531.1 AMPHIBa GYMNOPHIONA: TYPHLONECTLDAE CHTHONERPETON INDISTIN- Catalogue of American Amphibians and Reptiles. Gudynas, E. and J.D. Williams. 1992. Chthonerpelon indistincturn. Cbtbonelpeton indistinctum (Reinhardt and Liitken) Siphonops indistinctus Reinhardt and Lutken, 1861:202-203. Type- locality, "BuenosAyres" (Argentina). Lectotype, designated by Taylor (1968), Kabenhavn Universitets Zoologisk Museum, 13 RO-235, an adult (sex unknown) collected by "Mr. Holm", date of collection unknown (not examined by authors). Chthonetpeton indistinctum: Peters, 1880:940. Nectocaeciliafatciala: Taylor, 1968:280. See Comment. Content. No subspecies are~ecognized. Detlnition and Diagnosis. Chthonerpeton indistincturn is a typhlonectid with 70-81 (K-74.94 in 11-69 individuals with total lengths > 200 mm) incomplete primary body annuli. Secondary annuli are absent. Total length is 99-530 mm (11-96). The skin is smooth;the nostrils are dorsolateraland closerto the snout than tothe eyes; the tentacle extrudes midway between the eye and snout (Gudynas et al., 1988). Teeth are in four series: prernaxillary- maxillarymode-37; prevomeropalatine m-24;dentarym-28; splenial m-6. The skull is simiiar to that of other typhloneaids, but with the tentacle opening entirely at the nasopremaxillary border, and an open tentacular groove that crosses the maxillopalatine. The quad- Map. The large open circle marks the type-locality, solid circles rate and pterygoid are completely fused (Azpelicueta et al., 1987). indicate other records. Dorsal coloration is bright black, the venter black-gray, andthe entire body is covered with minute white spots (likely the mucous gland (1971). Several aspects of histology, ultrastructure, and physiology apertures). The tentacle and the eye are surrounded by a whitish area were discussed by Welsch and Schubert (1975), Welsch et al. (1976 which may be continuous or interrupted. The disc area surrounding a, b, 1977), and Welsch and Tan (1979). Relevant notes on systemat- the vent is cream-white. ics, distribution,and biology were provided by SeriC (1915), Gaggero (1934), Liebemann (19391, Achaval et al. (1979), Prigioni (1980 a, b, Descriptions. Following the original description, the taxon 1981), and Prigioni and Langone (1983a, b). Recent ecological was briefly described by several authors (e.g., Boulenger, 1882; observationswere provided by Gudynas and Williams (1986), bioge- Nieden, 1913; Dunn, 1942). Taylor (1968) presented a redescription ography was discussed by Gudynas et al. (1985 a, b, 19881, and based on 23 individuals, and more recently Gudynas et al. (1988) systematics by Nussbaum and Wikinson (1987,1989) and Wilkinson presented a biosystematic revision based on 96 individuals. (1989). Illustrations. Black and white (B&W photographs of Etymology. The name probably was derived from the Latin specimens were provided by Liebemann (19391, Taylor (1968), and indistinctus, meaning obscure or dim, in reference to the species' Wikinson (1983). Barrio (1969) included photographs of copulation black coloration or in reference to the indistinctiveness of the annuli. and birth. Line drawings of the head were given by Gudynas et al. Because the species was originally described in the genus Siphonops, (1988),andoftheskull, glossalskeleton,andvertebrae by Wiedersheirn which generally has bright white annular rings, this etymology is (1879), Peters (1880), Ihering (1911) and Azpelicueta et al. (1987) inferred. (reproduced by Cei, 1987). Barrio et al. (1971) provided B&W photographs of chromosomes. Welsch and Schubert (19751, Welsch Comment. Nussbaum and Wilkinson (1987) suggested that et al. 1976 a, b, l9n), and Welsch and Tan (1979) included photo- Chthonerpeton comcgatumTaylor, 1968; C. erugaturnTaylor, 1968; graphs of histological, including ultrastructural, detail of several and C.bellmichiTaylor, 1968were synonymsof C. indistincturn,and organs. listed them as such in Nussbaum and Wilkinson (1989). Prigioni and Langone (1983) and Gudynas et al. (1988) also commented on these Distribution Chthonerpeton indistincturn is found in synonyms. Taylor (1968) considered the possibility that the original temperate South America, in the Rio de la Plata basin and in drainages description was based on two specimens representing two different along the adjacent coasts. In Uruguay the species has been collected species. in the Rio de la Plata and on the Atlantic Ocean coast, with an isolated record from the mainland. In Brasil most of the records are from Rio Literature Cited Grande do Sul state (Atlantic coast, Lagoa dos Patos - Rio Jacui basin), and old records are from Paran5 and Santa Catarina states. In Achaval, F., J.C. Gondlez, M. Meneghel, and A.R. Melgarejo. 