Herpelidae

Boulengerula taitanus

The Herpelidae are a family of caecilians ( Gymnophiona ) which occurs in West and East Africa. The family was erected in 1984 by the Belgian herpetologist Raymond Ferdinand Louis -Philippe Laurent and should include all caecilians of the Old World. The Herpelidae were not generally accepted. Only in 2011, the family was revalidated by Wilkinson, San Mauro, Sherratt & Gower, however, only two African species comprehensively and with a completely different diagnosis.

Features

Like all caecilians are the Herpelidae wormlike amphibians without limbs and with a sharply formed tail. From other amphibians crawl they differ with perforated stapes, a ossicles, and the lack of a separate Septomaxillare, one occurring in amphibians and reptiles bone which lies on the upper jaw tip.

Phylogenetically, they are defined as those caecilians, with Herpele squalostoma closer than are related to Cecilia tentaculata.

Genera and species

• Genus Herpele Peters, 1880; Type genus, West Africa. Herpele multiplicata Nieden, 1912
• Herpele squalostoma ( Stutchbury, 1836)

• Boulengerula boulengeri Tornier, 1896
• Boulengerula changamwensis Loveridge, 1932
• Boulengerula denhardti Nieden, 1912
• Boulengerula fischeri Nussbaum & Hinkel, 1994
• Boulengerula niedeni Müller, Measey, Loader & Malonza, 2005
• Boulengerula taitana Loveridge, 1935
• Boulengerula uluguruensis Barbour & Loveridge, 1928