Gegeneophis mhadeiensis

Last updated

Gegeneophis mhadeiensis
Mhadei Caecilian - Shreeram MV - 2023.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Clade: Apoda
Family: Grandisoniidae
Genus: Gegeneophis
Species:
G. mhadeiensis
Binomial name
Gegeneophis mhadeiensis
Bhatta, Dinesh, Prashanth & Kulkarni, 2007

Gegeneophis mhadeiensis, commonly known as the Mahadeyi caecilian, Mhadei caecilian, or Mhadei's blind caecilian, [2] is a species of caecilian belonging to the family Grandisoniidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern India, [3] and is threatened by habitat loss. [4]

Contents

Etymology

The specific name, mhadeiensis, refers to the type locality on the bank of a tributary of the Mhadei river. [5]

Distribution

The species is currently known from its type locality in Chorla village, Belgaum district in the state of Karnataka in India. [6] It can tolerate disturbed habitats. Although it is endemic to the Western Ghats, the actual extent of its distribution remains unknown. [7]

Description

The species has a total body length of 180–202 mm (7.1–8.0 in). [8] It has a sub-cylindrical and slightly dorsoventrally compressed body. It is uniform in width. The anterior portion of its head tapers and terminates in a narrow snout tip. The posterior part of its head is somewhat narrower than the nuchal region. The margin of its upper lip is slightly arched. Its teeth are recurved and monocuspid.

The species is mostly dark brown in colour. It has a pinkish-brown head, and white annular grooves. [9]

Habitat

Gegeneophis mhadeiensis occurs in forests, plantations and along streams. It is a burrowing animal. It is threatened by fertilizers and pesticides.

Related Research Articles

<i>Uraeotyphlus interruptus</i> Species of amphibian

Uraeotyphlus interruptus, also known as the Chengalam caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in southern India and is only known from its type locality, Chengalam village in Kerala.

Uraeotyphlus malabaricus is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats of India and is known from its type locality, "Malabar" in Kerala, and from the Nilgiri mountains in Tamil Nadu. It is known with several common names: Malabar tailed caecilian, Nilgiris caecilian, Malabar caecilian, and white-lipped caecilian.

<i>Uraeotyphlus menoni</i> Species of amphibian

Uraeotyphlus menoni, also known as Menon's caecilian or Kerala caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the state of Kerala in the Western Ghats, India. The specific name menoni honours K. Ramunni Menon, collector of the holotype who later became the vice-chancellor of the University of Madras.

<i>Uraeotyphlus oxyurus</i> Species of amphibian

Uraeotyphlus oxyurus, also known as the red caecilian, sharp-nosed caecilian, dark-brown caecilian, pale-throated caecilian, or harp-tailed caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, southern India.

Gegeneophis carnosus is a species of caecilian found in Karnataka and Kerala states, India. Its common name Periah Peak caecilian refers to its type locality, though it is also known under names blind caecilian and pink blind caecilian.

Gegeneophis madhavai, the Mudur caecilian, is a species of caecilian found in India. It is only known from its type locality Mudur village, Kundapura Taluk in Udupi district in Karnataka.

Gegeneophis ramaswamii, common names Tenmalai caecilian, Tenmalai blind caecilian, Ramaswami's caecilian, and forest caecilian is a species of caecilian. It is endemic to the southern portion of the Western Ghats, India, and is recorded from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The specific name ramaswamii honours L. S. Ramaswami, an Indian herpetologist.

Gegeneophis seshachari, the Seshachari's caecilian, is a species of caecilian found in the Western Ghats of India. It is only known from its type locality Dorle village, Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra.

