Nectocaecilia Taylor, 1968

Maciel, Adriano O. & Hoogmoed, Marinus S., 2011, Taxonomy and distribution of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) of Brazilian Amazonia, with a key to their identification, Zootaxa 2984, pp. 1-53 : 33-34

Nectocaecilia Taylor, 1968 (monospecific genus)

Nectocaecilia petersii (Boulenger, 1882)

Nectocaecilia petersii: Taylor, 1968: 279 ; Frost, 1985: 640; Mijares et al., 2004; Frost, 2008. Typhlonectes sp. 2 Bannerman, 2001: 164.

Diagnosis. Maximum known TL 590 mm (holotype, Taylor, 1968). Eyes visible in an open orbit. Small anterior tentacles, slightly behind and below nostrils, near margin of mouth, much closer to nostrils than to corner of mouth, not visible from above. Nostrils subtriangular, visible from above. Choanae open. No dorsal keel or fin present. Body subcylindrical. PA 131–145. No SG. Fetal gills dorsolaterally attached in nuchal region. Dermal and subdermal scales absent. Tongue not completely attached anteriorly to floor of mouth; two narial plugs. Four series of teeth, all monocuspid. Unsegmented terminal shield present. Vent disk subcircular. Paired anal papillae may be present or not.

Description. TL 33.8–37 times (35.6 ± 1.1; n = 4) BW. Head slightly narrower than body. Snout projecting distinctly beyond mouth (1.6 mm in MPEG 7555). Nuchal grooves may be totally indistinct dorsally and ventrally but distinct laterally; no dorsal transverse groove present on either collar. Body slightly wider than deep. Primary annular grooves narrowly interrupted dorsally and ventrally along greater part of body, most posterior ones may be complete. Unsegmented terminal shield; posteriormost annular groove anterior of vent. Region posteriorly of vent may be slightly laterally compressed. AD nine (n = 5), four anterior and five posterior of the vent. Paired anal papillae were observed in only one of four males analyzed, absent in single female. PMT maximally 38 ( Taylor, 1968), varying in size, posterior ones slightly smaller, extending posteriorly beyond choanae, as PPT. PPT maximally 34 ( Taylor, 1968), posterior teeth smaller. No diastema between PVT and PPT; palatal teeth approximately same size as PMT. DT maximally 30, approximately same size as PMT; posterior teeth smaller. ST at most six, slightly smaller than DT. Fetuses have gills attached dorsolaterally in nuchal region (Wilkinson, 1989).

Color. Dark brown in preservative, grooves along body darker. Skin above eyes paler than body.

Variation. For variation see description.

Distribution. Southern Venezuela and adjacent northern Brazil (State of Amazonas) ( Fig. 19 ). Mijares et al. (2004) stated that the only known locality for this species was the general area of Cerro Yapacana in Venezuela, but they assumed the species would also be present in Brazil and Colombia. We here provide distributional data for Brazil, which considerably extends the known distribution with approximately 440 km to the south. Until now N. petersii has been collected only in a few localities in Brazil (Reserva de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá and Rio Tea).

Natural history. Gorzula & Celsa Señaris (1998) found 23 specimens in Venezuela, 20 of them in a plot of two square meters, in burrows of the fish Synbranchus near a creek; one specimen was found crawling on the bank of a creek at night. A similar microhabitat (muddy burrows in banks) was recorded for Typhlonectes compressicauda ( Moodie, 1978) . MPEG 7555 from Mamirauá was collected between the roots of floating vegetation (field data MSH).

Remarks. Taylor (1968, 1970a) described Nectocaecilia fasciata , N. ladigesi , N. cooperi , and N. haydee , that were later synonimized with respectively, Chthonerpeton indistinctum , Typhlonectes compressicauda and T. natans ( N. cooperi and N. haydee ( Wilkinson, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1996).

Figures

FIGURE 19. Distribution of Nectocaecilia petersii. Open symbols represent data from literature; closed symbols specimens analyzed in this study. 1. Cerro Yapacana, Amazonas, Venezuela (Gorzula & Señaris, 1998); 2. Rio Tea, Amazonas, Brazil; 3. Mamirauá, Uarini, Amazonas, Brazil.