Herpele squalostoma
Female (36 cm (14 in) long) with young
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Clade: Apoda
Family: Herpelidae
Genus: Herpele
Species:
H. squalostoma
Binomial name
Herpele squalostoma
(Stuchbury, 1836)
Synonyms[2]

Caecilia squalostoma Stutchbury, 1836[3]

Herpele squalostoma is a species of caecilian in the family Herpelidae. It is also known by the common name Congo caecilian.[2] It is found in Central and extreme easternmost West Africa (southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, western Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea (including Bioko), Gabon, Republic of the Congo, western Democratic Republic of the Congo, and possibly the Cabinda Province of Angola).[1][2]

Description

The holotype measures 41 cm (16 in). The body is cylindrical[3] and 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide.[4] The snout is prominent.[3] The eyes are covered with bone and not visible externally. There are fewer than 135 primary annuli (116–132 in a sample of 112 specimens[5]) and 12–16 secondary annuli that do not reach round the body.[4] In preservative, the body is dark olive in colour and is marked with minute yellowish spots.[3]

Reproduction

A female measuring 36 cm (14 in) in total length has been unearthened with a clutch of 16 young in moist soil some 0.1 m (4 in) below the surface. The young measured about 11–12 cm (4–5 in) in total length. The largest known eggs of this species measure 3.5 mm × 2.6 mm (0.14 in × 0.10 in). As other herpelids, Herpele squalostoma is probably oviparous.

H. squalostoma mothers provide parental care over their offspring, developing an outer layer of skin for maternal dermatophagy to provide offspring with nutrients and vertically transmit their microbiome.[6][7] Their offspring become independent when they grow to a size of 10–12 cm (4–5 in).[5]

Habitat and conservation

Herpele squalostoma occurs in lowland forest, and it can also occur in fruit tree plantations, rural gardens and secondary forest. Its upper elevational limit is not well known but in Cameroon it is found at least to 800 m (2,600 ft) above sea level. It is presumably largely fossorial.[1]

Herpele squalostoma occurs in small numbers in the international pet trade, but it is not known whether this could be a threat. Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis has been detected in this species, and thus chytridiomycosis is a potential threat. Herpele squalostoma is found in many protected areas, including the Korup National Park in Cameroon and the Moukalaba-Doudou National Park in Gabon.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group (2018). "Herpele squalostoma". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T59565A16958011. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T59565A16958011.en. Retrieved 16 November 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 Frost, Darrel R. (2018). "Herpele squalostoma (Stutchbury, 1836)". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Stutchbury, S. (1837). "Description of a new species of the genus Chameleon". Transactions of the Linnean Society of London. 17 (3): 361–362. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1834.tb00027.x.
  4. 1 2 Wilkinson, Mark; Müller, Hendrik & Gower, David J. (2003). "On Herpele multiplicata (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae)". African Journal of Herpetology. 52 (2): 119–122. doi:10.1080/21564574.2003.9635488. S2CID 85408266.
  5. 1 2 Kouete, M. T.; Wilkinson, M. & Gower, D. J. (2012). "First reproductive observations for Herpele Peters, 1880 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Herpelidae): evidence of extended parental care and maternal dermatophagy in H. squalostoma (Stutchbury, 1836)". ISRN Zoology. 2012: 269690. doi:10.5402/2012/269690.
  6. ↑ Quaglia, Sofia (18 October 2023). "These Amphibians Have a Taste for Their Mom's Skin". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 October 2023.
  7. ↑ Kouete, Marcel T.; Bletz, Molly C.; LaBumbard, Brandon C.; Woodhams, Douglas C.; Blackburn, David C. (15 May 2023). "Parental Care Contributes to Vertical Transmission of Microbes in a Skin-Feeding and Direct-Developing Caecilian". Animal Microbiome. BioMed Central. 5 (28). doi:10.1186/s42523-023-00243-x. PMC 10184399.
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