1979. Argentina the species occurs in the Buenos Aires province of the Lista comentada del material recogido en costas Uruguayas, Atlantic coast, and atlocalitiesadjacent tothe Rio Parani in Entre Rios, transportado por camalotes desde el Rio ParanP. Acta Zool. Santa FE, Corrientes, and Chaco provinces. Lilloana 35195-200. Azpelicueta, M. de IasM., J.D. Williams, andE. Gudynas. 1987.Osteo- Fossll Record None. logia y notas miol6gicas en la ceciliaNeotropicalChthonerpeton indistincturn (Reinhardt and Liitken, 1861), con una diagnosis Pertinent Literature. A survey of relevant literature is found de la familiaTyphlonectidae(Amphibia, Gymnophiona). Iher- in Gudynaset al. (1988). Azpelicuetaet al. (1987) describedskull and ingia, Ser. Zool. 66:60-81. vertebral morphology, teeth counts, and the glossal skeleton. Barrio Barrio, A. 1969. Observaciones sobre Chthonerpeton indistinctum (1969) described copulatory behavior and reproductive tract mor- (Gymnophiona, Caecilidae) y su reproduction. Physis 28:499- phology, de Carlo (1980) featured a description of the respiratory 503. tract, andde Carlo and Pellerano (1984)describedthe esophagusand -,FA. Saez,andP.R.deChieri.1971.Thecytogeneticsof Chthoner- stomach. Tamer (1971) discussed behavior in captivity. Skuk (1985 peton indistinctum (Amphibia: Gymnophiona). Caryologia 24: a, b) described the tentacular apparatus. Gonadal and reproductive 435-445. morphologyweredescribed by Berois and de SP (1985) andde Si and Berois, N. andR. de SP. 1985. Morfologia y funciones del conductode Berois (1985, 1986). The karyotype was described by Barrio et al. Miiller de Chthonerpeton indistincturn (Reinhardt and Liitken, 1862) (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) en relaci6n con 10s mecanis- (Amphibia: Typhlonectidae). IV. Notas complernentarias. Res. mos reproductivosdelaespecie.ActasJ. Zool. Uruguay 1985:lO- J.C. Nat. Montevideo 381-83. 11. -and J. Langone. 1983b.Notassobre Chthonetpeton indistincturn Boulenger,G.A. 1882.Catalogueof the Batrachia gradienta s. Caudata (Amphibia: Typhlonectidae). V. Notas complementarias. Res. and Batrachia Apoda in the collection of the British Museum. J.C. Nat. Montevideo 3:97-99. Trustees of the British Museum, London. Reinhardt,J. and C.F. Lutken. 1861. Bidrag ti1 Kundskab om Brasiliens Cei, J.M. 1987.Additionalnotes to "AmphibiansofArgentinam:an up- Padder og Krybdyr. Vidensk. Medd. Naturhist. Foren. Kjoben- date, 1980-1986. Monitore Zool. Ital. (N.S.) 21:209-272. havn 3143-242. De Carlo, J.M. 1980. Anatomia microsc6pica del sistema respiratorio Si, R. de and N. Berois. 1985. Estructura del ovario de Chthonetpeton de Chthonetpeton indistincturn (Gymnophiona, Typhlonecti- indistincturn(ReinhardtyLutken,1862)(Amphibia:Gymnophi- dae). Physis 39:27-36. ona) durante la gestacibn. Act. J. 2001. Uruguay 1985:ll-12. -and G.L. Pellerano. 1984.Consideraci6nes anatomohistol6gicas -and N. Berois. 1986. Spermatogenesisand histologyof the testes del es6fagoy est6magode Chthonetpeton indistincturn(Gymno- ofthe caecilian, Chthonetpeton indistincturn.J.Herpetol. 20:510- phiona: Typhlonectidae). J. Argentinas Zool., Mar del Plata, Re- 514. sumenes 1984:134. Serii, P. 1915. Notas sobre un batracio ipodo de la Argentina: Dunn, E.R. 1942.TheAmericancaecilians.Bull. Mus. Cornp. Zool.91: Chthonetpeton indistincturn (R.L.) Ptrs. Physis 2:41-42. 439-540. Skuk, D. 1985a. El tentkulo del anfibio ipodo Chthonetpeton indis- Gaggero, P. 1934. Hallazgode unbatracioipododel ginero Chthoner- tincturn (Amphibia: Gyrnnophiona) I: estructura osea. Act. J. peton en la regi6n del Rio Santiago. Not. Prel. Mus. La Plata 3: 2001. Uruguay 1985:4041. 173-182. -1985b. El tendculo del anfibio ipodo Chthonetpeton indistinc- Gudynas, E. andJ.D. Williams. 1986.Thesouthemmost population of turn (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) 11: el aparato tentacular. Act. J. the caecilian, Chthonetpeton indistincturn, in Uruguay. J. Her- Zool. Uruguay 1985:4647. petol. 203250-253. Tanner, K. 1971. Notizen zur Pflegeundzumverhalteneiniger Blind- -, M.Azpelicueta,andJ.D. Williams. 1985a.Aplicacionesdetecni- wiihlen (Arnphibia: Gymnophiona). Salamandra 7:91-100. cas deordenaci6n a la biogeografia de Chthonetpeton indistinc- Taylor, E.H. 1968. Caecilians of the world. Univ. Kansas Press, Law- turn(Amphibia:Gymnophiona). I1 Reuni6nUruguay Biociencias rence. 1985:56. Welsch, U. and C. Schuben. 1975. Observations onthe fine structure, -, J.D. Williams, andN.Azpelicueta. 1985b.Feneticadepoblaciones enzyme histochemistry, and innervation of the parathyroid morfologicarnente homogeneas: transformaci6n de variables gland andultimobranchial body of Chthonetpeton indistincturn multivariantes en el estudio de la variaci6n geogrifica de (Gymnophiona, Amphibia). Cell Tiss. Res. 164:105-119. Chthonetpeton indistincturn (Arnphibia). CIPFE CED Orione -, L. Mirmse, and V. Storch. 1976a. The influence of temperature