Ichthyophis longicephalus

Taxonomy

Assessment Information

Geographic Range

Population

Habitat and Ecology

Threats

Conservation Actions

Bibliography

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Taxonomy [top]

Kingdom	Phylum	Class	Order	Family
ANIMALIA	CHORDATA	AMPHIBIA	GYMNOPHIONA	ICHTHYOPHIIDAE

Scientific Name:	Ichthyophis longicephalus
Species Authority:	Pillai, 1986
Taxonomic Notes:	The taxonomic status of this species is unclear.

Assessment Information [top]

Red List Category & Criteria:	Data Deficient ver 3.1
Year Published:	2004
Assessor/s:	Sushil Dutta, Gopalakrishna Bhatta, David Gower, Mark Wilkinson, Oommen V. Oommen
Reviewer/s:	Global Amphibian Assessment Coordinating Team (Simon Stuart, Janice Chanson and Neil Cox)
Contributor/s:
Justification: Listed as Data Deficient in view of continuing uncertainties as to its extent of occurrence, status and ecological requirements.

Geographic Range [top]

Range Description:	This species is known with certainty only from Silent Valley in Kerala, north of the Palghat Gap, in the Western Ghats of India. Records from elsewhere in the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra, between 400 and 1,000m asl, require verification.
Countries:	Native: India
Range Map:	Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.

Population [top]

Population:	Its population status is unknown.
Population Trend:	Unknown

Habitat and Ecology [top]

Habitat and Ecology:	This is a subterranean species associated with humus, decaying leaf-litter and moist soil in wet evergreen forest, and possibly also in plantations. It is assumed to be oviparous with terrestrial eggs and aquatic larvae.
Systems:	Terrestrial; Freshwater

Threats [top]

Major Threat(s):	Severe habitat destruction is said to be a potential threat to this species, but there are no data on its adaptability to habitat change, and since many other species of Ichthyophis have been shown to be very adaptable, habitat destruction might not be a significant threat to this species. Many additional potential threats have been suggested, including the use of agrochemicals, changes in soil chemistry, collection of humus by local people, and mortality on roads. These all require further investigation, and cannot be confirmed as being significant threats at present.

Major Threat(s):

Severe habitat destruction is said to be a potential threat to this species, but there are no data on its adaptability to habitat change, and since many other species of Ichthyophis have been shown to be very adaptable, habitat destruction might not be a significant threat to this species. Many additional potential threats have been suggested, including the use of agrochemicals, changes in soil chemistry, collection of humus by local people, and mortality on roads. These all require further investigation, and cannot be confirmed as being significant threats at present.

Conservation Actions [top]

Conservation Actions:	This species is known from Silent Valley National Park (Kerala) and has been reported (but not yet confirmed) as occurring in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu). It is in need of taxonomic review (Wilkinson pers. comm.).

Conservation Actions:

This species is known from Silent Valley National Park (Kerala) and has been reported (but not yet confirmed) as occurring in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (Tamil Nadu). It is in need of taxonomic review (Wilkinson pers. comm.).

Bibliography [top]

	Bhatta, G. 1998. A field guide to the caecilians of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Biological Science of Bombay 23(1): 73-85. Dutta, S.K. 1997. Amphibians of India and Sri Lanka. Odyssey Publishing House, Bhubaneswar. Gower, D.J. and Wilkinson, M. 2005. Conservation biology of caecilian amphibians. Conservation Biology 19(1): 45-55. IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004. Pillai, R.S. 1986. Amphibian fauna of Silent Valley, Kerala, S. India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India: 229-242. Pillai, R.S. and Ravichandran, M.S. 1999. Gymnophiona (Amphibia) of India - A taxonomic study. Records of the Zoological Survey of India (Occ. Paper) 172: 1-117.

Bhatta, G. 1998. A field guide to the caecilians of the Western Ghats, India. Journal of Biological Science of Bombay 23(1): 73-85.

Dutta, S.K. 1997. Amphibians of India and Sri Lanka. Odyssey Publishing House, Bhubaneswar.

Gower, D.J. and Wilkinson, M. 2005. Conservation biology of caecilian amphibians. Conservation Biology 19(1): 45-55.

IUCN. 2004. 2004 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded on 23 November 2004.

Pillai, R.S. 1986. Amphibian fauna of Silent Valley, Kerala, S. India. Records of the Zoological Survey of India: 229-242.

Pillai, R.S. and Ravichandran, M.S. 1999. Gymnophiona (Amphibia) of India - A taxonomic study. Records of the Zoological Survey of India (Occ. Paper) 172: 1-117.

Citation:	Sushil Dutta, Gopalakrishna Bhatta, David Gower, Mark Wilkinson, Oommen V. Oommen 2004. Ichthyophis longicephalus. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.2. <www.iucnredlist.org>. Downloaded on 22 May 2013.
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