Field observation of egg brooding in the caecilian Caudacaecilia asplenia from Sabah, Malaysia (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Ichthyophiidae)

Abstract

We provide the first report of egg brooding in the caecilian amphibian Caudacaecilia asplenia in Borneo. This is also the first observation of eggs and brooding for the genus. Brooding habits of this species are basically similar to those of species of the other ichthyophiid genus, Ichthyophis. Eggs (n = 16) were laid and guarded by a female under a decaying log on a stream bank. These eggs seemed to have been laid recently following rainy nights. The breeding ecology of Caudacaecilia is briefly discussed. © National University of Singapore.