Koh Tao Island caecilian

The Koh Tao Island caecilian (Ichthyophis kohtaoensis) is a species of amphibian in the family Ichthyophiidae found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Also known as the Ichthyophis bannanicus, the Banna caecilian, it is also found in southern China.[3]

Koh Tao Island caecilian
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Clade: Apoda
Family: Ichthyophiidae
Genus: Ichthyophis
Species:
I. kohtaoensis
Binomial name
Ichthyophis kohtaoensis
Taylor, 1960
Koh Tao Island caecilian range
Synonyms

Ichthyophis bannanicus Yang, 1984[2]

Specimen of Ichthyophis bannanicus in National Museum of Natural Science in Taiwan

Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, plantations, rural gardens, urban areas, heavily degraded former forests, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land. It is threatened by habitat loss.[4]


The scientific name refers to Ko Tao Island in the Gulf of Siam, where the type specimen was collected.

Genetics

The mitotic karyotypes of both the female and male Koh Tao caecilians have 21 pairs of chromosomes, although in a study performed by Nussbaum and Treisman, it was found that there was an inconsistent report of chromosomes. While they all may have the 21 chromosome pairs, there was a study that found they have 18 metacentric, 4 submetacentric, and 20 telocentric chromosomes while another study had found 16 metacentric, 6 submetacentric, and 20 telocentric chromosomes in the caecilians.[5] The conclusion that Ichthyophis genus is a karyologically conserved taxa when it comes to looking at the chromosome numbers.

References
  1. IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2021). "Ichthyophis kohtaoensis". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T59623A55068895. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  2. "Ichthyophis kohtaoensis". American Museum of Natural History.
  3. Frost, Darrel R. (2013). "Ichthyophis bannanicus Yang, 1984". Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  4. Yuan Zhigang, Chou Wenhao, Mark Wilkinson, David Gower (2004). "Ichthyophis bannanicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59609A11967645. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59609A11967645.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Patawang, Isara; Pinthong, Krit; Phimphan, Sumalee; Chuaynkern, Yodchaiy; Duengkae, Prateep; Tanomtong, Alongklod (December 2016). "Karyological characteristics of the Koh Tao caecilian, Ichthyophis kohtaoensis (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae) by conventional staining and Ag-NOR banding techniques". Rendiconti Lincei. 27 (4): 597–602. doi:10.1007/s12210-016-0534-6.


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