Indotyphlus

Indotyphlus is a small genus of caecilians in the family Indotyphlidae.[1][2][3] As caecilians in general, they superficially resemble earthworms.[3] The genus is endemic to the Western Ghats, India.[1][4][5] They are sometimes known as Battersby's caecilians.[1]

Indotyphlus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Clade: Apoda
Family: Indotyphlidae
Genus: Indotyphlus
Taylor, 1960
Type species
Indotyphlus battersbyi
Taylor, 1960
Species

2 species (see text)

Description

Indotyphlus are small caecilians, with the largest specimen (a female Indotyphlus battersbyi) measuring 24 cm (9.4 in) in total length.[5] The eyes are visible in sockets, instead of under bone.[3][4][5] Other diagnostic characters are absence of temporal fossae, mesethmoid not being exposed dorsally, presence of splenial teeth, secondary grooves, and scales, tentacular opening that is closer to the eye than to the external nostril, no unsegmented terminal shield, smallish narial plugs on tongue, absence of diastema between vomerine and palatine teeth, and absence of terminal keel.[4][5]

Development is probably direct, without aquatic larvae.[5]

Habitat

The genus is unusual among caecilians in that both species have been recorded from relatively open, shallow-soiled areas with long dry season.[5]

Species

The genus contains two species:[1][2][6]

Binomial name and authorCommon name
Indotyphlus battersbyi Taylor, 1960Battersby's caecilian
Indotyphlus maharashtraensis Giri, Wilkinson, and Gower, 2004Humbarli caecilian, Maharashtra caecilian
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References
  1. Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Indotyphlus Taylor, 1960". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  2. "Indotyphlidae". AmphibiaWeb. University of California, Berkeley. 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  3. Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. pp. 447, 454.
  4. Nussbaum, Ronald A. & Wilkinson, Mark (1989). "On the classification and phylogeny of caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona), a critical review". Herpetological Monographs. 3: 1–42. doi:10.2307/1466984. JSTOR 1466984.
  5. Giri, V. B.; M. Wilkinson & D. J. Gower (2004). "A new species of Indotyphlus Taylor (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from the Western Ghats, India" (PDF). Zootaxa. 739: 1–19. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.739.1.1.
  6. "Indotyphlus Taylor, 1960". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
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