On the Classification and Phylogeny of Caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona), a Critical Review

Nussbaum, Ronald A.; Wilkinson, Mark

doi:10.2307/1466984

Cited by 139 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…Only 5 of the 11 ingroup clades were supported by bootstrap proportions greater than 70% in both parsimony and distance analyses. However, the molecular trees were mostly consistent with prevailing views of caecilian phylogeny (Nussbaum and Wilkinson, 1989) and provided useful support and, to some extent, refinement of these views. Thus, these molecular data provide a good foundation upon which to build.…”

Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 74%

“…Caecilians have distinctive, elongate and limbless body forms, and gymnophionan monophyly, which has never been seriously questioned, is supported by numerous morphological attributes (e.g., Nussbaum and Wilkinson, 1989). The vast majority of the approximately 160 currently recognized species are fossorial, inhabiting soils throughout much of the wet tropics.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, Hillis (1991) concluded that the broad outlines of caecilian phylogeny were better established than phylogenies the other amphibian groups. This favorable assessment was based on analyses of morphological and life history data for the six currently recognized families of caecilians (Nussbaum and Wilkinson, 1989). However, major problems remain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, major problems remain. For example, the largest family, the Caeciliidae, is probably paraphyletic (Nussbaum and Wilkinson, 1989;Hedges et al, 1993) and the relationships of its constituent genera to each other and to the Typhlonectidae and Scolecomorphidae have not been satisfactorily resolved with morphological data (Wilkinson, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phylogenetic relationships of Indian caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) inferred from mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences

Wilkinson

Sheps

Oommen

et al. 2002

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

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India has a diverse caecilian fauna, including representatives of three of the six currently recognized families, the Caeciliidae, Ichthyophiidae, the endemic Uraeotyphlidae, but previous molecular phylogenetic studies of caecilians have not included sequences for any Indian caecilians. Partial 12S and 16S mitochondrial gene sequences were obtained for a single representative of each of the caecilian families found in India and aligned against previously reported sequences for 13 caecilian species. The resulting alignment (16 taxa, 1200 sites, of which 288 cannot be aligned unambiguously) was analyzed using parsimony, maximum-likelihood, and distance methods. As judged by bootstrap proportions, decay indices, and leaf stabilities, well-supported relationships of the Indian caecilians are recovered from the alignment. The data (1) corroborate the hypothesis, based on morphology, that the Uraeotyphlidae and Ichthyophiidae are sister taxa, (2) recover a monophyletic Ichthyophiidae, including Indian and South East Asian representatives, and (3) place the Indian caeciliid Gegeneophis ramaswamii as the sister group of the caeciliid caecilians of the Seychelles. Rough estimates of divergence times suggest an origin of the Uraeotyphlidae and Ichthyophiidae while India was isolated from Laurasia and Africa and are most consistent with an Indian origin of these families and subsequent dispersal of ichthyophiids into South East Asia. Ó

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Section: Introductionsupporting

confidence: 74%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Phylogenetic relationships of Indian caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) inferred from mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences

Wilkinson

Sheps

Oommen

et al. 2002

Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution

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“…Thus we have no molecular phylogenetic insight into the relationships of any mainland African caecilians. Of the six currently recognised caecilian families (Nussbaum & Wilkinson 1989) only the Scolecomorphidae remains unstudied with regards to molecular data.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Phylogenetic relationships of African caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona): Insights from mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences

Wilkinson¹,

Loader

Gower

et al. 2003

African Journal of Herpetology

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Identification and localization of neurohypophysial peptides in the brain of a caecilian amphibian,Typhlonectes natans (amphibia: Gymnophiona)

1998

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The amphibian order Gymnophiona contains more than 150 different species of caecilians. The characterization and distribution of neurohypophysial peptides, however, has not been described for any member of this order. By using high-performance liquid chromatography, radioimmunoassay, and mass spectrometry, we identified the peptide arginine vasotocin (AVT) in brain and pituitary extracts from the caecilian Typhlonectes natans. By using immunocytochemistry, we found five populations of AVT-immunoreactive (AVT-ir) cells in the brain of T. natans. AVT-ir cell bodies were located in the preoptic area, amygdala pars medialis, ventral thalamus, dorsal hypothalamic nucleus, and nucleus of the solitary tract. AVT-ir fibers and terminal fields were widespread. We also identified a mesotocin-like peptide. The distribution of this peptide in the brain of T. natans was more restricted than the distribution of AVT. Mesotocin-like-immunoreactive cell bodies were located almost exclusively in the preoptic area, with only a few other cells located in the amygdala pars medialis. This caecilian species, therefore, possesses neurohypophysial peptides that are similar in their structure and distribution to the peptides found in anuran and urodele amphibian orders.

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On the Classification and Phylogeny of Caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona), a Critical Review

Cited by 139 publications

References 7 publications

Phylogenetic relationships of Indian caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) inferred from mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences

Phylogenetic relationships of Indian caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona) inferred from mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences

Phylogenetic relationships of African caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona): Insights from mitochondrial rRNA gene sequences

Identification and localization of neurohypophysial peptides in the brain of a caecilian amphibian,Typhlonectes natans (amphibia: Gymnophiona)

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