''Chthonerpeton exile'' is a species of

caecilian Caecilians (; ) are a group of limbless, vermiform (worm-shaped) or serpentine (snake-shaped) amphibians with small or sometimes nonexistent eyes. They mostly live hidden in soil or in streambeds, and this cryptic lifestyle renders caecilians ...

in the family

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 extant genera in th ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only 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 foun ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, and only known from its imprecise type locality "

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

". Only one specimen is known and now lost. 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 ...

''exile'', form Latin ', refers to the "relatively slender, delicate shape of the body and head." The common name Bahia caecilian has been coined for this species. Bahia in Brazil

Description

The

holotype A holotype (Latin: ''holotypus'') is a single physical example (or illustration) of an organism used when the species (or lower-ranked taxon) was formally described. It is either the single such physical example (or illustration) or one of s ...

is an adult female measuring in total length. The body is slender, dorsoventrally compressed (distinctly flattened along the last 4 cm) and wide. There are 88 primary annuli (segments). The snout is bluntly rounded in dorsal view and flattened in lateral view. The eyes are dorsolaterally oriented, covered by

epidermis The epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin, the inner layers being the dermis and Subcutaneous tissue, hypodermis. The epidermal layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the ...

, and not directly visible. The coloration is relatively uniform. Where the outer epidermis has been lost, the color is rich brown dorsally, grading to a paler brown ventrally. Where the epidermis is intact, the color is closer to slate-gray than brown, presumably better reflecting the coloration in life. There are numerous skin glands present throughout the body.

Habitat and conservation

The type locality of this species is imprecise, and there is no information on its habitat. Presumably, it is a subterranean species that possibly lives in lowland moist forest. Reproduction might be through

viviparity In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juv ...

. Population status and threats it are unknown.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1941501

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

Endemic caecilians of Brazil Amphibians described in 1987 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot