Uraeotyphlus oommeni
Species of amphibian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Uraeotyphlus oommeni, sometimes known as the Oommen's caecilian,[1][3] Oommen's Uraeotyphlus,[2] or Bonnacord caecilian,[4] is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae.[3][5] Within Uraeotyphlus, it belongs to the U. malabaricus group showing no obvious external differentiation between primary and higher-order annuli.[2] This species is endemic to the Western Ghats and only known from its type locality, Bonaccord, Thiruvananthapuram district, southern Kerala.[3] Very little is known about this species known only from a single specimen collected from an imprecise location.[1]
| Uraeotyphlus oommeni | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Amphibia |
| Order: | Gymnophiona |
| Clade: | Apoda |
| Family: | Ichthyophiidae |
| Genus: | Uraeotyphlus |
| Species: | U. oommeni |
| Binomial name | |
| Uraeotyphlus oommeni | |
Etymology
The specific name oommeni honours Oommen V. Oommen, professor of zoology at the University of Kerala.[2][6]
Description
The holotype is a mature female measuring 164 mm (6.5 in) in total length and 7 mm (0.3 in) wide at mid-body. There are 207 (left side) and 214 (right side) annuli, without clear external differentiation between primary and higher-order annuli. The body is strongly dorsoventrally compressed. The head is small and pointed. The eyes are clearly visible. The preserved specimen has lilac-brown anterior part of the body, becoming paler towards the head. The darker dorsal colouration grades through lighter brown to cream-tan ventrally.[2]