The Scolecomorphidae (from , 'wormlike' and , 'form') are a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of caecilians also known as tropical caecilians, buried-eyed caecilians, or African caecilians. They are found in

Cameroon Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon, is a country in Central Africa. It shares boundaries with Nigeria to the west and north, Chad to the northeast, the Central African Republic to the east, and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the R ...

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

, and

Malawi Malawi, officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast, and Mozambique to the east, south, and southwest. Malawi spans over and ...

and

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

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 ...

s are legless

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

s 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

tetrapod A tetrapod (; from Ancient Greek :wiktionary:τετρα-#Ancient Greek, τετρα- ''(tetra-)'' 'four' and :wiktionary:πούς#Ancient Greek, πούς ''(poús)'' 'foot') is any four-Limb (anatomy), limbed vertebrate animal of the clade Tetr ...

s, the scolecomorphids lack a

stapes The ''stapes'' or stirrup is a bone in the middle ear of humans and other tetrapods which is involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear. This bone is connected to the oval window by its annular ligament, which allows the f ...

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.

Morphology

Studies examining the cranial anatomy of ''Scolecomorphus kirkii'' revealed that the species possess a highly ossified and compace skull structure, characterized by fusion of several cranial bones. It identified unique configurations of the macillopalatine bone, which helps facilitate the movement of the sensory tentacles on the face of Caecilians. This adaptation is believed to enhance the tentacles protrusion and retraction capabilities, aiding in environmental sensing during subterranean navigation

Taxonomy

Just six species of scolecomorphids are known, grouped into two genera, as follows: Family Scolecomorphidae * Genus ''Crotaphatrema'' Nussbaum, 1985 ** '' Crotaphatrema bornmuelleri'' (Werner, 1899), Bornmuller's caecilian, Cameroon ** '' Crotaphatrema lamottei'' (Nussbaum, 1981), Mont Oku caecilian, Cameroon ** '' Crotaphatrema tchabalmbaboensis'' Lawson, 2000, Cameroon * Genus ''Scolecomorphus'' Boulenger, 1883 ** '' Scolecomorphus kirkii'' Boulenger, 1883, Kirk's caecilian or Lake Tanganyika caecilian, East Africa ** '' Scolecomorphus uluguruensis'' Barbour and Loveridge, 1928, Uluguru black caecilian or Nyingwa caecilian, Tanzania ** '' Scolecomorphus vittatus'' (Boulenger, 1895), ribbon caecilian or banded caecilian, Tanzania

References

*Nussbaum, Ronald A. and Mark Wilkinson (1989). "On the Classification and Phylogeny of Caecilians." Herpetological Monographs, (3), 1-42 * * * {{Authority control Amphibian families Amphibians of Sub-Saharan Africa Taxa named by Edward Harrison Taylor