At the time of its original description, Brasilotylphus braziliensis was assigned to the genus Gymnopis. It the only species in the Gymnopis genus originating in Brazil and the epithet, braziliensis, refers to organisms that originate in Brazil (Dunn 1945).

Description
Brasilotyphlus braziliensis is a small, slender caecilian. In the most recent description of the species by Maciel and Hoogmoed (2011), measurements are not separated by sex, but instead presented as an overall total length range of 147 - 260 mm long. Brasilotyphlus braziliensis is a roughly cylindrical caecilian with ahead that is slightly more narrow than the body, and measures from 2.7 - 5.1 mm wide. The snout projects distinctly beyond the snout. The premaxillary-maxillary teeth are monocuspid with little variation in size, although the posterior maxillary teeth are slightly smaller and extend to the posterior border of the choanae. The prevomerine teeth are bicuspid and equally sized. Brasilotyphus braziliensis can have between 15 - 25 premaxillary-maxillary teeth and between 8 - 12 prevomerine teeth. The body is slim, and the width tapers as it nears the tail; at the middle of its body, B. braziliensis is wider than it is tall. The first and second nuchal grooves are distinct both dorsally and ventrally. The third nuchal groove is visible but incomplete, as the second collar partially fuses with the first primary annuli. Primary annuli are visible circling the entire body of B. braziliensis, and the number of primary annuli ranges from 142 - 147. No annuli are present posterior to the vent (Maciel and Hoogmoed 2011).

DIAGNOSIS:

As of 2025, the Brasilotyphlus genus contains three species: B. braziliensis, B. guarantanus, and B. dubium. From B. dubium, B. braziliensis can be distinguished by a greater number of primary and secondary annuli. Brasilotyphlus braziliensis has between 142 - 147 primary annuli and 23 - 36 secondary annuli, while B. dubium only has between 123 - 129 primary annuli and 9 - 16 secondary annuli (Correia et al. 2018). Brasilotyphlus braziliensis can also be distinguished from B. guarantanus by annuli number and location of dermal scales. Brasilotyphlus gaurantanus has more primary annuli, ranging from 151 - 170, and fewer secondary annuli, ranging from 0 - 2. Both species have dermal scales, but the scales start nearer the head in B. braziliensis, specifically near the 25th annulus, while the dermal scales of B. gaurantanus start near the 145th annulus, much closer to the posterior end of the body (Maciel et al. 2009).

COLORATION:

In preservative, B. braziliensis is brownish, and the lateral and ventral surfaces appear slightly lighter than dorsum (Maciel and Hoogmoed 2011). Not much is known about the coloration of B. braziliensis in life, as the species is difficult to observe. Dunn’s original description published in 1945 reports B. braziliensis is dark gray, and slightly lighter on the underside. The head is whitish, and lighter than the body (Dunn 1945).

Distribution and Habitat

Country distribution from AmphibiaWeb's database: Brazil

View distribution map in BerkeleyMapper.

Brasilotyphlus braziliensis is found in the state of Amazonas, Brazil. More specifically, this caecilian lives in and around the city of Manaus (Maciel and Hoogmoed 2011).

The elevational range of this species was not listed in Maciel and Hoogmoed (2011), but the city of Manaus sits at 92 meters above sea level.

Life History, Abundance, Activity, and Special Behaviors
This species, like many caecilians, is fossorial (IUCN 2022).

Comments
As of March, 2025, B. braziliensis has not been included in a molecular phylogenetic analysis, and has been differentiated from other species solely based on morphology (Maciel et al. 2009, Maciel and Hoogmoed 2011, Correia et al. 2018).

A phylogenetic analysis conducted by Correia et al. (2018) included the other two species within the Brasilotyphlus genus, B. dubium and B. gaurantanus. This analysis was based on Maximum Likelihood analysis and Bayesian Inference of 16S rRNA and cytB. The results supported the monophyly of Brasilotyphlus, but nested it within the paraphyletic Microcaecilia. Further phylogenetic analysis is needed to determine if the genera are synonymous, or if Microcaecilia should further be split (Correia et al. 2018).

When B. braziliensis was initially described by Emmett Reid Dunn in 1945, he placed the species in the Gymnopis genus and called it Gymnopis braziliensis (Dunn 1945).

References
Dunn, E. R. (1945). A new caecilian of the genus Gymnopis from Brazil. American Museum Novitates, 1278, 1. [link]

Correia, L.L., Nunes, P.M.S., Gamble, T., Maciel, A.O., Marques-Souza, S., Fouquet, A., Rodrigues, M.T., and Mott, T. (2018). A new species of Brasilotyphlus (Gymnophiona: Siphonopidae) and a contribution to the knowledge of the relationship between Microcaecilia and Brasilotyphlus. Zootaxa, 4527(2), 186-196. [link]

IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group and Instituto Boitatá de Etnobiologia e Conservação da Fauna. (2022). Brasilotyphlus braziliensis. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T59500A184643360. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/59500/184643360. Accessed on 24 February 2025.

Maciel, A. O., Mott, T., and Hoogmoed, M. S. (2009). A second species of Brasilotyphlus (Amphibia: Gymnophiona: Caeciliidae) from Brazilian Amazonia. Zootaxa, 2226, 19-27. [link]

Maciel, A. O., and Hoogmoed, M. S. (2011). Taxonomy and distribution of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) of Brazilian Amazonia, with a key to their Identification. Zootaxa, 2984(1), 1–53. [link]

Taylor, E. H. Scale and cranial characteristics of the caecilian Brasilotyphlus braziliensis (Dunn). Journal of Herpetology, 5(3/4), 181-183. [link]

Species Account Citation: AmphibiaWeb 2025 Brasilotyphlus braziliensis: Brazilian Caecilian <https://amphibiaweb.org/species/1842> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed May 12, 2025.

Citation: AmphibiaWeb. 2025. <https://amphibiaweb.org> University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA. Accessed 12 May 2025.

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