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Class Apoda - 20240325 - 220026 - 0000

Caecilians are limbless amphibians found in tropical regions. They live underground and feed on earthworms and insects. Caecilians come in a range of sizes from less than a foot to over 5 feet long. They have small eyes and tentacles near their mouths. Caecilians reproduce through both viviparity and oviparity depending on species.

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Ayisha PS
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228 views16 pages

Class Apoda - 20240325 - 220026 - 0000

Caecilians are limbless amphibians found in tropical regions. They live underground and feed on earthworms and insects. Caecilians come in a range of sizes from less than a foot to over 5 feet long. They have small eyes and tentacles near their mouths. Caecilians reproduce through both viviparity and oviparity depending on species.

Uploaded by

Ayisha PS
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CLASS APODA

Systematic Classification
DOMAIN Eukaryota

KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Chordata

CLASS Amphibia

SUBCLASS Lissamphibia

ORDER Apoda / Gymnophiona


Introduction
~ Order Apoda, also called Gymnophiona, are one of the three major extant orders
of the class Amphibia.
~ The members are known as `caecilians`, derived from the word `caecus` which is
the Lation word for sightless/blind.
~ Caecilians are a group of limbless, vermiform or serpentine animals with small or
sometimes non-existent eyes.
~ They lead a cryptic lifestyle and mostly live hidden underground in soil or in streambeds
~ Modern caecilians are found in the tropics of South and Central America, Africa and
South Asia.
~ They feed on small subterranean creatures such
as earthworms.
~ The study of ceacilian evolution is complicated due to
their poor fossil records and specialised anatomy.
~ Genetic evidence supports the idea that caecilians
are close relatives of frogs and salamanders.
General Characteristics
~ The body is cylindrical and often darkly coloured.
~ Skull is bullet-shaped and strongly built.
~ The head has several unique adaptations, including fused cranial and jaw bones and a
chemosensory tentacle in front of the eye.
~ The skin is slimy and smooth. It also bears ring-like markings or grooves and may
contain scales.
~ Their tails are short or absent and their cloacae are near the end of their bodies.
~ They completely lack limbs.
~ All caecilians have lungs, except for one lungless species -
Atretochoana eiselti. They also use their skin or mouths for
oxygen absorption.
~ Smaller species resemble worms while the larger species
like Caecilia thompsoni, measuring upto 1.5m, resemble
snakes.
Anatomy
~ Eyes are small or absent , with only a single known class of photoreceptors. Vision is
limited to dark - light perception.
~ Skull is compact and solid, with few large openings between the plate - like cranial
bones
~ The snout is pointed and bullet - shaped and the mouth is recessed under the head, so
that the snout overhangs the mouth
~ They have a pair of unique sensory structures, known as tentacles, located on the
either side of the head between eyes and nostrils. They are used for a second olfactory
capability, in addition to the nose.
~ The lower jaw is specialised in caecilians. They have only 2 components of the jaw :
-pseudodentary (at front, bearing teeth) and
-pseudoangular (at back, bearing jaw joint and muscle attachments)
~Skin contains glands that secrete a toxin to deter predators. The skin secretions of some
species have been known to have hemolytic properties.
Locomotion
~ The muscles are adapted to pushing their way through the ground.
This allows the animal to anchor its hind end in position and force the head
forwards and pull the rest of the body up to reach it in waves.
~ In water or very loose mud, caecilians swim in an eel - like fashion.
~ Some families have a fleshy fin running along their bodies, enhancing their
propulsion in water.

Respiratory System
~ Three types of respiration occurs and are dependent on species variation
and environment - pulmonic , buccopharyngeal and cutaneous. Some
animals can use multiple modes.
Nutrition and Digestion
~ Caecilians are generally carnivorous and their diet differs between taxa.
~ Diet includes earthworms, lizards ,moth larvae and shrimp. Some species consume
newborn rodents and fish eggs .
~ The digestive system consists of a large tongue, an elongated digestive tract.
~ The oesophagus contains longitudinal folds and lacks glands.
~ It also consits of an intestine and stomach
~ Liver, gallbladder and pancreas are also present.
~ The digestive system is well developed.

