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- Title
First Reproductive Observations for Herpele Peters, 1880 (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Herpelidae): Evidence of Extended Parental Care and Maternal Dermatophagy in H. squalostoma (Stutchbury, 1836).
- Authors
Kouete, Marcel T.; Wilkinson, Mark; Gower, David J.
- Abstract
An adult (presumably female) Herpele squalostoma was found attending 16 young in Cameroon. Four young that were preserved one day after collection havemulticusped teeth and skin-like material in their gut. The adult and remaining young were maintained in captivity without provision of food for one month. During this period the young gained more than 10% in mass. Twenty-nine days after collection one additional young was preserved, this has adult-like dentition. We conclude that H. squalostoma resembles the oviparous caecilians Boulengerula taitanus and Siphonops annulatus in having young that receive extended parental care and that remove and eat the stratum corneum of maternal skin using specialized deciduous teeth. This discovery matches a prediction that maternal dermatophagy is widespread (and homologous) among teresomatan caecilians.
- Subjects
CAMEROON; AMPHIBIAN reproduction; CAECILIANS; GUT microbiome; CUSPIDS; PARENTAL behavior in animals
- Publication
ISRN Zoology, 2012, p1
- ISSN
2090-522X
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.5402/2012/269690