. Caecilians are mostly distributed in the tropics of South and Central America, Africa, and southern Asia. Their diet consists of small subterranean creatures such as earthworms. All modern caecilians and their closest fossil relatives are grouped as a clade, Apoda , within the larger group Gymnophiona , which also includes more primitive extinct caecilian-like amphibians. The name derives from the Greek words γυμνος (''gymnos'', naked) and οφις (''ophis'', snake), as the caecilians were originally thought to be related to snakes. The body is cylindrical dark brown or bluish black in colour. The skin is slimy and bears grooves or ringlike markings. Description Caecilians completely lack limbs, making the smaller species resemble worms, while the larger species, with lengths ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial animal, terrestrial, fossorial, arboreal or freshwater aquatic ecosystems. Thus amphibians typically start out as larvae living in water, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this. The young generally undergo metamorphosis from larva with gills to an adult air-breathing form with lungs. Amphibians use their skin as a secondary respiratory surface and some small terrestrial salamanders and frogs lack lungs and rely entirely on their skin. They are superficially similar to reptiles like lizards but, along with mammals and birds, reptiles are amniotes and do not require water bodies in which to breed. With their complex reproductive needs and permeable skins, amphibians are often ecological indicators; in re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Scolecomorphidae
The Scolecomorphidae are the family of caecilians, also known as tropical caecilians, buried-eyed caecilians, or African caecilians. They are found in Cameroon in West Africa, and Malawi and Tanzania in East Africa. Caecilians are legless amphibians which superficially resemble worms or snakes. Scolecomorphids have only vestigial eyes, which are attached to the base of a pair of tentacles underneath the snout. Unlike other caecilians, they have only primary annuli; these are grooves running incompletely around the body, giving the animal a segmented appearance. All other caecilians have a complex pattern of grooves, with secondary or tertiary annuli present. Also uniquely amongst tetrapods, the scolecomorphids lack a stapes bone in the middle ear. At least some species of scolecomorphids give birth to live young, retaining the eggs inside the females' bodies until they hatch into fully formed offspring, without the presence of a free-living larval stage. Taxonomy Just six spe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinlestegophis
''Chinlestegophis'' is a diminutive Late Triassic stereospondyl that has been interpreted as a putative stem caecilian, a living group of legless burrowing amphibians. If ''Chinlestegophis'' is indeed both an advanced stereospondyl and a relative of caecilians, this means that stereospondyls (in the form of caecilians) survived to the present day; historically the group was thought to have gone extinct by the early Cretaceous. ''Chinlestegophis jenkinsi'', the type and only species, is known from two partial skulls discovered in the Chinle Formation in Colorado. History of study ''Chinlestegophis'' was described in 2017 by Jason Pardo, Adam Huttenlocker, and Bryan Small based on two specimens collected in the late 1990s by Small. The genus name is derived from the name of the formation (Chinle), the Greek root ''stego''- ('roof' or 'cover'), and the Greek root -''ophis'' ('serpent'). The species name honors Farish Jenkins, the longtime curator of the Museum of Comparative Zoolo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caeciliidae
Caeciliidae is the family of common caecilians. They are found in Central and South America. Like other caecilians, they superficially resemble worms or snakes. Although they are the most diverse of the caecilian families, the caeciliids do have a number of features in common that distinguish them from other caecilians. In particular, their skulls have relatively few bones, with those that are present being fused to form a solid ram to aid in burrowing through the soil. The mouth is recessed beneath the snout, and there is no tail. Many caeciliids lay their eggs in moist soil. The eggs then hatch into aquatic larvae, which live in seepages in the soil, or in small streams. However, some species lack a larval stage, with the eggs hatching into juveniles with the same form as the adults, or else lack eggs and give birth to live young. Phylogeny Traditional taxonomy, which is reflected in the "Scientific Classification" box in this article, categorizes extant amphibia into three ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dermophiidae
