''Caecilia dunni'' is a species of

caecilian Caecilians (; ) are a group of limbless, vermiform or serpentine amphibians. They mostly live hidden in the ground and in stream substrates, making them the least familiar order of amphibians. Caecilians are mostly distributed in the tropics ...

in the family

Caeciliidae Caeciliidae is the family of common caecilians. They are found in Central and South America. Like other caecilians, they superficially resemble worms or snakes. Although they are the most diverse of the caecilian families, the caeciliids do ha ...

. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 els ...

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...

and known from the

Amazon basin The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Boli ...

in Napo and

Pastaza Province Pastaza () is a province in the Oriente of Ecuador located in the eastern jungle. The capital is Puyo, founded on May 12, 1899 and which has 36,700 inhabitants. The city is now accessible by paved roads, a recent development; the main road from ...

s. The specific name ''dunni'' honors

Emmett Reid Dunn Emmett Reid Dunn (November 21, 1894 in Alexandria, Virginia – February 13, 1956) was an American herpetologist noted for his work in Panama and for studies of salamanders in the Eastern United States. Biography He attended Haverford College ...

, a prominent American herpetologist. Common name Dunn's caecilian has been coined for it. ''Caecilia dunni'' live subterraneanously in submontane forests. Deforestation is a potential threat to this little known species.

References

dunni Amphibians of Ecuador Endemic fauna of Ecuador Taxa named by Philip Hershkovitz Amphibians described in 1938 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot {{Caeciliidae-stub