A new species of skin-feeding caecilian and the first report of reproductive mode in Microcaecilia (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae)

dc.contributor.authorWilkinson, M.
dc.contributor.authorSherratt, E.
dc.contributor.authorStarace, F.
dc.contributor.authorGower, D.
dc.contributor.editorNavas, C.
dc.date.issued2013
dc.description.abstractA new species of siphonopid caecilian, Microcaecilia dermatophagasp. nov., is described based on nine specimens from French Guiana. The new species is the first new caecilian to be described from French Guiana for more than 150 years. It differs from all other Microcaecilia in having fewer secondary annular grooves and/or in lacking a transverse groove on the dorsum of the first collar. Observations of oviparity and of extended parental care in M. dermatophaga are the first reproductive mode data for any species of the genus. Microcaecilia dermatophaga is the third species, and represents the third genus, for which there has been direct observation of young animals feeding on the skin of their attending mother. The species is named for this maternal dermatophagy, which is hypothesised to be characteristic of the Siphonopidae.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityMark Wilkinson, Emma Sherratt, Fausto Starace, David J. Gower
dc.identifier.citationPLoS One, 2013; 8(3):e57756-1-e57756-11
dc.identifier.doi10.1371/journal.pone.0057756
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.issn1932-6203
dc.identifier.orcidSherratt, E. [0000-0003-2164-7877]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/106056
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherPublic Library of Science
dc.rights© 2013 Wilkinson et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0057756
dc.subjectFeeding Behavior
dc.titleA new species of skin-feeding caecilian and the first report of reproductive mode in Microcaecilia (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae)
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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