Schistometopum thomense (Barboza du Bocage, 1873)
Accepted species in Catalogue of Life’s 11 September 2026 base release. This preserves the source classification and available supporting data; it is not a completed species monograph.
Open encyclopedia reference
Schistometopum thomense is a species of amphibian in the family Dermophiidae, endemic to São Tomé and Ilhéu das Rolas. This species may be referred to as the São Tomé caecilian (with various spellings of the island's name), as the Agua Ize caecilian, or as the island caecilian, or by the local name of cobra bobo. It is found in most soils on São Tomé, from tropical moist lowland forests to coastal coconut plantations. It is absent only from the driest northern areas of the island.
It is typically around 30 cm (12 in) in length, and is often bright yellow. The size of S. thomense can vary throughout São Tomé, however, and it is the only known caecilian to follow Bergmann's rule, which states that a decreasing temperature due to factors such as increasing altitude will cause an increase in the body size of endothermic vertebrate species. The island of São Tomé is a massive shield volcano, and it therefore has differing altitudes throughout the island, potentially resulting in the size diversity of S. thomense.
Wikipedia contributors, Schistometopum thomense; see linked history · CC BY-SA 4.0 . Plain-text lead excerpt, at most 180 words; no infobox or later sections Retrieved 2026-10-05T18:51:01.648088+00:00. This reference remains separate from the taxonomic record.
Identity & source status
- Scientific name
- Schistometopum thomense (Barboza du Bocage, 1873)
- Name authority
- (Barboza du Bocage, 1873)
- Rank
- species
- Accepted status
- accepted
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Amphibia
- Order
- Gymnophiona
- Family
- Dermophiidae
- Genus
- Schistometopum
- Extinction status
- Recorded extant
Classification family tree
Nested taxonomic groups from the source. This is not a direct-ancestor chain, a dated evolutionary tree or a phylogenetic reconstruction.
- domainEukaryota (Chatton, 1925) Whittaker & Margulis, 1978
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- subphylumVertebrata
- infraphylumGnathostomata
- parvphylumOsteichthyes
- megaclassTetrapoda
- classAmphibia
- orderGymnophiona
- familyDermophiidae Taylor, 1969
- genusSchistometopum Parker, 1941
- speciesSchistometopum thomense (Barboza du Bocage, 1873)
Close classified relatives
These entries share the source’s genus, Schistometopum. They are not necessarily the closest relatives established by molecular evidence.
| Species | Classification | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| Schistometopum ephele Taylor, 1965 | DermophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
| Schistometopum gregorii (Boulenger, 1895) | DermophiidaeChordata | Accepted speciesRecorded extant |
Names & synonyms
Names explicitly linked to this accepted taxon in the source. Synonymy can change with revision.
| Recorded name | Source status |
|---|---|
| Schistometopum brevirostre (Peters, 1874) (Peters, 1874) | synonym |
| Siphonops brevirostris Peters, 1874 Peters, 1874 | synonym |
| Dermophis brevirostris (Peters, 1874) (Peters, 1874) | synonym |
| Dermophis thomensis (Barboza du Bocage, 1873) (Barboza du Bocage, 1873) | synonym |
| Schistometopum brevirostris (Peters, 1874) (Peters, 1874) | synonym |
| Siphonops thomensis Barboza du Bocage, 1873 Barboza du Bocage, 1873 | synonym |
Source literature & publication evidence
References attached to this source record, including nomenclatural citations where supplied. This is a selected bibliography; abbreviated citations remain in the source’s form.
- https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=668504 Source fields: Taxon.tsv dwc:namePublishedIn, Taxon.tsv dcterms:references
Origins, evidence & remaining research
Name authority and publication references document nomenclature where the source supplies it. They do not establish evolutionary origins or the earliest fossil occurrence.
Specimen-level evidence, morphology, ecological research, phylogenetic studies, a comprehensive bibliography and a located literary passage have not yet been compiled for this record. A suitable sourced image remains to be added.
Dataset citation & attribution
This exact taxon in ChecklistBank · Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11
Catalogue of Life 2026-09-11; dataset 316321; doi:10.48580/dgz5n. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . Retrieved 5 October 2026.
Stable key: col:4V9CL. Classification follows source parent identifiers. English common names may vary by region.