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| Microcaecilia butantan Wilkinson, Antoniazzi & Jared, 2015 |
Abstract
A new species of siphonopid caecilian, Microcaecilia butantan sp. nov., is described based on four specimens from Belterra, in the State of Pará, Brazil. The new species differs from all other Microcaecilia in having a combination of more than 135 primary annuli and long premaxillary-maxillary tooth series that extend posteriorly beyond the choanae. Some specimens were dug from soil in a cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum) plantation suggesting that this form of agriculture provides an environment suitable for at least some caecilians.
Keywords: caecilians, South America, systematics, taxonomy
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| FIGURE 2. Microcaecilia butantan sp. nov. (A) Specimen in life dorsal view. Bar = 5 mm. (B) Specimen in life ventral view. Bar = 5 mm. (C) Habitat at type locality. |
Etymology. The specific epithet is in honour of the Instituto Butantan, which enabled the discovery of the species through the Butantan na Amazônia (Butantan in Amazon) project. To promote stability the species epithet is considered to be noun in apposition for nomenclatural purposes.
Suggested English name. Butantan microcaecilia.
Wilkinson, Mark, Marta M. Antoniazzi & Carlos Jared. 2015. A New Species of Microcaecilia Taylor 1968 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae) from Brazil.
Zootaxa. 3905(3): 425–431. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3905.3.8
http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2015/f/zt03905p431.pdf
Zootaxa. 3905(3): 425–431. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3905.3.8
http://mapress.com/zootaxa/2015/f/zt03905p431.pdf
