Designed by Paul Smith 2006. This website is copyrighted by law.
Material contained herewith may not be used without the prior written permission of FAUNA Paraguay.
Photographs on this page were taken by Paul Smith and Helen Pheasey and Para La Tierra are used with their permission.
SAO PAULO BURROWING CAECILIAN Siphonops paulensis
Though it looks suspiciously like a big blue-grey earthworm, this Caecilian is a subterranean amphibian and its morphological similarities to worms are more a result of convergent evolution - two groups independently finding the same answers to the problems by living in the same environment. This species is rarely seen and inhabits damp soils in humid forest areas, coming to the surface only when necessary.
Click on the images to enlarge them.
FIGURE 1 - (FPANF558PH) Adult, RN Laguna Blanca, Departamento San Pedro (Helen Pheasey April 2012 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 2 - (FPANF559PH) Same individual dorsal (Helen Pheasey April 2012 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 3 - (FPANF560PH) Same individual head lateral (Helen Pheasey April 2012 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 4 - (FPANF561PH) Same individual tail (Helen Pheasey April 2012 - Para La Tierra)
FIGURE 5 - (FPANF341PH) Adult, PROCOSARA, PN San Rafael (Paul Smith December 2007).
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FIGURE 1
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FIGURE 2
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FIGURE 3
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FIGURE 4
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FIGURE 5
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