Scolecomorphus cf. kirkii Boulenger, 1883

Conradie, Werner, Bittencourt-Silva, Gabriela B., Engelbrecht, Hanlie M., Loader, Simon P., Menegon, Michele, Nanvonamuquitxo, Cristovao, Scott, Michael & Tolley, Krystal A., 2016, Exploration into the hidden world of Mozambique's sky island forests: new discoveries of reptiles and amphibians, Zoosystematics and Evolution 92 (2), pp. 163-180 : 169

Scolecomorphus cf. kirkii Boulenger, 1883

Material

Mt. Mabu ( PEM A11248 ) .

Comments

A single specimen was found under a log in the closed canopy forest of Mt. Mabu after 36 hours of heavy rain (Fig. 3H ). The specimen (probably a young female) measures 210 mm total length, 6.3 mm body width and has 142 primary annuli. The olive-brown dorsal colouration of the preserved specimen is dorsally restricted and the venter is light yellowish (pinkish in life), agreeing with the description of Nussbaum (1985). This new record represents the southernmost distribution of Scolecomorphus kirkii , and for all African caecilians. Branch (2004) reported the first ever caecilian record for Mozambique from dry transitional miombo vegetation at the edge of Serra Mecula, while Farooq and Conradie (2015) recorded a second record from Mt. Namuli.

Figures

Figure 3. A selection of amphibians from northern Mozambique inselbergs. A - Arthroleptis francei (Mt. Namuli, PEM A 11303), B - Arthroleptis xenodactyloides (Mt. Mabu), C - Arthroleptis stenodactylus (Mt. Mabu), D - Amietia delalandii (Mt. Namuli, PEM A 11319), E - Nothophryne cf. broadleyi (Mt. M'paluwe, PEM A 11370), F - Nothophryne cf. broadleyi (Mt. Namuli), G - Strongylopus cf. fuelleborni (Mt. Mabu, PEM A 11184), H - Scolecomorphus cf. kirkii (Mt. Mabu, PEM A 11248).