Gymnophiona Families

what family has 2 genera and 43 species which was previously contained in 21 genera until recently?

Caeciliidae

What is the distribution of the family Caeciliidae?

Costa Rica to southern Brazil

What is the range of length in Caeciliidae?

0.6-1.5m

Where are most individuals of the Caeciliidae family found?

Since they are fossorial, they mostly live in forests and are found underground

How does Caeciliidae egg laying occur?

They are oviparous, meaning eggs are hatched. They then attend the eggs until hatched.

Do Caeciliidae have direct or indirect development from eggs?

Direct

What is the name of the family contained in one genus with 4 species?

Chikilidae

What is the distribution of the family Chikilidae?

Northeastern India

Individuals classified within the family Chikilidae have a larval stage. True or False?

False

Do Chikilidae practice direct or indirect development?

Direct

What is the newest family of Gymnophiona - as of 2023

Chikilidae

What family was previously monotypic before the description of three new species in 2013?

Chikilidae

What does the term “Oviparous” mean?

Egg laying

Chikilidae are viperous. True or False?

False

What does the term “Viperous” mean?

Venomous

What family contains 4 genera and 15 species?

Dermophiidae

What is the distribution of Dermophiidae?

Southern Mexico to northern Colombia; tropical west Africa; Kenya and Tanzania

Dermophiidae reach up to ______m in length.

0.5m

What type of forests are Dermophiidae found in?

Tropical

What is special/weird about Dermophiidae?

Fetuses scrape nutrition off oviduct wall of mother with special teeth.

Dermophiidae metamorphosis occurs in the _________

oviduct

What family currently consists of 2 genera and 10 species?

Herpelidae

What is the distribution of the family Herplidae?

Tropical Central Africa

Herpelidae get up to a length of ________m.

0.25 m

Which family practices maternal dermatophagy?

Herpelidae

What is maternal dermatophagy?

a reproductive behavior in which the young feed on a highly specialized lipid-rich outer layer of their mother s skin using a unique set of "fetal" multicuspid teeth

Herpelidae are _________ in loose soils.

Fossorial

What is unique about the behavior of Herpelidae?

some mothers will care for other individuals’ offspring

What family consists of 2 genera and 57 species?

Ichthyophiidae

What is the distribution for the family Ichthyophiidae?

India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia

Ichthyophiidae range from _______ to ______ in size.

20cm to 0.5m

What is special about the Ichthyophis larvae?

They are gilled and hatch and enter water

What does the larval morphology of Uraeotyphlus suggest?

Suction feeding

What is the SE Asian species which was dispersed from India?

Ichthyophiidae

What family consists of 7 genera and 24 species?

Indotyphlidae

What is the distribution of the family Indotyphlidae?

Southern and Northeastern India, Seychelles Islands, Cameroon, Ethiopia

Indotyphlidae reach up to _____ in length.

0.25 m

What are the special breeding accommodations of the genus Sylvacarcillia in Ethiopia?

They breed near streams in mud where the larvae can burrow for protection.

What is special about the females of Indotyphlidae?

They are brooding

Indotyphlidae have both larval stage and direct development. True or False?

True

What family consists of 5 genera and 28 species?

Siphonopidae

What is the distribution of Siphonopidae?

South America

There are Gymnophiona in North America. True or False?

False

Siphonopidae are oviparous with __________ eggs.

Terrestrial

Females of Siphonopidae brood eggs and nourish young via ______________

Maternal dermatophagy

What family’s females allow the young to drink from the cloaca

Siphonopidae

What family consists of 3 genera and 14 species?

Rhinatrematidae

What is the monotypic caecilian of Rhinatrematidae?

Amazops amazops

What is the distribution of the family Rhinatrematidae?

Northern South America east of the Andes

Rhinatrematidae individuals range from _______ to _______

20-30cm

What is the most basal gymnophionian lineage?

Rhinatrematidae

What family consists of 2 genera and 6 species?

Scolecomorphidae

What is the distribution of the family Scolecomorphidae?

Cameroon highlands and mountains in Tanzania and Malawi

Scolecomorphidae range from ____ to ____ in length

15-30cm

What is unique about Scolecomorphidae?

Their eyes are attached to tentacles which move outward when tentacles are extended

What family has 5 genera - 3 of which are monotypic?

Typhlonectidae

What is the distribution of Typhlonectidae?

South America east of the Andes

Typhlonectidae range from ____ to ____ in length

30-80cm

Typhlonectidae have well developed eyes. True or false?

True

Typhlonectidae have dermal scales. True or false?

False

What is the family that is aquatic or semi aquatic?

Typhlonectidae

What is the largest lungless tetrapod?

Atretochoana

What family does Atretochoana belong to?

Typhlonectidae

Typhlonectidae are viperous in ___ stages.

4

Gymnos are among the most _____ sampled vertebrate groups.

poorly

What are the main drivers of population declines in Gymno.?

Habitat loss, chytridiomycosis, over collecting.

The vast majority of Gymno. species are listed as ____________

data deficient

What hinders the understanding and protection of Gymno.?

cryptic life history, sampling biases, and paucity of population information.