Herpetology Notes, volume 8: 55-57 (2015) (published online on 10 March 2015)

First record of the genus Microcaecilia Taylor, 1968 (Amphibia, Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae) from Peru

Jhon J. López-Rojas1,* and Devon Graham2,3

Abstract. We report the first record of the genus Microcaecilia in Peru from lowland, primary rainforest in Loreto, adding to its previously known geographic range from northwestern Colombia; Ecuador through southern Venezuela to the Guianas and São Paulo, Brazil. Two individuals of a species of this genus of small caecilians were found in deep leaf litter at the Reserva Forestal Santa Cruz, located approximately 30 km northeast of the city of Iquitos. We refer to these specimens as Microcaecilia sp. because of the current difficulty in confidently determining their identity.

Among caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) of the al 2004b); and M. pricei, is known from the high family Siphonopidae Bonaparte, 1850 resurrected by elevations of the Cauca River Valley, in the Department Wilkinson et al. (2011), Microcaecilia Taylor, 1968 of Quindio, from the eastern region of the Department is the most speciose genus, currently containing 15 of Antioquia (Río Claro), and also from the Department species of small caecilians, including the recently of Santander (El Centro), occuring between 200 and described Microcaecilia savagei Donnelly and Wake, 2000m asl (Frost, 2014, Castro et al 2004c), both native 2013; M. dermatophaga Wilkinson, Sherratt, Starace, to Colombia. Microcaecilia albiceps has a previously and Gower, 2013; and M. marvaleewakeae Maciel recorded distribution along the Amazonian slopes of and Hoogmoed, 2013. The genus is so far known from the Cordillera Oriental of Ecuador (Napo Province) the eastern Amazonian slopes in Ecuador, Colombia and Colombia (Caquetá) at 300 and 800m asl (Castro and Venezuela, as well as in Guyana, Suriname, and et al., 2004a; Amphibian web, 2012; Frost, 2014), and Brazil (Frost, 2014). Three species, M. pricei Dunn, a specimen was observed by Paul Freed in 1994 at 1944, M. nicefori Barbour, 1924, and M. albiceps Cuenca, Ecuador (Freed, 2012). Boulenger, 1882 have been found closest to Peru. During herpetological surveys at the Reserva Microcaecilia nicefori is known from the central part of Forestal Santa Cruz, district of Mazán, 30 km NE of the Magdalena River Valley, between Honda (Tolima), Iquitos, Maynas Province, Department of Loreto, Peru Girardot (Cundinamarca), Santander, and northeast (03°32’01” S, 73°10’30” W, 110 m asl), two similarly- Antioquia at 225-400m asl (Frost, 2014; Castro et sized individuals of Microcaecilia sp. were observed; one specimen was measured at 76 mm total length (Figure 1), the second individual was not measured. They were found by Segundo Rios Ramirez on 2 February 2008 at 10:00 a.m., and were subsequently photographed and released. Both were found in terra 1 Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ecologia e Manejo de firme (upland) forest, beneath deep leaf-litter at a depth Recursos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Acre – UFAC. of about 15 cm on an approximately 30-degree slope. CEP 69915-900. Rio Branco, AC, Brazil. A group accompanying Mr. Rios Ramirez disturbed the 2 The Honors College, Florida International University, Miami, leaf litter while hiking up the slope, exposing the soil Florida, USA 3 Asociación Civil Proyecto Amazonas / Project Amazonas, surface below. The disturbance revealed the presence of Inc., Iquitos, Loreto, Peru and Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, USA. the two Microcaecilia sp, which were observed on the * Corresponding author: e-mail: [email protected] soil surface itself. 56 Jhon J. López-Rojas & Devon Graham

Figure 1. Microcaecilia sp. (photos of live individuals) from the Reserva Forestal Santa Cruz, Loreto, Perú. A: dorsal view; B: lateral view.

The caecilians are referable to the genus Microcaecilia particularly in areas north of the Amazon River itself. based primarily on the position of the tentacle, the Any additional data on Microcaecilia sp. in the Peruvian presence of secondary annuli and similarity to other Amazon is thus very important to obtain. species of the genus. Visibility of the eye is variable within the genus (Wilkinson et al., 2013). According to Acknowledgements. We are grateful to Project Amazonas, M. Wilkinson (pers. comm.), counting the number of Inc., which owns and operates the Reserva Forestal Santa Cruz, and to Segundo Rios Ramirez, who first observed the two annular grooves from a photograph may be too difficult Peruvian specimens. Thanks to Paul Freed, retired Supervisor to obtain definitive counts, and from our photographs it of Herpetology, Houston Zoo, Inc and Mark Wilkinson, Natural was only possible to make rough approximations of the History Museum, for their comments and suggestions to the primary annuli and it was not feasible to speculate about manuscript. the number of secondary annuli. Based on his estimations it is quite possible that the specimens are Microcaecilia Literature Cited albiceps but appear to perhaps have too few primary AmphibiaWeb. (2012): Microcaecilia albiceps. AmphibiaWeb. annuli and possibly too few secondary annuli to make a Available at: http://amphibiaweb.org/. Last accessed on 13 positive identification. In addition, their body coloration January 2015. appears to be very dark, whereas the overall coloration Castro, F., Rueda, J, Bolívar, W., Estupinan, A.R., Almendáriz, of M. albiceps is usually more purplish (although A., Wilkinson, M. (2004a): Microcaecilia albiceps. IUCN Red this is based on preserved specimens). It is possible List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.1. Available at: http:// that our observation may actually be an undescribed www.iucnredlist.org. Last accessed on 23 October 2014. Castro, F., Herrera, M. I., Lynch, J. (2004b): Parvicaecilia nicefori. species. Due to the difficulties of being able to provide The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2014.2. a more specific diagnosis especially to the difficulty of Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. Last accessed on 04 finding these species being cryptic habits, we restrict November 2014. ourselves to merely assign them to a generic status as: Castro, F., Herrera, M. I., Lynch, J., Wilkinson, M. (2004c): Microcaecilia sp. Parvicaecilia pricei. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The present individuals provide the first record of Version 2014.2. Available at: http://www.iucnredlist.org. Last a species of Microcaecilia in Peru. It is important to accessed on 04 November 2014. Frost, D.R. (2014): Amphibian species of the world: An online point out that none of these specimens were collected reference. Version 6.0. American Museum of Natural History, and we hope that this observation will encourage other New York, USA. Available at: http://research.amnh.org/ researchers to be attentive and perhaps rediscover this herpetology/amphibia/index.php. Last accessed on 23 October species at other locations in the Loreto region of Peru, 2014. First record of the genus Microcaecilia from Peru 57

Duellman, W. E. (1978): The Biology of an Equatorial Herpetofauna in Amazonian Ecuador. Miscellaneous Publication. Museum of Natural History, University of Kansas 65: 1-352. Freed, P. (2012): Microcaecilia albiceps. íNaturalist. Available: http://www.inaturalist.org. Last accessed on 13 January 2015. Lynch, J.D. (1999): Una aproximación a las cobras ciegas de Colombia (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales 23: 317– 337. Wilkinson, M., San Mauro, D., Sherratt, E., Gower, D.J. (2011): A nine-family classification of caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). Zootaxa 2874: 41–64. Wilkinson, M., O’Connor, A. Nussbaum, R. A. (2013): Taxonomic status of the neotropical caecilian genera Brasilotyphlus Taylor, 1968, Microcaecilia Taylor, 1968 and Parvicaecilia Taylor, 1968 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae). Occasional Papers of the Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan 744: 1-12.

Accepted by Hendrik Müller