Ceylon digs

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Ceylon digs
Ceylon burrow, larva, brooding female and eggs.  Drawing from Hans Gadow: Amphibia and Reptiles., 1909, MacMillan & Co.

Ceylon burrow, larva, brooding female and eggs. Drawing from Hans Gadow: Amphibia and Reptiles. , 1909, MacMillan & Co.

Systematics
Row : Land vertebrates (Tetrapoda)
without rank: Amphibians (Lissamphibia)
Order : Sneak amphibian (Gymnophiona)
Family : Fish rooting (Ichthyophiidae)
Genre : Ichthyophis
Type : Ceylon digs
Scientific name
Ichthyophis glutinosus
( Linnaeus , 1758)

The ichthyophis glutinosus ( Ichthyophis glutinosus ) is a living in the mud soil type Caecilians , on Sri Lanka occurs.

features

The body of the Ceylon burrower, which is up to 45 centimeters long, 1.6 centimeters thin and divided into about 400 transverse segments by annular furrows, is reminiscent of a large earthworm . The top is dark brown or blue-black, the underside light brown. There are vivid yellow vertical stripes on the flanks. Between the black eyes and the nostrils there are a pair of small, retractable white tentacles that are used for orientation instead of reduced visual performance. In addition, the sense of smell through the nose and the Jacobson organ is very well developed. The latter is also connected to the feelers.

Occurrence, way of life

The Ceylonwühle is widespread in Sri Lanka, the former Ceylon. There it colonizes muddy soil within swamps in the central and southwestern part of the island. The species, which is still quite common, feeds on worms and other invertebrates . During the breeding season between March and September, the female lays ten to 24 eggs in a row, each with a size of six by nine millimeters, in a cave and guards it. The hatched, about four centimeters long larvae crawl into nearby waters. Their outer gills have already regressed by then; but there is still an open gill hole on each side of the neck. Clear eyes and rudiments of hind limbs can also be seen. The laterally flattened, fringed tail supports their aquatic way of life, which they lead to metamorphosis .

literature

  • Bernhard Grzimek (Ed.): Grzimeks Tierleben, Vol. 5: Fish 2, Lurche. Licensed edition in dtv, Munich 1980. ISBN 3-423-03204-9
  • Mark O'Shea & Tim Halliday: Reptiles & Amphibians. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London 2001, 2002. ISBN 978-3-8310-1015-8

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