Frigate Island caecilian

The Frigate Island caecilian (Hypogeophis rostratus) is a species of amphibians in the family Indotyphlidae, endemic to Seychelles, where it is the most widespread caecilian species. It is found on all the islands with amphibians, namely Mahé, Praslin, Silhouette, Ste. Anne, Curieuse, La Digue, Cerf, and Frégate. The Frigate Island caecilian skeletal structure said to resemble the Gegeneophis ramaswamii, an Indian direct-developing caeciliid (Müller, 2006). This discovery was made after many people questioned the original statements made regarding their skeletal structure and how it develops.

Frigate Island caecilian
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Gymnophiona
Clade:	Apoda
Family:	Grandisoniidae
Genus:	Hypogeophis
Species:	H. rostratus
Binomial name
Hypogeophis rostratus (Cuvier, 1829)

References

1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2013). "Hypogeophis rostratus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2013: e.T59566A21008675. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2013-1.RLTS.T59566A21008675.en. Retrieved 17 November 2021.

• Himstedt, Werner (2000). "Caecilian Ecology". In Hofrichter, Robert (ed.). Amphibians: The World of Frogs, Toads, Salamanders and Newts. New York: Firefly. pp. 186–190. ISBN 1-55209-541-X.
• Müller, H. (2006). Ontogeny of the skull, lower jaw, and hyobranchial skeleton of Hypogeophis rostratus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) revisited. Journal of Morphology (1931), 267(8), 968–986. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10454