Chthonerpeton onorei, a new caecilian (Ampibia: Gymnophiona: Typhlonectidae) from Ecuador

Resumen

Chthonerpeton onorei is described as a new species of the caecilian family Typhlonectidae based on two specimens collected in 1984 and 1985 at El Reventador, Napo Province, Ecuador by Dr. G. Onore. The species is characterized by having a high number of primary annuii (164) and vertebrae (173) in combination with the position of the tentacular aperture, which is nearly equidistant between the eye and nostril or slightly closer to the nostril. The discovery of C. onorei extends the range of the genus in South America by about 4,250 km in a northwesterly direction from southeastern Brazil and constitutes the first record of Chthonerpeton in Ecuador.