| Chikila fulleri | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Gymnophiona |
| Clade: | Apoda |
| Family: | Chikilidae |
| Genus: | Chikila |
| Species: | C. fulleri |
| Binomial name | |
| Chikila fulleri (Alcock, 1904) | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Chikila fulleri, also known as the Kuttal caecilian, Fuller's caecilian, and Fuller's chikila, is a species of caecilian from South Asia. [2] [3] In 2012 it was reassigned to a newly erected family, Chikilidae. [2] [4]
The specific name fulleri honours Joseph Bampfylde Fuller, a British colonial administrator. [5]
Males measure 160–190 mm (6.3–7.5 in) and females 173–230 mm (6.8–9.1 in) in total length. The total length is 28–37 times the midbody width. There are 89–92 primary annuli. Dorsal colouration is shiny dark lilac, laterally and ventrally paler lilac with a strong pinkish tinge. The head is paler than the body. The chin, throat and the first few primary annuli have substantial pale blotches. The eyes are faintly visible, if at all. [3]
Chikila fulleri is found in Northeast India (Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura) and in northeastern Bangladesh (Sylhet Division). It probably occurs also in adjacent Myanmar. [2] The type locality is Kuttal, six miles southwest of Silchar in Cachar, Assam, [1] [2] at an altitude of about 100 m above sea level. [1] It has been recorded at elevations of 10–602 m (33–1,975 ft) above sea level. [3]
Chikila fulleri are fossorial, living in the soil, [3] [6] and have been found in both natural and human-altered habitats. They can be locally common. [3] They are oviparous and have direct development [6] (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage [7] ).
Caecilians are a group of limbless, vermiform (worm-shaped) or serpentine (snake-shaped) amphibians. They mostly live hidden in soil or in streambeds, and this cryptic lifestyle renders caecilians among the least familiar amphibians. Modern caecilians live in the tropics of South and Central America, Africa, and southern Asia. Caecilians feed on small subterranean creatures such as earthworms. The body is cylindrical and often darkly coloured, and the skull is bullet-shaped and strongly built. Caecilian heads have several unique adaptations, including fused cranial and jaw bones, a two-part system of jaw muscles, and a chemosensory tentacle in front of the eye. The skin is slimy and bears ringlike markings or grooves, which may contain tiny scales.
Uraeotyphlus is a genus of caecilians in the family Ichthyophiidae. There are seven species in this genus, all of which are endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India. Previously, the genus has also been placed in its own monotypic family Uraeotyphlidae.
Ichthyophis garoensis, the Garo Hills caecilian, is a species of caecilian found in Assam and Meghalaya in north-eastern India. The Husain's caecilian Ichthyophis husaini was until 2016 considered a separate species. It is a subterranean caecilian that lives in the moist leaf-litter of tropical forests. It is typically found close to streams and other waterbodies.
Indotyphlus maharashtraensis is a species of caecilians described in 2004 by scientists of Bombay Natural History Society and the Natural History Museum, London. It is only the second species of Indotyphlus known to science, and only known from its type locality near Humbarli village, Satara District, in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra, India. Common names Humbarli caecilian, Maharashtra caecilian, and Konkan tail-less caecilian have been coined for it.
Boulengerula fischeri is a species of caecilian in the family Herpelidae. It is endemic to Rwanda and only known from around its type locality near Cyangugu, southwestern Rwanda. The specific name fischeri honours Eberhard Fischer, a German botanist who has worked with Rwandan fauna and flora. Common name Fischer's African caecilian has been coined for it. Live animals have the appearance of "live pink spaghetti".
Herpele multiplicata is a species of caecilian in the family Herpelidae. It is endemic to Cameroon. It is only known from its holotype, which is now lost. The only available information is the brief species description published in 1912 by Fritz Nieden. Common name Victoria caecilian has been coined for it.
Herpele squalostoma is a species of caecilian in the family Herpelidae. It is also known by the common name Congo caecilian. It is found in Central and extreme easternmost West Africa.
