Koh Tao Island Caecilian

Fascinating facts about the Koh Tao Island Caecilian

• A single Koh Tao Island caecilian can be found from the lowland forests of Cambodia all the way up to the montane woodlands of Vietnam, showing how one amphibian can span five countries and a range of ecosystems.
• The species was first described from a specimen collected on Ko Tao Island in the Gulf of Siam, so its scientific name, *Ichthyophis kohtaoensis*, is a literal map marker of its discovery.
• Both male and female individuals carry 21 pairs of chromosomes, yet studies differ on the shape of those chromosomes, one counted 18 metacentric, 4 submetacentric and 20 telocentric, while another found 16 metacentric, 6 submetacentric and the same 20 telocentric, highlighting hidden genetic complexity in a seemingly uniform group.
• Even in heavily altered landscapes, urban gardens, irrigated fields, and degraded former forests, these caecilians persist, reminding us that amphibians can cling to life in places we often deem unsuitable.

At a glance

About the Koh Tao Island Caecilian

The Koh Tao Island caecilian (Ichthyophis kohtaoensis) is found in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, plantations, rural gardens, urban areas, heavily degraded former forests, irrigated land, and seasonally flooded agricultural land. Both males and females have 21 pairs of chromosomes, though studies report differing numbers of metacentric, submetacentric, and telocentric chromosomes. The species is threatened by habitat loss.

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