Battersby's caecilian

Battersby's caecilian (Indotyphlus battersbyi) 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.

Battersby's caecilian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Clade: Apoda
Family: Grandisoniidae
Genus: Indotyphlus
Species:
I. battersbyi
Binomial name
Indotyphlus battersbyi
Taylor, 1960

Description

The eyes of Battersby's caecilian are concealed under the skin and are feebly visible. It is also known as the tailless caecilian, as the body ends in a blunt shield. The vent in this species is transverse as opposed to longitudinal in most other species of Indian caecilians. The total length is 17–23.8 cm (6.7–9.4 in).[2]

Distribution and status

Battersby's caecilian is distributed in the Western Ghats in Maharashtra and Kerala (India).[3]

The population is unknown and threats are also not well known but are thought to be land changes for agriculture, wood and timber extracting by locals, road construction, agrochemical soil pollution and fires. It occurs in Sanjay Gandhi National Park and may occur in Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary.

Eponym

Battersby's caecilian is named in honour of James Clarence Battersby (1901–1993), herpetologist at the British Museum (Natural History), London, for 45 years.[4]

References
  1. Dutta, Sushil; Bhatta, Gopalakrishna; Gour-Broome, Vivek Ashok; Gower, David; Wilkinson, Mark; Oommen, V. (2004). "Indotyphlus battersbyi". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59568A11964072. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59568A11964072.en.
  2. Bhatta, G. (1998). "A field guide to the caecilians of the Western Ghats, India". Journal of Biosciences. 23 (1): 73–85. doi:10.1007/BF02728526.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2013). "Indotyphlus battersbyi Taylor, 1960". Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 27 August 2013.
  4. The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians. Pelagic Publishing. 2013. p. 17. ISBN 9781907807442.
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