Rhinatrematidae

Rhinatrematidae
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Amphibia
Order: Gymnophiona
Family: Rhinatrematidae
Nussbaum, 1977
Genera

Epicrionops
Rhinatrema

Rhinatrematidae, the family of Neotropical tailed caecilians, American tailed caecilians or beaked caecilians, are found in the equatorial countries of South America.[1][2]

They are usually regarded as the most primitive of the caecilian families, with numerous characteristics lacking in the other groups. For example, they still possess tails, and their mouths are not recessed on the underside of their heads. They lay their eggs in cavities in the soil. The larvae have external gills, and live in seepage areas until they metamorphose. The adults live in moist soil and leaf litter.[3]

Taxonomy

The 11 species in two genera are:

References

  1. Frost, Darrel R. (2014). "Rhinatrematidae Nussbaum, 1977". Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  2. "Rhinatrematidae". AmphibiaWeb: Information on amphibian biology and conservation. [web application]. Berkeley, California: AmphibiaWeb. 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  3. Nussbaum, Ronald A. (1998). Cogger, H.G. & Zweifel, R.G., ed. Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians. San Diego: Academic Press. pp. 54–55. ISBN 0-12-178560-2.
  4. Gower et al. (2010) "A new species of Rhinatrema Duméril & Bibron (Amphibia: Gymnophiona:Rhinatrematidae) from Guyana"