Caecilians of the Western Ghats
Encyclopedia
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
are home to several species of Caecilian
Caecilian
The caecilians are an order of amphibians that superficially resemble earthworms or snakes. They mostly live hidden in the ground, making them the least familiar order of amphibians. All extant caecilians and their closest fossil relatives are grouped as the clade Apoda. They are mostly...
s (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 (usually by digging) 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
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
. The larger caecilians look like snakes but their skin is smooth and not scaly.
The Western Ghats Caecilians
The Western GhatsWestern Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
are one of the global biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
hotspots, and a centre of caecilian diversity. Of the 26 described species of Caecilians from India, 25 are endemic. From distributional records it is apparent that the hot spot of known caecilian diversity in India is the Western Ghats. Of the 20 currently recognized Western Ghats species, most are known from the southern part of the range, including seven species endemic to this area.
As far as is known, all Indian Caecilians are oviparous i.e. they lay eggs and have a free-living, aquatic larval stage. The smallest Indian caecilian is about 142 mm (5.6 in) in length (Gegeneophis krishni) and the longest is 545 mm (21.5 in) (Ichthyophis malabarensis). As per the available information, most caecilians are opportunistic feeders and feed on earthworms, termites, larvae and pupae of a variety of insects. The observation of the faeces of captive caecilians indicates that they may be detritivores i.e. feeding on dead and decomposed organic matter also.
Despite more than 100 years of research in the region, the number of recognised Caecilian species in the Western Ghats is still increasing rapidly. Most of Western Ghats caecilians were previously described from the southern part of the peninsula. However, moderate recent effort expended in the herpetologically under explored northern region has uncovered several new species. The current picture of caecilian biology in the northern Western Ghats is well illustrated by recent discoveries. In the last 18 months, five new species have been described from northern Karnataka and Maharashtra. Thus, we know almost nothing of their biology and they are all of data deficient as a conservation status.
As per the recent reports about 31% of the amphibians of the world are on the verge of extinction. This is really an alarming situation. Many more species are yet to be discovered and if the situation remains the same then they will extinct without our knowledge. These amphibians play a dual role in the food chain. They are predators which keep a check on the insect population and are also prey for a variety of other predators. Their decline is surely going to disturb the balance of the entire food chain which will ultimately affect human beings.
Family: Caeciliidae
- Genus: Indotyphlus
- Indotyphlus battersbyiIndotyphlus battersbyiBattersby's caecilian is a slender species of caecilian with a flesh coloured body, making it look very much like a large earth worm. Eyes 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...
- Indotyphlus maharashtraensisIndotyphlus maharashtraensisIndotyphlus maharashtraensis is a species caecilians that was described in 2004 by scientists of Bombay Natural History Society and the Natural History Museum, London. It is only the second species of Indotyphlus known to science and was discovered from Koyna, Satara district, Maharashtra...
- Indotyphlus battersbyi
- Genus: Gegeneophis
- Gegeneophis danieliGegeneophis danieliGegeneophis danieli, also known as the Amboli caecilian or Daniel's Caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Caeciliidae. It was discovered from near Amboli in Western Ghats of Maharashtra.-References:...
- Gegeneophis ramaswamiiGegeneophis ramaswamiiGegeneophis ramaswamii Taylor, 1964A greyish and rather large species of caecilian with tentacles placed just behind and below the level of nostrils. The eyes are not visible. This is probably the most abundant species of caecilian within its range. Found in southern Kerala, it was found to occur...
- Gegeneophis carnosusGegeneophis carnosusGegeneophis carnosus is a rather small species of caecilian with flesh coloured body. The body ends in a blunt shield. Eyes not visible externally. The tentacular aperture is below and behind the nostril, which are placed close to the tip of the snout so that they are not quite visible from top...
- Gegeneophis krishniGegeneophis krishniGegeneophis krishni is a species of caecilian found in India....