The Dermophiidae are a family of common caecilians. They are found in Central and South America, and Africa. Like other caecilians, they superficially resemble worms or snakes. They are the only viviparous caecilians (species that give birth to live young) with secondary annuli (rings around the body). Species *Genus ''Dermophis'' **''Dermophis costaricense'' **''Dermophis glandulosus'' **''Dermophis gracilior'' **''Dermophis mexicanus'' - Mexican burrowing caecilian **''Dermophis oaxacae'' **''Dermophis occidentalis'' **''Dermophis parviceps'' *Genus '' Geotrypetes'' – West African caecilians **'' Geotrypetes angeli'' **'' Geotrypetes pseudoangeli'' **'' Geotrypetes seraphini'', Gaboon caecilian *Genus '' Gymnopis'' – wet forest caecilians **''Gymnopis multiplicata'' **'' Gymnopis syntrema'' *Genus '' Schistometopum'' – Guinea caecilians **'' Schistometopum gregorii'' **''Schistometopum thomense ''Schistometopum thomense'' is a species of amphibian in the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Herpelidae
Herpelidae are a family of caecilians, sometimes known as the African caecilians. They are found in Sub-Saharan Africa. Like other caecilians, they superficially resemble worms or snakes. They are the sister group to the newly discovered Chikilidae. Distribution Herpelidae occur primarily in Central and East Africa, barely reaching West Africa (southeastern Nigeria), and northern parts of Southern Africa (Malawi, possibly Zambia). Genera There are two genera with ten species in total: * ''Boulengerula'' Tornier, 1896 – Boulenger's caecilians, Usambara bluish-gray caecilians (8 species) * ''Herpele ''Herpele'' is a genus of caecilians in the family Herpelidae. They are endemic to Central and Western Africa (from southeastern Nigeria east to western Central African Republic and south to western Democratic Republic of the Congo, possibly to A ...'' Peters, 1880 – Congo caecilians (2 species) References {{Taxonbar, from=Q3086167 Amphibian families Amphibians of Sub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Typhlonectes Compressicauda
''Typhlonectes compressicauda'', the Cayenne caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Typhlonectidae that lives in water. It is found in Amazonian Brazil, Peru, and Colombia as well as in Guyana and French Guiana, and likely Suriname, and according to some sources, Venezuela. It is an aquatic caecilian that inhabits permanent rivers and marshes mainly in the lowland forest zone. Description The Cayenne caecilian is an elongated, dark grey, black or steely blue amphibian with no limbs. The body is flattened laterally and has a number of transverse folds, giving it a segmented appearance. A long fin runs along its back, and it grows to a length of . It has a more highly derived morphology than some more primitive species, showing differences in lung structure, the reproductive organs, and the kidneys. Distribution The Cayenne caecilian occurs in South America, including the Amazon basin and river systems in the Guianas. It is found at altitudes of up to above sea level. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eocaecilia
''Eocaecilia'' is an extinct genus of gymnophionan amphibian from the early Jurassic Kayenta Formation of Arizona, United States. One species is described, ''Eocaecilia micropodia''. ''Eocaecilia'' shared some characteristics with salamanders and the now extinct microsaur amphibians. It was of small size, about 15 cm in length. Unlike modern caecilians, which are legless, ''Eocaecilia'' possessed small legs, and while modern caecilians have poorly developed eyes and spend a lot of time under ground, ''Eocaecilias eyes were somewhat better developed. Although the precise ancestry of ''Eocaecilia'' is debated (and other caecilians by extension), it likely resided among the ancestral lepospondyl or temnospondyl Temnospondyli (from Greek language, Greek τέμνειν, ''temnein'' 'to cut' and σπόνδυλος, ''spondylos'' 'vertebra') is a diverse order (biology), order of small to giant tetrapods—often considered Labyrinthodontia, primitive amphi ...Maddin H.C., Jenk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chikilidae
