| meteterakis saotomensis n. sp. (nematoda: heterakidae) from schistometopum thomense (bocage) (gymnophiona: dermophiidae) on são tomé island. | meteterakis saotomensis n. sp. is described from schistometopum thomense (bocage), a gymnophionan endemic to the oceanic island of são tomé in the gulf of guinea. the specimens were assigned to meteterakis karve, 1930, based on the possession of a head with three rounded lips, not set-off from the body, the absence of interlabia and cordons, females with a long vagina and males with a preanal sucker, surrounded by a cuticularised rim and caudal alae that are supported by fleshy papillae. the new ... | 2015 | 26358072 |
| rotational feeding in caecilians: putting a spin on the evolution of cranial design. | caecilians are a poorly known group of amphibians with a highly derived skull and cranial musculature that has evolved in response to their specialized head-first burrowing lifestyle. they possess a unique jaw-closing system, which is shown to be capable of generating considerable bite forces for its head width (1.09+/-0.34 and 0.62+/-0.31 n for schistometopum thomense and boulengerula taitanus, respectively). however, comprehensive dietary studies indicate that there is no need for large bite f ... | 2006 | 17148268 |
| population genetics of the são tomé caecilian (gymnophiona: dermophiidae: schistometopum thomense) reveals strong geographic structuring. | islands provide exciting opportunities for exploring ecological and evolutionary mechanisms. the oceanic island of são tomé in the gulf of guinea exhibits high diversity of fauna including the endemic caecilian amphibian, schistometopum thomense. variation in pigmentation, morphology and size of this taxon over its c. 45 km island range is extreme, motivating a number of taxonomic, ecological, and evolutionary hypotheses to explain the observed diversity. we conducted a population genetic study ... | 2014 | 25171066 |