Herpele squalostoma is a species of caecilian in the family Herpelidae. It is also known by the common name Congo caecilian. It is found in Central and extreme easternmost West Africa (southeastern Nigeria, Cameroon, western Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea (including Bioko), Gabon, Republic of the Congo, western Democratic Republic of the Congo, and possibly the Cabinda Province of Angola).
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Oviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
A fossorial animal is one adapted to digging which lives primarily but not solely, underground. Some examples are badgers, naked mole-rats, clams, ...
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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starts withThe holotype measures 41 cm (16 in). The body is cylindrical and 6–8 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide. The snout is prominent. The eyes are covered with bone and not visible externally. There are fewer than 135 primary annuli (116–132 in a sample of 112 specimens) and 12–16 secondary annuli that do not reach round the body. In preservative, the body is dark olive in colour and is marked with minute yellowish spots.
A female measuring 36 cm (14 in) in total length has been unearthened with a clutch of 16 young in moist soil some 0.1 m (4 in) below the surface. The young measured about 11–12 cm (4–5 in) in total length. The largest known eggs of this species measure 3.5 mm × 2.6 mm (0.14 in × 0.10 in). As other herpelids, Herpele squalostoma is probably oviparous. Furthermore, it provides parental care: the young feed on their mother's skin (they are "dermatophagous"). The young probably become independent when they reach a total length of about 10–12 cm (4–5 in).
