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Uraeotyphlus
''Uraeotyphlus'' is a genus of caecilians in the family Ichthyophiidae. There are seven species in this genus, all of which are endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India. Previously, the genus has also been placed in its own monotypic family Uraeotyphlidae. Description ''Uraeotyphlus'' are relatively small sized caecilians ranging from to in length. Unlike the more 'advanced' caecilians, members of this genus have a true tail with vertebrae, and their skull has a relatively complex structure. However, unlike the more 'primitive' caecilians, the mouth is recessed below the snout, there are no tertiary annuli, and the tentacular opening are far forward of the eyes, and below the nostril. The pattern of annulation among species of ''Uraeotyphlus'' falls into two clear types based on the differentiation of primary and higher-order annuli, and the number of annular divisions per vertebra and whether this varies along the body. This difference is reflected in the recogni ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uraeotyphlus Oommeni
''Uraeotyphlus oommeni'', sometimes known as the Oommen's caecilian, Oommen's Uraeotyphlus, or Bonnacord caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. Within ''Uraeotyphlus'', it belongs to the '' U. malabaricus'' group showing no obvious external differentiation between primary and higher-order annuli. This species is endemic to the Western Ghats and only known from its type locality, Bonaccord, Thiruvananthapuram district, southern Kerala. Very little is known about this species known only from a single specimen collected from an imprecise location. Etymology The specific name ''oommeni'' honours Oommen V. Oommen, professor of zoology at the University of Kerala. Description The holotype is a mature female measuring in total length and wide at mid-body. There are 207 (left side) and 214 (right side) annuli, without clear external differentiation between primary and higher-order annuli. The body is strongly dorsoventrally compressed. The head is smal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uraeotyphlus Interruptus
''Uraeotyphlus interruptus'', also known as the Chengalam caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern India and is only known from its type locality, Chengalam village in Kerala. Description ''Uraeotyphlus interruptus'' is a medium-sized caecilian measuring in length. The body has 162 folds. The primary annuli cross the dorsum only on the posterior half and venter only in front of the vent. The collar region is slightly wider than the head; the two collars are completely fused dorsally but are distinct ventrally. The eyes are distinct. The ventral tentacle lies below the nostril. Colouration is slaty violet above, slightly lighter below. The body folds are marked by white lines that are more conspicuous on the posterior ventral one-third of the body. Habitat and conservation ''Uraeotyphlus interruptus'' is a subterranean (fossorial) species associated with loose soil. The type series was collected in a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uraeotyphlus Menoni
''Uraeotyphlus menoni'', also known as Menon's caecilian or Kerala caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the state of Kerala in the Western Ghats, India. The specific name ''menoni'' honours K. Ramunni Menon, collector of the holotype who later became the vice-chancellor of the University of Madras. Description ''Uraeotyphlus menoni'' can grow to in total length. It is a greyish species with a white belly blotched with grey. The head is light violet in colour with light mottling, and the distinct eyes are surrounded by a light ring. The tip of the snout and lower jaw are whitish in colour, also with grey spots. The tip of the short tail (<1 cm) is whitish in colour. The tentacles are placed close to and below the nostrils. The nostrils are visible from above. Habitat and conservation ''Uraeotyphlus menoni'' is a subterranean ( |
Uraeotyphlus Oxyurus
''Uraeotyphlus oxyurus'', also known as the red caecilian, sharp-nosed caecilian, dark-brown caecilian, pale-throated caecilian, or harp-tailed caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, southern India. Description This species has a relatively thick body, a narrow head, and a short tail. It can grow to in total length, including the tail (up to ). Its body is dark brown with a whitish tail tip. The chin and throat are light brown. Its eyes are very small but distinct and surrounded by a white ring. The tentacles are placed close to and below the nostrils, which are visible from above. Habitat and conservation ''Uraeotyphlus oxyurus'' is a fossorial species that is associated with humus-rich, loose, moist soil. It has been recorded from moist evergreen forest, agricultural land, and rural gardens at elevations up to above sea level. It is probably oviparous Oviparous animals are animals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ichthyophiidae
