Description
Description: Oedipina gephyra has a SVL of about 56.7 mm (McCranie et al. 1993). O. gephyra has a round head. The nose comes to a point, with distinct nostrils and nasolabial grooves extending from the nostril to the lip. Its eyes are not protuberant (McCranie et al. 1993; McCranie and Wilson 2002). Labial protuberances are absent. O. gephyra has 22 vomerine teeth and 40 maxillary teeth (McCranie et al. 1993). The tail is thick with mild basal constriction, and the cross section of the tail is nearly rectangular. The cross section of the tail becomes ovular once it is about half the length of the tail away from the body. Its limbs are short and slender. Some of the toes are fused together. Its toe tips are rounded rather than pointed (McCranie and Wilson, 2002).

Diagnosis: O. gephyra can be distinguished from other species of Oedipina in Honduras by the presence of 17 or 18 costal grooves. Oedipina elongata is the exception. O. gephyra is distinguishable from O. elongata by the presence of maxillary teeth which O. elongata does not have. O. gephyra has a dorsum that is uniformly blackish-brown, while Oedipina elongata has a brown dorsum with lighter brown spots or patches on the head and on the body (McCranie et al. 1993; McCranie and Wilson 2002).

Coloration: O. gephyra is uniformly blackish-brown throughout, and the tail is black. Tiny iridophores are visible under magnification (McCranie et al., 1993).

Variation: Males have mental glands and premaxillary teeth that pierce the lip. In females, the premaxillary teeth are located behind the lip. Males have cloacal papillae, while females have shallow cloacal folds (McCranie and Wilson 2002).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Honduras

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

O. gephyra is a Honduran endemic. It is only known in the department of Yoro, located in north-central Honduras. Within this region, O. gephyra has been found in Parque Nacional Pico Bonito and Texiguat Wildlife Refuge, which are both protected under Honduran law (Cruz et al., 2008).

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
O. gephyra exhibits direct development. Water is not required for its breeding (Cruz et al. 2008).

Trends and Threats
The population is currently declining due to habitat loss and degradation in north-central Honduras. Its main threats are forest fires and the expansion and encroachment of cattle ranches and subsistence farms (Cruz et al., 2008).

Possible reasons for amphibian decline

General habitat alteration and loss
Habitat modification from deforestation, or logging related activities
Intensified agriculture or grazing
Urbanization
Habitat fragmentation

Comments
This species was described by J. R. McCranie, L. D. Wilson and K. L. Williams (1993).

The species name, gephyra, is derived from Greek root word that means “bridge.” The name refers to the fact that O. gephyra has several morphological features that bridge the gap between the species groups Oedipina uniformis and Oedipina parvipes . This was recognized by Brame when he revised the genus Oedipina in 1968 (McCranie et al. 1993; McCranie and Wilson, 2002).

The sister species of O. gephyra are Oedipina elongata and Oedipina carablanca (McCranie et al. 2008).

References

Frost, D. (2011). Amphibian Species of the World: an Online Reference. Version 5.5.

McCranie, J. R. and Casteñeda, F. E. (2005). ''The herpetofauna of Parque Nacional Pico Bonito, Honduras.'' Phyllomedusa, 4(1), 3-16.

McCranie, J. R., Vieites, D. R., and Wake, D. B. (2008). ''Description of a new divergent lineage and three new species of Honduran salamanders of the genus Oedipina (Caudata, Plethodontidae).'' Zootaxa, 1930, 1-17.

McCranie, J. R., and Wilson, L. D. (2002). ''The Amphibians of Honduras.'' Contributions to Herpetology, Vol 19. K. Adler and T. D. Perry, eds., Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Ithaca, New York.

McCranie, J.R., Wilson, L.D. and Williams, K.L. (1993). ''A new species of Oedipina ( Amphibia: Caudata: Plethodontidae) from northern Honduras.'' Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington, 106, 385-389.

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2012 Oedipina gephyra: La Fortuna Worm Salamander <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/4107> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed Apr 23, 2024.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2024. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 23 Apr 2024.

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