Hypogeophis rostratus (Cuvier, 1829)

Class: Amphibia > Order: Gymnophiona > Family: Grandisoniidae > Genus: Hypogeophis > Species: Hypogeophis rostratus

Coecilia rostrata Cuvier, 1829, Regne Animal., Ed. 2, 2: 100. Type(s): Not stated; MNHNP 4270 is holotype according to Lescure, 1988, Bull. Mus. Natl. Hist. Nat. Paris, Sect. A, Zool., 10: 64. Type locality: Not stated; given as Seychelles, most probably Mahé by Parker, 1958, Copeia, 1958: 71–76.

Hypogeophis rostratusPeters, 1880 "1879", Monatsber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berlin, 1879: 936.

Hypogeophis guentheri Boulenger, 1882, Cat. Batr. Grad. Batr. Apoda Coll. Brit. Mus., Ed. 2: 97. Holotype: BMNH 1946.9.6.19 (formerly 1876.10.10.6) according to Taylor, 1968, Caecilians of the World: 773. Type locality: "Zanzibar" (in error; see Parker, 1958, Copeia, 1958: 71–76, who corrected the type locality to Frigate Island in the Seychelles. Synonymy by Parker, 1941, Ann. Mag. Nat. Hist., Ser. 11, 7: 7.

Hypogeophis rostratus rostratusParker, 1958, Copeia, 1958: 76.

Hypogeophis rostratus praslini Parker, 1958, Copeia, 1958: 76. Holotype: BMNH 1907.10.15.135, by original designation. Type locality: "Praslin", Seychelles.

Hypogeophis rostratus guentheriTaylor, 1968, Caecilians of the World: 773.

Hypogeophis rostratus lionneti Taylor, 1969, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 48: 287. Holotype: MK A-602, by original designation; BMNH records have 1970.285 as holotype, possibly the MK specimen, but this needs to be confirmed. Type locality: "Seychelles".

English Names

Sharp-nosed Caecilia (Gray, 1831, in Cuvier, Animal Kingdom (Griffith), 9—Appendix: 110; Smith, 1877, Tailed Amph.: 126).

Frigate Island Caecilian (Frank and Ramus, 1995, Compl. Guide Scient. Common Names Amph. Rept. World: 24).

Distribution

Seychelles Islands (Mahé, Silhouette, Praslin, La Digue, Félicité, Frégate, Sainte Anne, Cerf, Curieuse, and Grand Soeur), Indian Ocean.

Geographic Occurrence

Natural Resident: Seychelles

Endemic: Seychelles

Comment

Taylor, 1969, Univ. Kansas Sci. Bull., 48: 287–290, discussed inter-island variation. Maddock, Nussbaum, Day, Latta, Miller, Fisk, Wilkinson, Rocha, Gower, and Pfrender, 2020, BMC Evol. Biol., 20 (110): 1–20, reported on mtDNA phylogeography across the Seychelles islands. 

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