The Ichthyophiidae are the family of Asiatic tailed caecilians or fish caecilians found in South and Southeast Asia as well as southernmost China. They are primitive caecilians, lacking many of the derived characters found in the other families. For example, their mouths are not recessed underneath their heads, they possess tails, and they have numerous scales on their bodies. However, they have two sets of muscles for closing the jaw, a feature unique to caecilians, but absent in the related family Rhinatrematidae. They lay their eggs in cavities in moist soil, where they hatch into larvae that seek out streams or underground seepages, before metamorphosing into adults. Some evidence indicates the females may protect their eggs until they hatch. Taxonomy Family Ichthyophiidae * Genus '' Ichthyophis'' **'' Ichthyophis acuminatus'' **'' Ichthyophis alfredi'' **'' Ichthyophis asplenius'' **'' Ichthyophis atricollaris'' **'' Ichthyophis bannanicus'' **'' Ichthyophis beddomei'' ** ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uraeotyphlus Malabaricus
''Uraeotyphlus malabaricus'' is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India and is known from its type locality, the " Malabar" in Kerala, and from the Nilgiri mountains in Tamil Nadu. It is known by several common names.Malabar tailed caecilian, Nilgiris caecilian, Malabar caecilian, and white-lipped caecilian. Description Adults measure , including the tail. The body is short and stout, violet-colored dorsally, and lighter ventrally. The eyes are distinct and surrounded by a light ring. The tentacles are placed ventrally, close to the lip. Light-colored areas are present around the nostrils, snout tip, and tentacles. The upper lips and lower jaw are also a light cream color. There is a light spot near the vent, and the tip of the tail is whitish. Habitat and conservation ''Uraeotyphlus malabaricus'' has been collected in evergreen tropical forest ( above sea level), but its ecology is generally poorly known. Presumably, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uraeotyphlus Gansi
''Uraeotyphlus gansi'', the Gansi caecilian, is a rare species of caecilian, endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It was discovered in the Kaakkaachi-Naalumukku area of the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. ''U. gansi'' was named after Carl Gans (1923–2009), a renowned herpetologist from Texas. According to Albert Rajendran, Research Department of Zoology, St. John's College, Palayamkottai, Rajendran spotted the species, along with his collaborator David J. Gower of the Natural History Museum A natural history museum or museum of natural history is a scientific institution with natural history scientific collection, collections that include current and historical records of animals, plants, Fungus, fungi, ecosystems, geology, paleo ..., London, and two other experts in caecilians. He came across this limbless amphibian in the Kaakkaachi-Naalumukku areas during his study of the burrowing uropeltid (shield-tailed) snakes of the Western Ghats. References {{ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 among the least familiar amphibians. Modern caecilians live in the tropics of South America, South and Central America, Africa, and southern Asia. Caecilians feed on small subterranean creatures, such as earthworms. The body is cylindrical and often darkly coloured, and the skull is bullet-shaped and strongly built. Caecilian heads have several unique adaptations, including fused cranial and jaw bones, a two-part system of jaw muscles, and a Chemoreceptor, chemosensory tentacle in front of the eye. The skin is slimy and bears ringlike markings or grooves and may contain scales. Modern caecilians are a clade, the Order (biology), order Gymnophiona (or Apoda ), one of the three living amphibian groups alongside Anura (frogs) and Urodela (sa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Wilhelm Peters
Wilhelm Karl Hartwich (or Hartwig) Peters (22 April 1815 – 20 April 1883) was a German natural history, naturalist and explorer. He was assistant to the anatomist Johannes Peter Müller and later became curator of the Natural History Museum, Berlin, Berlin Zoological Museum. Encouraged by Müller and the explorer Alexander von Humboldt, Peters travelled to Mozambique via Angola in September 1842, exploring the coastal region and the Zambesi River. He returned to Berlin with an enormous collection of natural history specimens, which he then described in ''Naturwissenschaftliche Reise nach Mossambique... in den Jahren 1842 bis 1848 ausgeführt'' (1852–1882). The work was comprehensive in its coverage, dealing with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, river fish, insects and botany. He replaced Martin Lichtenstein as curator of the museum in 1858, and in the same year he was elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. In a few years, he greatly increased ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 found elsewhere. For example, the Cape sugarbird is found exclusively in southwestern South Africa and is therefore said to be ''endemic'' to that particular part of the world. An endemic species can also be referred to as an ''endemism'' or, in scientific literature, as an ''endemite''. Similarly, many species found in the Western ghats of India are examples of endemism. Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. Endemism is also of interest in evolutionary biology, because it provides clues about how changes in the environment cause species to undergo range shifts (potentially expanding their range into a larger area or bec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
