''Caecilia inca'' 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

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 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 ...

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and only known from 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 ...

collected in 1944 from "Fundo Sinchona" in the

Loreto Region Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department, slightly smaller than Japan; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to ...

. There are doubts regarding taxonomic validity of this species. Common name Fundo Sinchona caecilian has been coined for it.

Description

The holotype, a male, measures in length and has a body width of about . There are 158 incomplete primary folds; secondary folds are absent. The eye is slightly visible externally. The head is somewhat narrowed towards the rounded snout tip. The nostril are small but clearly visible from above the head. There is an unsegmented terminal "shield" but no tail. The body is partly covered by scales. Coloration is grayish slate, with a hint of yellowish olive ventrolaterally.

Habitat and conservation

''Caecilia inca'' is a subterranean species inhabiting lowland moist tropical forest. The exact location of the type locality is uncertain, as is consequently its altitudinal range. The area around the type locality has probably been degraded by agricultural activities and urbanization, but there is no information of population trend of this species.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2236986

inca The Inca Empire, officially known as the Realm of the Four Parts (, ), was the largest empire in pre-Columbian America. The administrative, political, and military center of the empire was in the city of Cusco. The History of the Incas, Inca ...

Amphibians of Peru Endemic fauna of Peru Taxa named by Edward Harrison Taylor Amphibians described in 1973 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot