Ichthyophiidae

The Ichthyophiidae are the family of Asiatic tailed caecilians or fish caecilians found in South and Southeast Asia as well as southernmost China.[1]

Ichthyophiidae
Ichthyophis sp. from the Western Ghats
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Clade: Apoda
Family: Ichthyophiidae
Taylor, 1968
Genera

Ichthyophis
Uraeotyphlus

The vent is an important taxonomic feature for Ichthyophis identification

They are primitive caecilians, 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.[2]

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.[2]

Taxonomy

Family Ichthyophiidae

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References
  1. Frost, Darrel R. (2013). "Ichthyophiidae Taylor, 1968". Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
  2. Nussbaum, Ronald A. (1998). Cogger, H.G.; Zweifel, R.G. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 55. ISBN 978-0-12-178560-4.
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