Caeciliidae

Caeciliidae is the family of common caecilians. They are found in Central and South America, equatorial Africa and India. Like other caecilians, they look like worms or snakes.

Caeciliidae
Siphonops annulatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Gymnophiona
Family:	Caeciliidae Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1814
Genera
Boulengerula Brasilotyphlus Caecilia Dermophis Gegeneophis Geotrypetes Grandisonia Gymnopis Herpele Hypogeophis Idiocranium Indotyphlus Luetkenotyphlus Microcaecilia Mimosiphonops Oscaecilia Parvicaecilia Praslinia Schistometopum Siphonops

Although they are the most diverse of the caecilian families, the caeciliids do have a number of features in common that make them different from other caecilians. In particular, their skulls have few bones. The ones tey have are fused to form a solid ram. This helps in digging through the soil. The mouth is beneath the nose area. There is no tail.^[1]

Many caeciliids lay their eggs in moist soil. The eggs then hatch into aquatic larvae. However, some species do not have a larval stage. The eggs hatch into juveniles with the same form as the adults. In some they lack eggs and give birth to live young.^[1]

Species

• Genus Boulengerula – Boulenger's Caecilians
  • Boulengerula boulengeri
  • Boulengerula changamwensis
  • Boulengerula denhardti
  • Boulengerula fischeri
  • Boulengerula niedeni
  • Boulengerula taitana
  • Boulengerula uluguruensis
• Genus Brasilotyphlus – Brazilian Caecilians
  • Brasilotyphlus braziliensis
  • Brasilotyphlus guarantanus
• Genus Caecilia – Common Caecilians
  • Caecilia abitaguae
  • Caecilia albiventris
  • Caecilia antioquiaensis
  • Caecilia armata
  • Caecilia attenuata
  • Caecilia bokermanni
  • Caecilia caribea
  • Caecilia corpulenta
  • Caecilia crassisquama
  • Caecilia degenerata
  • Caecilia disossea
  • Caecilia dunni
  • Caecilia flavopunctata
  • Caecilia gracilis
  • Caecilia guntheri
  • Caecilia inca
  • Caecilia isthmica
  • Caecilia leucocephala
  • Caecilia marcusi
  • Caecilia mertensi
  • Caecilia nigricans
  • Caecilia occidentalis
  • Caecilia orientalis
  • Caecilia pachynema
  • Caecilia perdita
  • Caecilia pressula
  • Caecilia subdermalis
  • Caecilia subnigricans
  • Caecilia subterminalis
  • Caecilia tentaculata
  • Caecilia tenuissima
  • Caecilia thompsoni
  • Caecilia volcani
• Genus Caecilita
  • Caecilita iwokramae
• Genus Dermophis – Mexican Caecilians
  • Dermophis costaricensis
  • Dermophis glandulosus
  • Dermophis gracilior
  • Dermophis mexicanus
  • Dermophis oaxacae
  • Dermophis occidentalis
  • Dermophis parviceps
• Genus Gegeneophis – Forest Caecilians
  • Gegeneophis carnosus
  • Gegeneophis danieli, Daniel's caecilian
  • Gegeneophis fulleri
  • Gegeneophis goaensis
  • Gegeneophis krishni
  • Gegeneophis madhavai
  • Gegeniophis mhadeiensis
  • Gegeneophis nadkarnii
  • Gegeneophis ramaswamii
  • Gegeneophis seshachari
• Genus Geotrypetes – West African Caecilians
  • Geotrypetes angeli
  • Geotrypetes pseudoangeli
  • Geotrypetes seraphini, Gaboon caecilian
• Genus Grandisonia – Seychelles Caecilians
  • Grandisonia alternans
  • Grandisonia brevis
  • Grandisonia larvata
  • Grandisonia sechellensis
• Genus Gymnopis – Wet Forest Caecilians
  • Gymnopis multiplicata
  • Gymnopis syntrema
• Genus Herpele – Congo Caecilians
  • Herpele multiplicata
  • Herpele squalostoma
• Genus Hypogeophis – Frigate Island Caecilian
  • Hypogeophis rostratus
• Genus Idiocranium – Makumuno Assumbo Caecilian
  • Idiocranium russeli
• Genus Indotyphlus – Battersby's Caecilians
  • Indotyphlus battersbyi
  • Indotyphlus maharashtraensis
• Genus Luetkenotyphlus – São Paulo Caecilian
  • Luetkenotyphlus brasiliensis
• Genus Microcaecilia – Tiny Caecilians
  • Microcaecilia albiceps
  • Microcaecilia grandis
  • Microcaecilia rabei
  • Microcaecilia supernumeraria
  • Microcaecilia taylori
  • Microcaecilia unicolor
• Genus Mimosiphonops – Worm Patterned Caecilians
  • Mimosiphonops reinhardti
  • Mimosiphonops vermiculatus
• Genus Oscaecilia – South American Caecilians
  • Oscaecilia bassleri
  • Oscaecilia elongata
  • Oscaecilia equatorialis
  • Oscaecilia hypereumeces
  • Oscaecilia koepckeorum
  • Oscaecilia ochrocephala
  • Oscaecilia osae
  • Oscaecilia polyzona
  • Oscaecilia zweifeli
• Genus Parvicaecilia – Columbian Caecilians
  • Parvicaecilia nicefori
  • Parvicaecilia pricei
• Genus Praslinia – Cooper's Caecilian
  • Praslinia cooperi
• Genus Schistometopum – Guinae Caecilians
  • Schistometopum gregorii
  • Schistometopum thomense
• Genus Siphonops – Ringed Caecilians
  • Siphonops annulatus
  • Siphonops hardyi
  • Siphonops insulanus
  • Siphonops leucoderus
  • Siphonops paulensis
• Genus Sylvacaecilia – Aleku Caecilian
  • Sylvacaecilia grandisonae

References

1. Nussbaum, Ronald A. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G. (ed.). Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. p. 57. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)

• Nussbaum, Ronald A.; Wilkinson, Mark (1989). "On the Classification and Phylogeny of Caecilians". Herpetological Monographs (3): 1–42. doi:10.2307/1466984. JSTOR 1466984.
• San Mauro, Diego; Gower, David J.; Oommen, Oommen V.; Wilkinson, Mark; Zardoya, Rafael (November 2004). "Phylogeny of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) based on complete mitochondrial genomes and nuclear RAG1". Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. 33 (2): 413–427. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2004.05.014. PMID 15336675.
• San Mauro, Diego; Vences, Miguel; Alcobendas, Marina; Zardoya, Rafael; Meyer, Axel (May 2005). "Initial diversification of living amphibians predated the breakup of Pangaea". American Naturalist. 165 (5): 590–599. doi:10.1086/429523. PMID 15795855. S2CID 17021360.
• San Mauro, Diego; Gower, David J.; Massingham, Tim; Wilkinson, Mark; Zardoya, Rafael; Cotton, James A. (August 2009). "Experimental design in caecilian systematics: phylogenetic information of mitochondrial genomes and nuclear rag1". Systematic Biology. 58 (4): 425–438. doi:10.1093/sysbio/syp043. PMID 20525595.
• Frost, Darrel R. 2004. Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 3.0 (22 August 2004). Electronic Database accessible at http://research.amnh.org/herpetology/amphibia/index.php. American Museum of Natural History, New York, USA
• AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. 2004. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. Available: http://amphibiaweb.org/. Retrieved 26 August 2004