Bluish worms [2] ( lat. Boulengerula ) is a genus of amphibians from the Herpelidae family of the legless order (Gymnophiona) [1] . Outwardly similar to large earthworms . The genus includes 7 species. The scientific name is given in honor of the British zoologist George Albert Boulanger .
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 Mountain Worm ( Boulengerula taitana ) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Boulengerula Tornier , 1896 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Appearance and structure
The total length of representatives of this genus ranges from 24 to 35 cm. In their structure, they are similar to the rest of the species of their family, but differ from them in blue color.
Habitats and lifestyle
Love the rainforests. They can be found in the mountains at an average height. Active mainly at dusk and at night. Most of their lives are spent underground or in fallen leaves. They feed on various invertebrates. It is known that Boulengerula taitana feeds on earthworms , termites , dipterous larvae, and other representatives of soil macro fauna. Presumably, other Boulengerula have similar diets [3] . These amphibians take care of their eggs and larvae.
Distribution
They live in East Africa [4] : in Rwanda, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi, sometimes found in Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia [1] .
Classification
The genus includes [1] [2] :
- Boulengerula boulengeri Tornier, 1896 - Bluish Worm
- Boulengerula changamwensis Loveridge, 1932 - Kenyan Worm
- Boulengerula denhardti Nieden, 1912
- Boulengerula fischeri Nussbaum & Hinkel, 1994
- Boulengerula niedeni Müller, Measey, Loader & Malonza, 2005
- Boulengerula taitana Loveridge, 1935 - Mountain Worm
- Boulengerula uluguruensis Barbour & Loveridge, 1928 - Body Worm
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 Boulengerula Tornier, 1896 . Amphibian Species of the World 6.0, an Online Reference . American Museum of Natural History. (Retrieved May 21, 2017) .
- ↑ 1 2 Russian names by source: Ananyeva N. B. , Borkin L. Ya. , Darevsky I.S. , Orlov N.L. Amphibians and reptiles. Latin, Russian, English, German, French. / edited by Acad. V. E. Sokolova . - M .: Rus. Yaz., 1988 .-- S. 12 .-- 10,500 copies. - ISBN 5-200-00232-X .
- ↑ Gaborieau O., Measey GJ Termitivore or detritivore? A quantitative investigation into the diet of the East African caecilian Boulengerula taitanus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) (Eng.) // Animal Biology: journal. - 2004. - Vol. 54 , no. 1 . - P. 45-56 . - DOI : 10.1163 / 157075604323010042 . Archived on May 25, 2014. Archived May 25, 2014 on Wayback Machine
- ↑ Zug GR, Vitt LV, & Caldwell JP 2001. Herpetology: An Introductory Biology of Amphibians and Reptiles, Second Edition. San Diego: Academic Press 370.
Literature
- Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D., Paglinawan LE, Bailly N., Kirk PM, Bourgoin T., Baillargeon G., Ouvrard D. (red.) 2011. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalog of Life: 2011 Annual Checklist Species 2000: Reading, UK. Retrieved on 24 september 2012.