''Boulengerula spawlsi'' is a species of

caecilian 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 ...

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 , ...

and only know from the vicinity of its type locality, Ngaia Forest Reserve, in the Nyambene Hills,

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 ...

; the type locality is also spelled "Ngaya" or "Ngaja". The

specific name Specific name may refer to: * in Database management systems, a system-assigned name that is unique within a particular database In taxonomy, either of these two meanings, each with its own set of rules: * Specific name (botany), the two-part (bino ...

''spawlsi'' honours Stephen Spawls who first collected this species and who has contributed substantially to African herpetology. Common name Spawls' boolee has been coined for it.

Discovery and taxonomy

The first specimen was collected in the Nyambene Hills in 2007 and was considered most similar to ''

Boulengerula denhardti ''Boulengerula denhardti'' (Denhardt's African caecilian) is a species of amphibian in the family Herpelidae. It is endemic to Kenya. It is only known from its type locality, the Tana River valley, as well as from the Ngaia Forest, Meru County. ...

''. Additional specimens were found in 2008 and tentatively identified as ''Boulengerula denhardti''. However, closer examination of these specimens, new specimens from the Nyambene Hills, and comparative material from museums revealed that these specimens represented a new species, which was formally described in 2017.

Description

Adult males measure and adult females in total length. The eyes are not visible. The snout projects strongly beyond the recessed mouth. The body has 150 to 157 annular grooves and is subcylindrical, slightly dorsoventrally flattened. The maximum midbody width is . Dorsal colouration is slightly purplish blue. The flanks and the ventral side are slightly paler. The head and the throat are pinkish. The tip of the snout is pale. The annular grooves are whitish.

Habitat and conservation

''Boulengerula spawlsi'' is known from the Ngaia Forest Reserve at elevations of

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

. Specimens have been dug from soil in a hollowed-out base of the trunk of a large fallen tree, under stones and rotting logs, or found in leaf-litter debris. It appears to be uncommon or at least difficult to find. Whether it occurs outside the forest is unknown. Collection of logs for firewood could threaten the species. A degree of protection is offered by the type locality being a protected area.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q35077144 spawlsi Endemic fauna of Kenya Amphibians of Kenya Amphibians described in 2017