''Dermophis'' is a genus of worm-like amphibians in the family

Dermophiidae The Dermophiidae are a family of common caecilians. They are found in Central and South America, and Africa. Like other caecilian Caecilians (; ) are a group of limbless, vermiform or serpentine amphibians. They mostly live hidden in the ...

, the Neotropical and Tropical African caecilians. They are found in the Middle America between southern

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and northwestern Colombia. Common names Mexican caecilians or Neotropical caecilians are sometimes used for them.

Species

The genus has seven species:

Description

The largest species, ''Dermophis mexicanus'', can grow to a total length of , while the smallest one, ''Dermophis parviceps'', reaches only . The body has numerous folds, from 97 to 258, with considerable variations both between individuals within a species and between the species. There is a tentacle about halfway between eye and nostril. The lower jaw has only one row of teeth. Living specimens are very dark purple to purple-black above and creamy white below. Based on external morphology, three groups of species can be recognized: # large caecilians with numerous secondary folds: ''D. mexicanus'' and ''D. oaxacae'' # moderate-sized caecilians with numerous secondary folds: ''D. costaricense'', ''D. glandulosus'', ''D. gracilior'' # small to moderate-sized caecilians with few secondary folds: ''D. occidentalis'', ''D. parviceps''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2232448 Amphibian genera Amphibians of Central America Amphibians of South America Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters Taxonomy articles created by Polbot