Western Ghats (Gurpur in Karnataka) - Gegeneophis madhavorum Western Ghats (Udupi in Karnataka)
- Gegeneophis nadkarniiGegeneophis nadkarniiGegeneophis nadkarnii is a species of caecilian found in India. It is described on the basis of specimens collected from Bondla Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa, India. It is differentiated from all Gegeneophis except Gegeneophis danieli, in having many secondary annuli that begin on the anterior of the body...
Western Ghats (Goa) - Gegeneophis seshachariGegeneophis seshachariGegeneophis seshachari is a species of caecilian found in India....
Ratnagiri, Maharashtra
- Gegeneophis danieli
Gegeneophis goaensis
Gegeneophis mhadeiensis
Family: Ichthyophiidae
- Genus: Ichthyophis
- Ichthyophis beddomeiIchthyophis beddomeiIchthyophis beddomei, sometimes called Beddome's caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. Its body is dark violet-brown, becoming light brown ventrally. There is a yellow lateral stripe from head to tail tip. Upper lip and lower jaw also yellow in colour. The stripe...
- Ichthyophis bombayensisIchthyophis bombayensisIchthyophis bombayensis, sometimes called the Bombay caecilian, is a type of caecilian found in India.This is a rather large species found in Northern Western Ghats. The eyes are distinct and surrounded by a light ring. The tentacle is placed closer to the lip and the eye...
- Ichthyophis longicephalusIchthyophis longicephalusIchthyophis longicephalus is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. The body is dark violet-brown, and lighter ventrally. A yellow lateral stripe starting at the neck and reaching the tip of the tail. Small yellow patches are also found on the sides of the neck. There is a mid ventral...
- Ichthyophis tricolorIchthyophis tricolorIchthyophis tricolor Annandale, 1909Body violet-brown, with a yellow lateral stripe from lips to tip of tail, slightly wider and unbroken at neck.A broad white ventral stripe present. Snout slightly projecting. Eyes are distinct and the tentacles are placed closer to the eye at the edge of upper...
- Ichthyophis beddomei
- Genus: Uraeotyphlus
- Uraeotyphlus interruptusUraeotyphlus interruptusUraeotyphlus interruptus is a species of caecilian found in India....
Kerala, known from the type locality i.e. ‘Chengalam’ village. - Uraeotyphlus malabaricusUraeotyphlus malabaricusThe Uraeotyphlus malabaricus or Malabar caecilian is a caecilian with a short and stout body that is violet coloured dorsally and lighter ventrally. The eyes are distinct and surrounded by a light ring. The tentacle is placed ventrally, close to the lip. Light coloured areas are present around the...
- Uraeotyphlus narayaniUraeotyphlus narayaniUraeotyphlus narayani is a species of caecilian endemic to the Western Ghats of India.-Description:This species is grey with a pale flesh coloured belly. A median greenish line runs between the chin and tail. Eyes are distinct with a white patch around it. Nostril are placed dorsally on the snout...
- Uraeotyphlus menoniUraeotyphlus menoniUraeotyphlus menoni is a species of caecilian found in the Western Ghats of India.-Description:It is a greyish species with a white belly that is blotched with grey. The head is light violet in colour with light mottling and the distinct eyes are surrounded by a light ring. The tip of snout and...
- Uraeotyphlus oxyurusUraeotyphlus oxyurusUraeotyphlus oxyurus is a species of caecilian endemic to the Western Ghats of India.-Description:This species has a thick body and a narrow head and short tail. Its body is dark brown in colour with a whitish tail tip. The chin and throat are light brown. Its eyes are distinct and surrounded by a...
- Uraeotyphlus oommeniUraeotyphlus oommeniUraeotyphlus oommeni Gower & Wilkinson, 2007A new species of Uraeotyphlus, described on the basis of a single, distinctive specimen from the Western Ghats of southern Kerala, India. This species is most similar to U. malabaricus in that it lacks a clear differentiation between primary annuli and...
- Uraeotyphlus interruptus