The Caecilians of the World: A Taxonomic Review by Edward Harrison Taylor Review by: Marvalee H. Wake Copeia, Vol. 1969, No. 1 (Mar. 6, 1969), pp. 216-219 Published by: American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1441738 . Accessed: 25/03/2014 11:09 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (ASIH) is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Copeia. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 192.188.55.3 on Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:09:44 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions 216 COPEIA, 1969, NO. 1 three year period, some of the latter per- add-not only the Indo-Pacific, but this Indo- sonally by Munro. The book must be used Australian archipelago, the richest area in in conjunction with the checklist "The the world for marine fish species, badly needs Fishes of the New Guinea Region" (Papua more work of this high calibre.-F. H. TAL- and New Guinea Agr. J. 10:97-339, 1958), BOT, Australian Museum, 6-8 College Street, a sizable work in itself, including a full list Sydney, Australia. of bibliographic material related to the area, fuller than the book here reviewed. In addition the paper "Additions to the fish THE CAECILIANS OF THE WORLD: A fauna of New Guinea" and New (Papua TAXONOMIC REVIEW. Edward Har- Guinea By Agr. J. 16:141-186, 1964) presents rison of Kansas Press, additions to the checklist and describes a new Taylor. University Lawrence, Kansas, 1968. vii + 848 illus. close to the Scato- pp., family (Rhinoprenidae, $25.00.-Dr. Taylor's years of field work in phagidae), three new genera, and 11 new spe- Central and South America and southeast cies. This trilogy is part of one major Asia and his extensive visits to museums work, and a most useful tool for anyone throughout the world have resulted in the interested in the fishes of the Indo-West publication of this compendium of taxo- Pacific region. nomic information about caecilians. The "Fishes of New Guinea" covers the The book is of two whole of New Guinea and its parts-an introductory surrounding section of 44 and a treatment of island the Bis- pages, groups, including Waigeu, caecilian taxa for some 748 After 48 mark the Islands pages. Archipelago, Admirality of a valuable and and the British pages bibliography, topic Solomons. Numerous keys taxon index closes the volume. Two new are one of the book's The 1076 strong points. families, the Typhlonectidae and the Ich- species considered have brief diagnoses, and are The in thyophiidae, designated. aquatic almost all cases are illustrated by black includes the and white with a few Typhlonectidae genera Typh- plates taken, originals, lonectes, Nectocaecilia, and from works. The fish color Potamotyphlus, published plates Chthonerpeton. The genera of were chosen in cases because Ichthyophiidae clearly many recognized are Rhinatrema, are and not because Ichthyophis, they beautiful, they Caudacaecilia, and needed for taxonomic reasons. Epicrionops. Afrocaecilia, depiction Boulengerula, Brasilotyphlus, Caecilia, I find, in those few with which I Cryp- groups topsophis, Dermophis, Microcae- am that errors have been carried Gymnopis, conversant, cilia, Parvicaecilia, over with no at solution and taxo- Siphonops, Pseudosipho- attempts nops, nomic have not been Luetkenotyphlus, Mimosiphonops, problems probed Copeotyphlinus, Oscaecilia, Idiocranium, Sco- adequately. This is to be in expected any lecomorphus, Schistometopom, Herpele, major compilation. The work is indispens- ible. Uraeotyphlus, Geotrypetes, Gegeneophis, Grandisonia, Praslinia, and "Fishes of Arnhem Indotyphlus, Land" by Ralph Tay- the Caeciliidae. There lor is a different of Hypogeophis comprise very type regional work. are more new forms described in the work Collections, accompanied by adequate field than are included in list data, were made R. R. Miller and were Taylor's putative by on page 9. Thirteen new genera are named a collection from the area. clearly good They (Copeicaecilia of the list is not a described have been worked over a meticulously by genus and is perhaps a typographical con- very competent professional, and the result traction of Copeotyphlinus and Caudacae- is a scholarly addition to the literature. Many cilia, neither being present in the list, but have problems been resolved by this work. both are described in the text; Copeicaecilia It is a pity that Australian museums were is changed to Copeotyphlinus in a separate apparently not visited as a study of their list of errata, but Caudacaecilia remains collections in conjunction with the collec- omitted). I count 42 new species and sub- tion from Arnhem Land would have further species, not the 32 mentioned, for a grand improved