Uraeotyphlus

Uraeotyphlus is a genus of caecilians in the family Ichthyophiidae.<ref name=Frost/><ref name=AmphibiaWeb/><ref name="Vitt and Caldwell 2014"/> There are seven species in this genus, all of which are endemic to the Western Ghats of southwestern India.<ref name=Frost/> Previously, the genus has also been placed in its own monotypic family Uraeotyphlidae.<ref name="Nussbaum and Wilkinson 1989"/><ref name="Gower and Wilkinson 2007"/>

Description

Uraeotyphlus are relatively small sized caecilians ranging from Template:Convert to Template:Convert in length. Unlike the more 'advanced' caecilians, members of this genus have a true tail with vertebrae, and their skull has a relatively complex structure. However, unlike the more 'primitive' caecilians, the mouth is recessed below the snout, there are no tertiary annuli, and the tentacular opening are far forward of the eyes, and below the nostril.<ref name=EoR>Template:Cite book</ref>

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 the recognition of U. oxyurus group (U. interruptus, U. menoni, U. narayani, U. oxyurus) and the U. malabaricus group (U. malabaricus and U. oommeni).<ref name="Gower and Wilkinson 2007"/>

Ecology and reproduction

They are burrowing animals, which lay eggs that hatch into free-living larvae.<ref name=EoR/><ref name="Vitt and Caldwell 2014"/>

Species

The genus contains seven species:<ref name=Frost/><ref name=AmphibiaWeb/>

• Uraeotyphlus gansi Gower, Rajendran, Nussbaum, and Wilkinson, 2008
• Uraeotyphlus interruptus Pillai and Ravichandran, 1999
• Uraeotyphlus malabaricus (Beddome, 1870)
• Uraeotyphlus menoni Annandale, 1913
• Uraeotyphlus narayani Seshachar, 1939
• Uraeotyphlus oommeni Gower and Wilkinson, 2007
• Uraeotyphlus oxyurus (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)