Battersby's caecilian is a slender species of caecilian endemic to the Western Ghats, India. It has a flesh-coloured body, making it look very much like a large earthworm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caecilians of the Western Ghats</span>

The Western Ghats in India are home to several species of caecilians (Gymnophiona). Caecilians are legless, burrowing amphibians which mostly live in leaf litter, loose soil, under rocks and decaying logs. They are also found in agricultural fields and only surface during the monsoon. The body is elongated and smooth with a slimy skin. The smaller caecilians superficially resemble earthworms while the larger ones are often mistaken for snakes. However, they can be told apart from earthworms by the presence of eyes, teeth and skeleton and from snakes by the lack of scales on skin. The eyes in caecilians are not well developed which is most likely to be because of their burrowing life style. They are considered as rare which is apparently due to their subterranean habits. To see them one has to search carefully and be at the right place and at the right time. There are few places where they are common, but, at least one species was reported to be abundant in agricultural fields in Kerala. The larger caecilians can resemble snakes, but their skin is smooth, not scaly.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dattatreya night frog</span> Species of amphibian

The Dattatreya night frog is a species of frog in the family Nyctibatrachidae first described in the Shola forests around the Dattatreya Peeta in the Chikkamagaluru district of Karnataka. It is still known only from this part of the Western Ghats, India.

Gegeneophis is a genus of amphibians in the family Grandisoniidae. They are found in southern and northeastern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary</span> Wildlife sanctuary in Goa, India

The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is a 208.5-km2 (80.5-mi2) protected area in the Indian state of Goa in the Western Ghats of South India. It is located in the North Goa District, Sattari taluka near the town of Valpoi. The sanctuary is an area of high biodiversity, and is being considered to become a Project Tiger tiger reserve because of the presence of Bengal tigers.

<i>Ichthyophis davidi</i> Species of amphibian

Ichthyophis davidi, the Chorla giant striped caecilian, is a new caecilian species of India discovered in Chorla, a village situated on the borders of Goa, Maharashtra, and Karnataka in the Mhadei region of India. It is one of the largest known limbless, yellow-striped caecilians from the Western Ghats. It is named in honour of David Gower, department of zoology, Natural History Museum, London, in recognition of his contributions to Indian caecilian studies. The discovery was made by researchers Gopalakrishna Bhatta of the department of biology, BASE Educational Services Private Limited, Bengaluru; K. P. Dinesh and C. Radhakrishnan of western ghats regional centre, Calicut; P. Prashanth of Agumbe Rainforest Research Station, Agumbe; and Nirmal Kulkarni of Mhadei Research Centre, Chorla Ghat.

<i>Raorchestes</i> Genus of amphibians

Raorchestes is a genus of frogs in the subfamily Rhacophorinae that are found in mountainous regions of South Asia, Southeast Asia, and southern China. A recent study places Raorchestes as a sister taxon of Pseudophilautus. Before the description of the genus in 2010, species now in Raorchestes had been assigned to genera Ixalus, Philautus, and Pseudophilautus.

Nirmal Ulhas Kulkarni is a herpetologist, field ecologist, conservationist, and wildlife photographer. Director (Ecology) of Wildernest Nature Resort, an eco-tel in the Chorla Ghats (Goa), Chairman of the Mhadei Research Centre, Team Lead of Hypnale Research Station and promoter of HERPACTIVE, a study initiative on Herpetofauna. As of December 2012, he lives in Goa.

<i>Raorchestes agasthyaensis</i> Species of amphibian

Raorchestes agasthyaensis, the Agasthiamalai bushfrog, is a frog found in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India, particularly in Bonacaud near Ponmudi as well as nearby areas of Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam districts. The species is named after Agasthyamalai, its type locality.

Gegeneophis goaensis, also known as the Goa caecilian, is a species of caecilian known from its type locality in Keri Village, Sattari Taluk, in the North Goa district of Goa, India.

<i>Ichthyophis kodaguensis</i> Species of amphibian

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.

References

  1. "IUCN Red List of Threatened Species". iucnredlist.org. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  2. "Gegeneophis mhadeiensis Bhatta, Dinesh, Prashanth, and Kulkarni, 2007 | Species". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  3. "Gegeneophis mhadeiensis Bhatta, Dinesh, Prashanth, and Kulkarni, 2007 | Species". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  4. Red List, IUCN. "Gegeneophis mhadeiensis".
  5. "AmphibiaWeb - Gegeneophis mhadeiensis". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  6. "AmphibiaWeb - Gegeneophis mhadeiensis". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  7. "AmphibiaWeb - Gegeneophis mhadeiensis". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  8. "AmphibiaWeb - Gegeneophis mhadeiensis". amphibiaweb.org. Retrieved 2023-04-26.
  9. "Gegeneophis mhadeiensis". India Biodiversity Portal.