''Boulengerula'' is a genus of

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 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 ...

. They are found in

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 ...

. They are sometimes known as Boulenger's caecilians or Usambara bluish-gray caecilians.

Ecology

Boulengerula taitana ''Boulengerula taitana'' (common names: Taita African caecilian, Taita Hills caecilian, Taita Mountains caecilian) is a species of caecilian. It is endemic to the Taita Hills region of southeast Kenya. ''Boulengerula taitana'' are unique caecilia ...

'' feeds on

earthworm An earthworm is a soil-dwelling terrestrial invertebrate that belongs to the phylum Annelida. The term is the common name for the largest members of the class (or subclass, depending on the author) Oligochaeta. In classical systems, they we ...

termite Termites are a group of detritivore, detritophagous Eusociality, eusocial cockroaches which consume a variety of Detritus, decaying plant material, generally in the form of wood, Plant litter, leaf litter, and Humus, soil humus. They are dist ...

diptera Flies are insects of the order Diptera, the name being derived from the Greek δι- ''di-'' "two", and πτερόν ''pteron'' "wing". Insects of this order use only a single pair of wings to fly, the hindwings having evolved into advance ...

n larvae and other soil macrofauna. Presumably other ''Boulengerula'' have similar diets.

Species

There are eight species:

Morphology

A study described a new species, ''Boulengerula spawlsi'' found in the Ngaia Forest Reserve in Kenya. The species is distinguished by anteriorly positioned tentacular apertures and tentacular grooves that are partially or fully covered by the maxillopalatines, a trait not seen in of ''Boulengerula'' species. Additional difference in skull morphology was also noticed.

References

Amphibians of Africa Amphibian genera Taxa named by Gustav Tornier Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Caecilian-stub