Chikilidae is a family of Indian caecilians, the 10th and most recent (2012) family of caecilians (legless amphibians) to be identified, although the type species, ''Chikila fulleri'' (formerly ''Herpele fulleri'') was first described in 1904. The discovery that this was a separate lineage resulted from genetic analyses of specimens collected during about 250 soil-digging expeditions over five years that covered every Northeast Indian state. A team of biologists led by University of Delhi herpetologist Sathyabhama Das Biju described the family as representing as many as seven species apparently endemic to the region. In September 2012, some of these species were also found in Lawachara National Park in the Sylhet region of northeastern Bangladesh. The family's lineage is believed to have originated in Africa, where their closest living relatives are found. Chikilids grow to about in length. They have very limited eyesight and skulls adapted for burrowing. Their eggs hatch into a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ichthyophiidae
The Ichthyophiidae are the family of Asiatic tailed caecilians or fish caecilians found in South and Southeast Asia as well as southernmost China. They are primitive caecilians, lacking many of the derived characters found in the other families. For example, their mouths are not recessed underneath their heads, they possess tails, and they have numerous scales on their bodies. However, they have two sets of muscles for closing the jaw, a feature unique to caecilians, but absent in the related family Rhinatrematidae. They lay their eggs in cavities in moist soil, where they hatch into larvae that seek out streams or underground seepages, before metamorphosing into adults. Some evidence indicates the females may protect their eggs until they hatch. Taxonomy Family Ichthyophiidae * Genus ''Ichthyophis'' **''Ichthyophis acuminatus'' **'' Ichthyophis alfredi'' **'' Ichthyophis asplenius'' **'' Ichthyophis atricollaris'' **'' Ichthyophis bannanicus'' **'' Ichthyophis beddomei'' **'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhinatrematidae
Rhinatrematidae is a family of caecilians, also known as the Neotropical tailed caecilians, American tailed caecilians. or beaked caecilians. They are found in the equatorial countries of South America. They are usually regarded as the most basal of the caecilian families, with numerous characteristics lacking in the other groups. For example, they still possess tails, and their mouths are not recessed on the underside of their heads. They lay their eggs in cavities in the soil. The larvae have external gills, and live in seepage areas until they metamorphose. The adults live in moist soil and leaf litter. Taxonomy The 14 species in three genera are: * Genus ''Amazops ''Amazops'' is a monotypic genus of caecilian in the family Rhinatrematidae. It contains only one species, ''Amazops amazops''. It is endemic to Ecuador and is only known from a single specimen collected around 1990 from the Virgen La Dolores Far ...'' ** '' Amazops amazops'' (Ecuador) * Genus '' Epicrionops'' * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Typhlonectidae
Typhlonectidae, also known as aquatic caecilians or rubber eels, are a family of caecilians found east of the Andes in South America. They are viviparous animals, giving birth to young that possess external gills. Of the five genera in the family, ''Atretochoana'', ''Potamotyphlus'' and ''Typhlonectes'' are entirely aquatic, while ''Chthonerpeton'' and ''Nectocaecilia'' are semiaquatic. ''Atretochoana'' reaches in length, but other species in the family range from . Taxonomy *Genus ''Atretochoana'' **''Atretochoana eiselti'' *Genus ''Chthonerpeton'' **''Chthonerpeton arii'' **''Chthonerpeton braestrupi'' **''Chthonerpeton exile'' **''Chthonerpeton indistinctum'' **''Chthonerpeton noctinectes'' **''Chthonerpeton onorei'' **''Chthonerpeton perissodus'' **''Chthonerpeton viviparum'' *Genus ''Nectocaecilia'' **''Nectocaecilia petersii'' *Genus ''Potamotyphlus'' **''Potamotyphlus kaupii'' *Genus ''Typhlonectes'' **''Typhlonectes compressicauda'' **''Typhlonectes natans ''Typhlon ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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