Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniotic, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all tetrapods excluding the amniotes. All extant (living) amphibians belong to the monophyletic subclass Lissamphibia, with three living orders: Anura, Urodela (salamanders), and Gymnophiona (caecilians). Evolved to be mostly semiaquatic, amphibians have adapted to inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living in freshwater, wetland or terrestrial ecosystems. Their life cycle typically starts out as aquatic larvae with gills known as tadpoles, but some species have developed behavioural adaptations to bypass this.
The Makumunu Assumbo caecilian is a species of African caecilian in the family Grandisoniidae. It is one of the smallest of caecilians, and is found in Cameroon. It is monotypic in the genus Idiocranium.
Brasilotyphlus is a genus of caecilians in the family Siphonopidae. It was considered monotypic, containing only the species Brasilotyphlus braziliensis. However, two recently described species, Brasilotyphlus guarantanus and Brasilotyphlus dubium, have been placed in this same genus. All three species are endemic to Brazil. This genus has also been suggested as paraphyletic to Microcaecilia.
Dermophis costaricense is a species of caecilian in the family Dermophiidae. It is endemic to Costa Rica and is found on the Atlantic versant of Cordillera de Tilarán, Cordillera Central, and Cordillera de Talamanca. Its taxonomic status is in need of a review.
Dermophis glandulosus is a species of caecilian in the family Dermophiidae. It is found in northwestern Colombia, Costa Rica, and Panama. It is the southernmost species among Dermophis.
Dermophis gracilior is a species of caecilian in the family Dermophiidae. It is found on the Pacific slopes of Cordillera de Talamanca in eastern Costa Rica and western Panama, as well as in the central Pacific Costa Rica. Some sources also report it from the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica.
Dermophis mexicanus, also known commonly as the Mexican burrowing caecilian or the Mexican caecilian, and locally as the tapalcua or tepelcua, is a species of limbless amphibian in the family Dermophiidae. The species is native to Mexico and Central America, where it burrows under leaf litter and plant debris.
Dermophis oaxacae, also known Oaxacan caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Dermophiidae. It is endemic to southwestern Mexico and occurs on the Pacific slopes and the Balsas depression in the states of Jalisco, Michoacán, Guerrero, Oaxaca, and Chiapas.
Dermophis occidentalis is a species of caecilian in the family Dermophiidae. It is endemic to south-western Costa Rica and occurs in the Pacific lowlands and premontane slopes, extending to the western part of the central valley. Its taxonomic status is unclear.
Dermophis parviceps is a species of caecilian in the family Dermophiidae. It is found in Costa Rica and Panama, and possibly in Colombia, depending on the source. Common names slender caecilian and La Loma caecilian have been coined for it.
Oscaecilia is a genus of caecilians in the family Caeciliidae. The genus is distributed in southeastern Central America and northern South America, possibly extending into southern Brazil. They are sometimes known as the South American caecilians.
Schistometopum thomense is a species of amphibian in the family Dermophiidae, endemic to São Tomé and Ilhéu das Rolas. This species may be referred to as the São Tomé caecilian, as the Agua Ize caecilian, or as the island caecilian, or by the local name of cobra bobo. It is found in most soils on São Tomé, from tropical moist lowland forests to coastal coconut plantations. It is absent only from the driest northern areas of the island.
Siphonops annulatus, the ringed caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Siphonopidae endemic to South America. It may have the broadest known distribution of any terrestrial caecilian species.
Sylvacaecilia is a monotypic genus of caecilian in the family Grandisoniidae. The only species is Sylvacaecilia grandisonae, also known as the Aleku caecilian or Ethiopian caecilian. It is endemic to southwestern Ethiopia and known from the Gambela, Oromia, and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Regions.
Rhinatrema is a genus of caecilians in the family Rhinatrematidae. Their common name is two-lined caecilians. The genus is known from the Guyanas and adjacent Brazil. Most Rhinatrema are known to inhabit and live in areas of tropical forests where there is an abundance of dense, dead vegetation matter.
The Dermophiidae are a family of common caecilians. They are found in Central and South America, and Africa. Like other caecilians, they superficially resemble worms or snakes.
Marvalee Hendricks Wake is an American zoologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, known for her research in the biology of caecilians and vertebrate development and evolution. A 1988 Guggenheim Fellow, she has served as president of the American Institute of Biological Sciences, the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists, Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology, International Union of Biological Sciences, and the International Society of Vertebrate Morphology. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the California Academy of Sciences, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
