The Ichthyophiidae are the family of Asiatic tailed caecilians or fish caecilians found in
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
and
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...
as well as southernmost
China.
They are primitive
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 ...
s, 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
Rhinatrematidae is a family of caecilians, also known as the Neotropical tailed caecilians, American tailed caecilians. or beaked caecilians. They are found in the equatorial countries of South America.
They are usually regarded as the most basa ...
.
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'' is a genus of caecilians (limbless amphibians, sometimes called the Asian caecilians) found in Southeast Asia, the southern Philippines, and the western Indo-Australian Archipelago.
In Sri Lanka, three species occur. All are f ...
''
**''Ichthyophis acuminatus
The pointed-headed caecilianhttp://aark.portal.isis.org/Lists/Species%20prioritization%20%20Thailand/DispForm.aspx?ID=29 (''Ichthyophis acuminatus'') is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae Endemism, endemic to Thailand. Its natur ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis alfredi''
**''Ichthyophis asplenius
''Ichthyophis asplenius'' is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae found in Malaysia and possibly Thailand. It is also known as broad-striped caecilian, Boven Mahakkam caecilian and Malayan caecilian. It is only known with certaint ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis atricollaris''
**'' Ichthyophis bannanicus''
**'' Ichthyophis beddomei''
**''Ichthyophis bernisi
''Ichthyophis bernisi'', the Indonesia caecilian or Indonesian caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Java (Indonesia). It is only known from the holotype collected from an unspecified location on ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis biangularis''
**'' Ichthyophis billitonensis''
**'' Ichthyophis bombayensis''
**'' Ichthyophis cardamomensis''
**'' Ichthyophis catlocensis''
**'' Ichthyophis chaloensis''
**'' Ichthyophis daribokensis''
**''Ichthyophis davidi
''Ichthyophis davidi'', the Chorla giant striped caecilian, is a new caecilian species of India discovered in Chorla, a village situated on the borders of Goa, Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territori ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis dulitensis''
**'' Ichthyophis elongatus''
**'' Ichthyophis garoensis''
**'' Ichthyophis glandulosus''
**'' Ichthyophis glutinosus''
**'' Ichthyophis humphreyi''
**'' Ichthyophis hypocyaneus''
**'' Ichthyophis javanicus''
**'' Ichthyophis khumhzi''
**'' Ichthyophis kodaguensis''
**''Ichthyophis kohtaoensis
The Koh Tao Island caecilian (''Ichthyophis kohtaoensis'') is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland fores ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis lakimi''
**''Ichthyophis laosensis
The Upper Laos caecilian (''Ichthyophis laosensis'') is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Laos
Laos (, ''Lāo'' )), officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic ( Lao: ສາທາລະນະລ� ...
''
**''Ichthyophis larutensis
''Ichthyophis larutensis'', the Larut Hills caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae found in Malaysia and Thailand. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist m ...
''
**''Ichthyophis longicephalus
''Ichthyophis longicephalus'', the long-headed caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. The body is dark violet-brown, and lighter ventrally. A yellow lateral stripe starts at the neck and reaches the tip of the tail. S ...
''
**''Ichthyophis mindanaoensis
''Ichthyophis mindanaoensis'', also known as Todaya caecilian or Mindanao Island caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the island of Mindanao, the Philippines.
Description
''Ichthyophis mindanao ...
''
**''Ichthyophis monochrous
''Ichthyophis monochrous'', the Western Borneo caecilian or black caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to northern Borneo and known from western Kalimantan (Indonesia) and Sarawak (Malaysia), likely oc ...
''
**''Ichthyophis moustakius
''Ichthyophis moustakius'', the Manipur moustached caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Northeast India. This species exhibits broad lateral yellow stripes from the anterior part of its tail, alo ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis multicolor''
**''Ichthyophis nguyenorum
''Ichthyophis nguyenorum'' is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. They were first found in Kon Plông District, Kon Tum Province, central Vietnam, in 2006, and formally described in 2012. The species is now also known from ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis nigroflavus''
**''Ichthyophis nokrekensis
''Ichthyophis'' is a genus of caecilians (limbless amphibians, sometimes called the Asian caecilians) found in Southeast Asia, the southern Philippines, and the western Indo-Australian Archipelago.
In Sri Lanka, three species occur. All are f ...
''
**''Ichthyophis orthoplicatus
''Ichthyophis orthoplicatus'', also known as the Pattipola caecilian or brown caecilian, is a species of caecilian endemic to Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இ� ...
''
**''Ichthyophis paucidentulus
''Ichthyophis paucidentulus'', the Kapahiang caecilian, is a species of amphibian
Amphibians are tetrapod, four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the Class (biology), class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamph ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis paucisulcus''
**''Ichthyophis pauli
''Ichthyophis'' is a genus of caecilians (limbless amphibians, sometimes called the Asian caecilians) found in Southeast Asia, the southern Philippines, and the western Indo-Australian Archipelago.
In Sri Lanka, three species occur. All are foun ...
''
**''Ichthyophis pseudangularis
''Ichthyophis pseudangularis'' is a species of caecilian endemic to Sri Lanka. It is found in a range of natural and man-made habitats: forests, rubber plantations, paddy fields, rural gardens and farms, wetlands (boggy and muddy areas), and pa ...
''
**''Ichthyophis sendenyu
''Ichthyophis sendenyu'', the Sendenyu striped ichthyophis, is a species of caecilian found in India. This species of ''Ichthyophis'' possesses broad and solid lateral yellow stripes from about the level
of the posterior of its disc to its eye ...
''
**''Ichthyophis sikkimensis
''Ichthyophis sikkimensis'', the Sikkimese caecilian or Darjeeling caecilian, is a species of caecilian found in India (Sikkim and West Bengal), Nepal and possibly Bhutan. It was described by Edward Harrison Taylor
Edward Harrison Taylor (Apri ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis singaporensis''
**'' Ichthyophis sumatranus''
**''Ichthyophis supachaii
''Ichthyophis supachaii'', or Supachai's caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae found in Thailand's provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat and Trang, and possibly Malaysia.
It is known mostly from 11 specimens of various ag ...
''
**''Ichthyophis tricolor
''Ichthyophis tricolor'', the three-colored caecilian or Maddatorai caecilian, is an amphibian endemic to the Western Ghats, India. Its taxonomic status is unclear, including its relationship with ''Ichthyophis beddomei'' and the possibility o ...
''
**'' Ichthyophis weberi''
**''Ichthyophis youngorum
''Ichthyophis youngorum'', the Doi Suthep caecilian, is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is known only from 10 adult and 13 larval specimens collected in 1957 by Edward Harrison Taylor. They were collected in the rainfore ...
''
* Genus '' Uraeotyphlus''
**'' Uraeotyphlus gansi''
**'' Uraeotyphlus interruptus''
**'' Uraeotyphlus malabaricus''
**'' Uraeotyphlus menoni''
**'' Uraeotyphlus narayani''
**'' Uraeotyphlus oommeni''
**'' Uraeotyphlus oxyurus''
References
*Nussbaum, Ronald A. and Mark Wilkinson (1989). "On the Classification and Phylogeny of Caecilians." Herpetological Monographs, (3), 1-42
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*
*
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*AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. eb application 2004. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. Retrieved 26 August 2004
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1069149
Amphibian families
Amphibians of Asia