Herpele squalostoma

Herpele squalostoma
	Female (36 cm (14 in) long) with young
Conservation status
	; Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Amphibia
Order:	Gymnophiona
Clade:	Apoda
Family:	Herpelidae
Genus:	Herpele
Species:	H. squalostoma
Binomial name
	Herpele squalostoma; (Stuchbury, 1836)
Synonyms
	Caecilia squalostoma Stutchbury, 1836

Herpele squalostoma is a species of amphibian in the Herpelidae family. It is also known by the common name Congo caecilian.^[2] It is found in Central and Western Africa (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Nigeria, and possibly Angola). Its natural habitats are tropical moist lowland forests, plantations, rural gardens, and heavily degraded former forest.^[1]

Reproduction

Herpele squalostoma is probably oviparous and provides parental care: the young feed on their mother's skin (they are "dermatophagous").^[3]

^ ^a ^b Template:IUCN2013.2
^ Frost, Darrel R. (2013). "Herpele squalostoma (Stutchbury, 1836)". Amphibian Species of the World 5.6, an Online Reference. American Museum of Natural History. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
^ Kouete, M. T.; Wilkinson, M.; Gower, D. J. (2012). "First reproductive observations for Herpele Peters, 1880 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Herpelidae): evidence of extended parental care and maternal dermatophagy in H. squalostoma (Stutchbury, 1836)". ISRN Zoology. 2012: 269690. doi:10.5402/2012/269690.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)

This caecilian article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.