''Rhinatrema nigrum'', the black caecilian, 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

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 ...

found in

Guyana Guyana, officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern coast of South America, part of the historic British West Indies. entry "Guyana" Georgetown, Guyana, Georgetown is the capital of Guyana and is also the co ...

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

, and possibly

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. Its natural

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

s are subtropical or tropical moist lowland

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

s, subtropical or tropical moist

montane forest Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures lapse rate, fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is ...

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

s, and intermittent rivers.

Taxonomy

This species was first described by the American herpetologist

Emmett Reid Dunn Emmett Reid Dunn (November 21, 1894 – February 13, 1956) was an American herpetologist and educator who worked in Panama and studied salamanders in the Eastern United States. Early life and education Emmett Reid Dunn was born on November 21, ...

in 1942 as ''Rhinatrema nigrum'', the type locality being Arundabara, British Guiana. It has been included in the genus '' Epicrionops'' as ''Epicrionops niger''. Dunn, E.R. 1942. The American caecilians. ''Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology'' 91: 437–540.

Distribution and habitat

The black caecilian is native to south eastern Venezuela and western Guyana, and possibly northern Brazil. It occurs at altitudes of between in moist lowland and montane forests, cloud forests, seasonally dry forests, wetlands, marshes and the banks of temporary and permanent water courses. Only four specimens have been recorded, and it is likely that the range of this species is in reality wider than is currently known. Whether the species can adapt to secondary habitats is unknown.

Ecology

As an amphibian, this caecilian is likely to feed on insects, earthworms and other small invertebrates. Clutches of eggs have been found under rocks, where they are guarded by the female. The larvae probably develop in streams.

Status

The black caecilian has a wide distribution in an area with very little human disturbance, and is known to be present in

Canaima National Park Canaima National Park () is a park in south-eastern Venezuela that roughly occupies the same area as the La Gran Sabana, Gran Sabana region. It is located in Bolívar State (Venezuela), Bolívar State, reaching the borders with Brazil and Guya ...

in Venezuela. Although the total population size is unknown, the species is believed to be common with few known threats, and the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the stat ...

has assessed its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wil ...

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2213113 Rhinatrematidae Amphibians described in 1942 Caecilians of Brazil Amphibians of Guyana Amphibians of Venezuela Taxonomy articles created by Polbot