Niche separation and comparative abundance of boulengerula boulengeri and scolecomorphus vittatus (amphibia: Gymnophiona) in an east usambara forest, tanzania

Journal of the Herpetological Association of Africa

Volumn 53, Issue 2, 2004, Pages 183-190

  Gower, David J ^a   Loader, Simon P ^a,b,c   Moncrieff, Clive B ^a  

^a DEPARTMENT OF LIFE SCIENCES   (United Kingdom)

^b UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW   (United Kingdom)

^c Society for Environmental Exploration/Frontier   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Caecilians; Caeciliidae; Eastern Arc; Ecology; Scolecomorphidae; Soil

Indexed keywords

EID: 4444287077     PISSN: 04416651     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/21564574.2004.9635510     Document Type: Article

References (32)

1. Beharrell, N. K., Fanning, E., and Howell, K., eds. 2002. “ Nilo Forest Reserve:A biodiversity survey ”. In East Usambara Conservation Area Management Programme, Technical Paper 53. Frontier Tanzania; Forestry and Beekeeping Divison and Metsahallitus Consulting Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and Vantaa, Finland
2. Ducey, P. K., Formanowicz, D. R., Boyet, L., Mailloux, J., and Nussbaum, R. A., 1993. Experimental examination of burrowing behaviour in caecilians (Amphibia:Gymnophiona):Effects of soil compaction on burrowing ability of four species. Herpetologica, 49:450–457.
3. Gaborieau, O., and Measey, G. J., 2004. Termitivore or detritivore? A quantitative investigation into the diet of the East African caecilian Boulengerula tai-tanus (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Caeciliidae). Anim. Biol., 54:45–56.
4. thEdition, Oxford:VSN International Ltd.
5. Gower, D. J., Loader, S. P., and Wilkinson, M., 2004. Assessing the conservation status of soil-dwelling vertebrates:insights from the rediscovery of Typhlops uluguruensis (Reptilia:Serpentes:Typhlopidae). System. Biodiv., 2:79–82.
6. Himstedt, W., 2000. “ Caecilian Ecology ”. In Amphibians:The World of Frogs, Toads, Salamanders and Newts, Edited by:Hofrichter, R., 186–190. New York:Firefly.
7. Kupfer, A., Kramer, A., and Himstedt, W., 2004a. Sex related growth patterns in a caecilian amphibian (genus Ichthyophis):evidence from laboratory data. J. Zool., 262:173–178.
8. Kupfer, A., Nabhitabatha, J., and Himstedt, W., 2004b. Reproductive ecology of female caecilian amphibians (genus Ichthyophis):a baseline study. Biol. J. Linn. Soc., 83:207–217.
9. Lips, K. R., Reaser, J. K., Young, B. E., and Ibáñez, R., 2001. Amphibian monitoring in Latin America:A protocol manual. Herpetol. Circ., 30:1–115.
10. Loader, S. P., Gower, D. J., and Wilkinson, M., 2003a. Caecilians:mysterious amphibians of the Eastern Arc Mountains. Arc J., 15:3–4.
11. Loader, S. P., Wilkinson, M., Gower, D. J., and Msuya, C. A., 2003b. A remarkable young Scolecomor-phus vittatus (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Scolecomorphidae) from the North Pare Mountains, Tanzania. J. Zool., 259:93–101.
12. Lovett, J. C., and Wasser, S. K., eds. 1993. Biogeography and Ecology of the Rain Forests of Eastern Africa, Cambridge:Cambridge University Press.
13. Loveridge, A., 1942. Scientific results of a fourth expedition to forested areas in East and Central Africa. IV. Reptiles. Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Harv., 91:237–373.
14. Measey, G. J., Are caecilians rare? An East African perspective. J. East Afr. Nat. Hist., (in press)
15. Measey, G. J., and Di-Bernardo, M., 2003. Estimating juvenile abundance in a population of the semi-aquatic caecilian, Chthonerpeton indistinctum (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Typhlonectidae), in southern Brazil. J. Herpetol., 37:371–373.
16. Measey, G. J., and Gower, D. J., Externally measured condition versus internal organ mass in the caecilian Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Caeciliidae). Zool. Sci., (in press)
17. Measey, G. J., Gower, D. J., Oommen, O. V., and Wilkinson, M., 2001. Permanent marking of a fossorial caecilian, Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Caeciliidae). J. South Asian Nat. Hist., 5:141–147.
18. Measey, G. J., Gower, D. J., Oommen, O. V., and Wilkinson, M., 2003a. Quantitative surveying of endogeic soil vertebrates - a case study of Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Caeciliidae) in southern India. Appl. Soil Ecol., 23:43–53.
19. Measey, G. J., Gower, D. J., Oommen, O. V., and Wilkinson, M., 2003b. A mark-recapture study of the caecilian amphibian Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Caeciliidae) in southern India. J. Zool., 261:129–133.
20. Measey, G. J., Gower, D. J., Oommen, O. V., and Wilkinson, M., 2004. A subterranean generalist predator:diet of the fossorial caecilian Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Caeciliidae) in southern India. Comptes Rendus Biologies, 327:65–76.
21. Myers, N., Mittermeier, R. A., Mittermeier, C. G., da Fonseca, G. A. B., and Kent, J., 2000. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities. Nature, 403:853–858.
22. Nussbaum, R. A., 1977. Rhinatrematidae:A new family of caecilians (Amphibia:Gymnophiona). Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool., Uni. Mich., 682:1–30.
23. Nussbaum, R. A., 1979. The taxonomic status of the caecilian genus Uraeotyphlus Peters. Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool., Uni. Mich., 687:1–20.
24. Nussbaum, R. A., 1985. Systematics of Caecilians (Amphibia:Gymnophiona) of the family Scolecomorphidae. Occ. Pap. Mus. Zool., Uni. Mich., 713:1–49.
25. Nussbaum, R. A., and Gans, C., 1980. On the Ichthyophis (Amphibia:Gymnophiona) of Sri Lanka. Spolia Zeylanica, 35:137–154.
26. Nussbaum, R. A., and Hinkel, H., 1994. Revision of East African Caecilians of the genera Afrocaecilia Taylor and Boulengerula Tornier (Amphibia:Gymnophiona:Caeciliaidae). Copeia, 1994:750–760.
27. Oommen, O. V., Measey, G. J., Gower, D. J., and Wilkinson, M., 2000. The distribution and abundance of the caecilian Gegeneophis ramaswamii (Amphibia:Gymnophiona) in southern Kerala. Curr. Sci., 79:1386–1389.
28. O'Reilly, J. C., Nussbaum, R. A., and Boone, D., 1996. Vertebrate with protrusible eyes. Nature, 382:33
29. Ramaswami, L. S., 1941. Some aspects of the cranial morphology of Uraeotyphlus narayani Seshachar (Apoda). Records of the Indian Museum, 43:143–207.
30. Taylor, E. H., 1968. The Caecilians of the World:a Taxonomic Review, Lawrence, U. S. A.:University of Kansas Press.
31. Wake, M. H., 1985. The comparative morphology and evolution of the eyes of caecilians (Amphibia, Gymnophiona). Zoomorphology, 105:277–295.
32. Wilkinson, M., and Nussbaum, R. A., 1998. Caecilian viviparity and amniote origins. J. Nat. Hist., 32:1403–1409.