this work. total of 165 forms. The summary of previous Ralph Taylor states, "Much of the diffi- work on caecilian taxonomy is valuable, but culty in the identification of the fishes of the much of the material in the introduction is Indo-Pacific region results from lack of re- too cursory to be useful. Dr. Taylor states visions of genera and families." One might that certain morphological characteristics are This content downloaded from 192.188.55.3 on Tue, 25 Mar 2014 11:09:44 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions REVIEWS AND COMMENTS 217 used as taxonomic characters, but he does place for an initial evaluation of their use. not state in a definitive manner how they Sketches of cloacal morphology for a few are used. Even a parenthetical insertion of species in the taxonomic section without genera when a character state is discussed evaluation and, indeed, without reference to would have been helpful. For example, some them, renders them rather meaningless. indication of the forms in which fins have The section on life histories would be been observed (see page 18) would be ap- enhanced by lists of genera for each general propriate. mode, and more information on habitats Dr. Taylor's evaluation of the scales, could be gleaned from Dr. Taylor's incom- unique to caecilians among amphibians, parable experience without enlarging these arouses one's curiosity. He begins by citing sections too greatly. The discussion of dis- the commonly held presumption that scales tribution is well prepared and cogent, are part of an ancestral piscine inheritance though placing paragraphs on Ichthyophis to prevent desiccation or uncontrolled water and India under the heading of the Sey- intake. He then discusses the presence in chelles detracts somewhat from the organiza- many caecilians of scales associated with the tion. annuli (page 19), and then mentions the The discussion of family and generic cri- presence of curious subdermal scales (page teria, approached by the reviewer with an- 20) in some forms. On page 21 he suggests ticipation, proved disappointing. Dr. Taylor that the annular scales are produced by se- merely lists the characters that he used with cretions from skin glands. If this is indeed neither discussion of variation of the char- the mode of production, previous considera- acters nor presentation of his philosophical tion of the scales as homologues of dermal basis for establishing taxonomic criteria. In scales of fish and correlations with laby- the light of current work in taxonomy with rinthodont scales must be discarded. This its multiplicity of approaches, careful char- leaves open to question the origin of the acter evaluation is essential as a basis for "subdermal" scales. understanding the taxonomic treatment of a The sketchy nature of the general mor- group. phology section might have been improved Of greatest value to the herpetologist who by some literature citation, especially in will use the volume would have been the in- such sections as that on tentacle ontogeny clusion of generalized labelled sketches show- (page 23). A complete review of the litera- ing such characters as nuchal collars, eye- ture on amphibian dental replacement pat- tentacle positions, etc., and an indication of terns seems warranted before Dr. Taylor Taylor's method of counting and measuring. presents further ideas on caecilian denti- If Boulenger, Dunn, and Taylor differ tional patterns. While I recognize that greatly on such "routine" characters, what Taylor does not intend the section to be a of the rest of us? The briefness of the account definitive work on caecilian morphology, the of caecilian morphology and ecology points usefulness of the book to herpetologists not up the many problems available for study on working primarily on caecilians would be members of the order Gymnophiona. We enhanced by references. A number of hy- have Dr. Taylor to thank for advancing our potheses are presented as fact, such as that of knowledge of the group to the place that we the mechanism of cloacal extrusion (page 31). can begin again to consider these problems. Some phenomena worth citing in this section The bulk of the book is devoted to the are briefly mentioned in the "remarks" or taxonomy of caecilians. Keys to orders, "variation" sections in the taxonomic ac- families, genera, and species are included, counts, such as the ability of female Typh- generally utilizing only external characters. lonectes obesus to evert the cloaca. This The keys, by and large, are readily useable, may have some bearing on the as yet un- but some difficulties may occur. Some over- observed means of copulation among cae- lap in counts is noted at critical dichotomies, cilians.