Chikila fulleri

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]

Chikila fulleri
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
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]

Etymology

The specific name fulleri honours Joseph Bampfylde Fuller, a British colonial administrator.[5]

Description

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]

Distribution

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]

Habitat

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]).

References
  1. Annemarie Ohler; Sushil Dutta; David Gower & Mark Wilkinson (2004). "Chikila fulleri". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59551A11962498. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59551A11962498.en. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2022). "Chikila fulleri (Alcock, 1904)". Amphibian Species of the World: An Online Reference. Version 6.1. American Museum of Natural History. doi:10.5531/db.vz.0001. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  3. Kamei, Rachunliu G.; Gower, David J.; Wilkinson, Mark; Biju, S. D. (2013). "Systematics of the caecilian family Chikilidae (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) with the description of three new species of Chikila from northeast India". Zootaxa. 3666 (4): 401–425. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.3666.4.1.
  4. Kamei, R. G.; Mauro, D. S.; Gower, D. J.; Van Bocxlaer, I.; Sherratt, E.; Thomas, A.; Babu, S.; Bossuyt, F.; Wilkinson, M.; Biju, S. D. (2012-02-22). "Discovery of a new family of amphibians from northeast India with ancient links to Africa". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 279 (1737): 2396–2401. doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.0150. PMC 3350690. PMID 22357266.
  5. Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael & Grayson, Michael (2013). The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. p. 74. ISBN 978-1-907807-42-8.
  6. Venkataraman, K.; Chattopadhyay, A. & Subramanian, K.A., eds. (2013). Endemic Animals of India (Vertebrates). Kolkata: Zoological Survey of India. 235 pp.+26 plates. [Chikila fulleri: p. 126]
  7. Vitt, Laurie J. & Caldwell, Janalee P. (2014). Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles (4th ed.). Academic Press. p. 166.
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