Uraeotyphlus malabaricus

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.[2] It is known with several common names: Malabar tailed caecilian, Nilgiris caecilian, Malabar caecilian, and white-lipped caecilian.[2][3]

Uraeotyphlus malabaricus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Clade: Apoda
Family: Ichthyophiidae
Genus: Uraeotyphlus
Species:
U. malabaricus
Binomial name
Uraeotyphlus malabaricus
(Beddome, 1870)
Synonyms[2]

Cecilia malabarica Beddome, 1870

Description

Adult measure 145–234 mm (5.7–9.2 in) including the 3–6 mm (0.1–0.2 in) tail. The body is short and stout, violet-coloured dorsally and lighter ventrally. The eyes are distinct and surrounded by a light ring. The tentacles are placed ventrally, close to the lip. Light-coloured areas are present around the nostrils, snout tip, and tentacles. The upper lips and lower jaw are also of a light cream colour. There is a light spot present near vent, and the tip of the tail is whitish.[4]

Habitat and conservation

Uraeotyphlus malabaricus has been collected in evergreen tropical forest (600–1,200 m (2,000–3,900 ft) above sea level), but its ecology is generally poorly known. Presumably, the adults are fossorial. It is probably an oviparous species laying terrestrial eggs and having aquatic larvae.[1]

Threats to this species are not known. It occurs in the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.[1]

References
  1. M.S. Ravichandran, Sushil Dutta, Gopalakrishna Bhatta, David Gower, Mark Wilkinson, Oommen V. Oommen (2004). "Uraeotyphlus malabaricus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2004: e.T59655A11976612. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59655A11976612.en. Retrieved 20 November 2021.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Uraeotyphlus malabaricus (Beddome, 1870)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  3. "Uraeotyphlus malabaricus (Beddome, 1870)". India Biodiversity Portal. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  4. Bhatta, Gopalakrishna (1998). "A field guide to the caecilians of the Western Ghats, India". Journal of Biosciences. 23 (1): 73–85. doi:10.1007/BF02728526. S2CID 29374045.
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