Species groups in the Indian Caecilian genus Uraeotyphlus Peters (Amphibia : Gymnophiona : Uraeotyphlidae), with the description of a new species

摘要

A new species of Uraeotyphlus (Gymnophiona: Uraeotyphlidae) is described on the basis of a single, distinctive specimen from the Western Ghats of southern Kerala, India. This species is most similar to U. malabaricus (Beddome) in that it lacks it clear differentiation between primary annuli and their higher-order (secondary or tertiary) subdivision. The pattern of annulation among species of Uraeotyphlus falls into two clear types based on the differentiation of primary and higher-order annuli, and the number of annular divisions per vertebra and whether this varies along the body. This difference is reflected in our recognition of oxyurus-group (U. interruptus, U. menoni, U. narayani, U. oxyurus) and malabaricus-group (U. malabaricus and a new species described herein) species within Uraeotyphlus.