Integument System
~ The skin has one layer of keratanized cells. Some species possess dermal scales.
~ The glandular secretions contain hemolysins and can prove to be irritating to humans.
~ The skin is shed regularly and appears as thin stands of white mucoid material.
Cardiovascular System
~ Caecilians have a typical amphibian three chambered heart. They can also have over 200
lymph hearts.

Hematopoietic System
~ Caecilians lack bone marrow and are thus dependent on the liver, spleen,thymus and
kidneys to produce red and white blood cells.

Reproduction and Development


~ Caecilians are the only order of Amphibians to use internal insemination exclusively.
~ Male caecilains possess a phallodeum, a long tube like organ, enabling them to practice internal
fertilization.
~ The ovaries in females are paired and closely connected with kidneys
~ 25% are oviparous - eggs are laid in terrestrial nets and guarded by the females.
~ Remainig 75% are viviparous and give birth to already developed offsprings. They show direct
development.
ICHTHYOPHIS
KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Chordata

CLASS Amphibia

ORDER Apoda

FAMILY Ichthyophiidae

GENUS Ichthyophis
~ Also known as Asian caecilians, they are found in South - Western and Central Sri
Lanka, North-Eastern India and the Philippines.
~ They are found in almost all habitats but are known to prefer moist ones.
~ They grow upto 23-40 cm long and resembles an earthworm.
~ Skin is formed of over 300 transverse folds which gives the appearence of being
segmented.
~ Colour is a steely blue above and pale yellow underneath.
~ The head has a rounded snout and a pair of extensible tentacles near the mouth.

~ Ichthyophis glutinosus - also called the Ceylon caecilian,


is listed as being of `vulnerable` by the IUCN Red List of
Threatened Species.
~ Ichthyophis beddomei - endemic to the Western Ghats,
mainly Kerala and Tamil Nadu
URAEOTYPHLUS
KINGDOM Animalia

PHYLUM Chordata

CLASS Amphibia

ORDER Apoda

FAMILY Ichthyophiidae

GENUS Uraeotyphlus
~ Relatively small, ranging from 23-35 cm, there are only 7 species in the genus - all
endemic to the Western Ghats.
~ The body is short and stout, violet-coloured dorsally and lighter ventrally.
~ The members have a true tail with vertebrae and the skull has a relatively complex
structure.
~ The tentacles are far forward of the eyes, below the nostril.
~ The skin is grooved transversely and contain cycloid scales.
~ Presence of an aquatic larval stage is the diagnostic feature of the genus.
Economic Importance
~ Caecilians are integral components of soil ecosystems and their activities contribute to the
overall health and fertility of soils, supporting plant growth and sustaining the functioning of
terrestrial ecosystems.
1. Soil Aeration: Caecilians burrow through soil, creating tunnels and passageways. These
burrows facilitate the movement of air into the soil, promoting aeration.
2. Nutrient Cycling: Caecilians consume a variety of organic matter, including plant
material, insects, and other invertebrates. Through their feeding activities, they break
down organic matter, accelerating the process of decomposition.
3. Soil Mixing: As caecilians move through the soil, they mix the organic and mineral
components together. This mixing process, known as bioturbation, aids in the
redistribution of nutrients, organic matter, and microorganisms throughout the soil profile.
4. Pest Control: Some caecilians have specialized diets, including termites, ants, and other
soil-dwelling invertebrates. By consuming these potential agricultural pests, caecilians
help regulate their populations naturally, contributing to pest control in soil ecosystems.
References
~ Chordate Zoology - E. L. Jordan and P. S . Verma

~ sciencedirect.com

~ wikipedia.org

~ University of Michigan Digital Library

~ amphibiaweb.org

~ bioone.org
THANK YOU
Presented by : Ayisha P S
IBIO/23/2023
Integrated MSc Bioscience

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