Gegeneophis ramaswamii

{{Speciesbox

| image =

| status = LC

| status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=David Gower, Mark Wilkinson, Oommen V. Oommen, John Measey, Sushil Dutta, Gopalakrishna Bhatta |date=2004 |title=Gegeneophis ramaswamii |volume=2004 |page=e.T59553A11962740 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2004.RLTS.T59553A11962740.en |access-date=19 November 2021}}

| genus = Gegeneophis

| species = ramaswamii

| authority = Taylor, 1964

| synonyms_ref =

}}

Gegeneophis ramaswamii, common names Tenmalai caecilian, Tenmalai blind caecilian,{{cite web|url=http://eol.org/pages/1048244/overview|title=Tenmalai Blind Caecilian|publisher=Encyclopedia of Life|access-date=11 August 2018}} Ramaswami's caecilian, and forest caecilian{{cite web|url=https://www.uniprot.org/taxonomy/194526|title=Taxonomy - Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Forest caecilian)|publisher=UniProt|access-date=11 August 2018}} is a species of caecilian. It is endemic to the southern portion of the Western Ghats, India, and is recorded from Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The specific name ramaswamii honours L. S. Ramaswami, an Indian herpetologist.

Description

Gegeneophis ramaswamii is a relatively large caecilian with a total body length of {{convert|182|-|340|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}. The colouration is greyish dorsally and light grey ventrally. The eyes are not visible. Its tentacles are placed just behind and below the level of the nostrils. The terminus of the body is wider than rest of the body.

Habitat and conservation

Gegeneophis ramaswamii occurs in wet evergreen forests, plantations, low-intensity agricultural land, at forest fringes, and along streams and rivers at elevations below {{convert|900|m|abbr=on}}. It is largely subterranean and lives in soil. The eggs are laid terrestrially. The development is direct, without a free-living larval stage.

This species can be very abundant locally, and is considered the most abundant species of caecilian within its range. It adapts to agricultural areas is not believed to be facing any significant threats. It is known to occur in some protected areas.

References

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite web |url=https://amphibiaweb.org/species/1883 |title=Gegeneophis ramaswamii Forest Caecilian |year=2003 |work=AmphibiaWeb |publisher=University of California, Berkeley |access-date=11 August 2018}}

{{cite book |last1 = Beolens | first1 = Bo | last2 = Watkins | first2 = Michael | last3 = Grayson | first3 = Michael |name-list-style=amp |title=The Eponym Dictionary of Amphibians |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJY3BAAAQBAJ&pg=PA176 |date=2013 |publisher=Pelagic Publishing |isbn=978-1-907807-42-8 |page=176}}

{{cite journal |last1=Bhatta |first1=Gopalakrishna |title=A field guide to the caecilians of the Western Ghats, India |journal=Journal of Biosciences |date=1998 |volume=23 |issue=1 |pages=73–85 |doi=10.1007/BF02728526|s2cid=29374045 }}

{{cite web |url=http://research.amnh.org/vz/herpetology/amphibia/Amphibia/Gymnophiona/Indotyphlidae/Gegeneophis/Gegeneophis-ramaswamii |title=Gegeneophis ramaswamii Taylor, 1964 |author=Frost, Darrel R. |year=2018 |work=Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0 |publisher=American Museum of Natural History |access-date=11 August 2018}}

{{cite journal |last1=Oommen |first1=O. V. |last2=Measey |first2=G. J. |last3=Gower |first3=D. J. |last4=Wilkinson |first4=M. |name-list-style=amp |year=2000 |title=Distribution and abundance of the caecilian Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) in southern Kerala |journal=Current Science |volume=79 |pages=1386–1389 }}

}}

ramaswamii

Category:Amphibians of India

Category:Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats

Category:Amphibians described in 1964

Category:Taxa named by Edward Harrison Taylor