Mimosiphonops reinhardti is a species of caecilian in the family Siphonopidae. It is endemic to Brazil. It is only known from the holotype collected from "Brasilia" in 1878, probably somewhere in eastern Brazil. The specific name reinhardti honors Johannes Theodor Reinhardt, Danish zoologist and herpetologist who collected the holotype. Common name Reinhardt's caecilian has been proposed for this species.
Crotaphatrema lamottei, the Mount Oku caecilian or Lamotte's caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Scolecomorphidae. It is endemic to Mount Oku in Cameroon. The specific name lamottei honours Maxime Lamotte, French biologist. There is some doubt whether Crotaphatrema tchabalmbaboensis really is distinct from this species.
Scolecomorphus kirkii is a species of caecilian in the family Scolecomorphidae. It is known from southern Malawi east of the Shire River, northern Mozambique, and Tanzania ; the known distribution is discontinuous but the species is expected to occur in the intervening areas.
Uraeotyphlus oommeni, sometimes known as the Oommen's caecilian, Oommen's Uraeotyphlus, or Bonnacord caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. Within Uraeotyphlus, it belongs to the U. malabaricus group showing no obvious external differentiation between primary and higher-order annuli. This species is endemic to the Western Ghats and only known from its type locality, Bonaccord, Thiruvananthapuram district, southern Kerala. Very little is known about this species known only from a single specimen collected from an imprecise location.
Microcaecilia iwokramae is a species of caecilian in the family Siphonopidae. It is endemic to Guyana and only known from its type locality in the Iwokrama Forest. It was first described as Caecilita iwokramae in the monotypic genus Caecilita, before being recognised as belonging to Microcaecilia.
Sathyabhama Das Biju is an Indian amphibian biologist, wildlife conservationist and heads the Systematics Lab at the University of Delhi, Department of Environmental Studies. He is dubbed as the "Frogman of India" by media for his passion for frogs and for bringing fresh fascination for Indian amphibians. In an interview with Sanctuary Asia, he was introduced as "one of the world's foremost amphibian experts".
Chikilidae is a family of Indian caecilians, the 10th and most recent (2012) family of caecilians to be identified, although the type species, Chikila fulleri was first described in 1904. The discovery that this was a separate lineage resulted from genetic analyses of specimens collected during about 250 soil-digging expeditions over five years that covered every Northeast Indian state. A team of biologists led by University of Delhi herpetologist Sathyabhama Das Biju described the family as representing as many as seven species apparently endemic to the region. In September 2012, some of these species were also found in Lawachara National Park in the Sylhet region of northeastern Bangladesh. The family's lineage is believed to have originated in Africa, where their closest living relatives are found.
Ichthyophis moustakius, the Manipur moustached caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Northeast India. This species exhibits broad lateral yellow stripes from the anterior part of its tail, along its mandibles, between its nares, as well as elsewhere. The animal can reach a length of 300 millimetres (12 in). Its head is somewhat U-shaped and fairly short; scales are absent on its collars. The species' name is derived from the Greek word moustakius, meaning "moustache", due to the yellow arched stripes it possesses.
Chikila is a genus of amphibian in the order Gymnophiona (caecilians). It is the only genus within the family Chikilidae. All members of the genus are known from northeast India and Bangladesh.
Ichthyophis khumhzi, the Khumhzi striped ichthyophis, is a species of caecilian found in India. It has narrow and irregular lateral yellow stripes. It can attain lengths larger than 400 mm (16 in). Its head is V-shaped while short; the animal shows scales as far anterior as its collars. The species is named after Khumhzi village, where the specimens were first collected.
Ichthyophis sendenyu, the Sendenyu striped ichthyophis, is a species of caecilian found in India. This species of Ichthyophis possesses broad and solid lateral yellow stripes from about the level of the posterior of its disc to its eye level on the upper jaw, while arched yellow stripes extend to its nares. Its length does not exceed 350 millimetres (14 in). Its head is U-shaped and short. Scales are present in anteriormost grooves, with five to eight rows placed posteriorly on its dorsum. It is named after Sendenyu village, Nagaland, where the species was first found.
Ichthyophis kodaguensis, also known as the Kodagu striped Ichthyophis, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the southern Western Ghats, India. All confirmed records are from southern Karnataka state, although it is also reported from adjacent Kerala.
