''Boulengerula denhardti'' (Denhardt's African caecilian) is a species of

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 terres ...

in the family

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 Chikili ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

. It is only known from its type locality, the Tana River valley, as well as from the Ngaia Forest,

Meru County Meru County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya, located in the former Eastern Province. The county lies between 0° 6′ North and 0° 1′ South and between latitudes 37° West and 38° East. It borders Isiolo County to the North, Tharaka/Nit ...

. It is named for German explorer brothers

Clemens Denhardt Clemens Andreas Denhardt (1852–1928) and his brother Gustav Denhardt (1856–1917), born in Zeitz, Province of Saxony, were distinguished German explorers of Africa at the time of the Scramble for Africa. In association with the physician G ...

and

Gustav Denhardt Gustav Denhardt (16 June 1856 in Zeitz – 17 July 1917 in Leipzig) and his brother Clemens Andreas Denhardt (3 August 1852 – 7 June 1928), born in Zeitz, Saxony-Anhalt, were distinguished German explorers of Africa at the time of the Scramble ...

who explored the area where it was discovered. Its natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and heavily degraded former forest. It is threatened by

habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

, expanding agriculture, use of herbicides and pesticides and expanding human settlements.

References

denhardti Endemic fauna of Kenya Amphibians of Kenya Amphibians described in 1912 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Caecilian-stub